Teaching higher-order thinking skills to multilingual students in elementary classrooms

Educational systems worldwide underscore the importance of developing higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) to prepare students for the new challenges of the XXI century. Some pressing issues faced by educators include the ambiguity of the construct; the implementation of HOTS in classroom practices; and the implications for teaching students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. Framed in Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching, this article reports on a qualitative case study that explored how two elementary school teachers developed HOTS with emerging multilingual students. Using the constant comparative method (CCM), data collection included observations and artifacts; data analysis included open, axial coding, and category formation. Findings show that: (a) HOTS were framed as subskills in instructional practices; (b) teachers used multiple activities to develop HOTS, progressing from lower to higher-order thinking; and (c) teachers differentiated instruction considering students' language level and background experiences, but did not account for the additional layers of complexity when interrelating HOTS to language. This article builds on existing theories and frameworks of HOTS, provides examples of activities for developing HOTS, and offers recommendations for teaching HOTS to multilingual learners.