
Higher Order Thinking Skills Professional Learning Packages for Mathematics, Science, and English Teachers
Rationale
|
The Philippines, for the first time in 2018, took part in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The assessment measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in Reading, Mathematics and Science to meet real-life challenges. Of the 79 countries that participated in the PISA, the Philippines ranked last in Reading and second last in Mathematics and Science. These results suggest that most Filipino students are not ready for life after school.
These areas of learners’ poor performance were interestingly identified in an analysis of teachers’ performance in the Teacher Development Needs Study (TDNS, 2014). One of the salient results of the TNDS was many teachers did not engage in higher-order thinking irrespective of their particular discipline. Moreover, the poor assessment results for Filipino learners, therefore, necessitate a reform initiative directed at supporting the strengthening of teachers’ subject knowledge and pedagogy to improve learner performance. To assist in this reform initiative, the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) and the Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ) collaborate to develop Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) - Professional Learning Packages (PLPs) in Mathematics, Science, and English/Reading for teachers in grades 7 and 8, and grades 9 and 10.
The HOTS-PLPs are anchored to the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) Framework as it describes the increasing sophistication (the increasing quality) of responses in handling certain tasks/questions relevant to a particular activity or domain. In particular, the SOLO levels provide concepts of teaching and learning that every teacher needs to acquire and use accurately and consistently to improve the learner’s thinking and understanding from simple to complex.
In 2021, NEAP collaborated with RCTQ to start the development of the PLPs for mentors and teachers. The PLPs ● have a theoretical focus on the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) model by Biggs and Collis (1982); ● address the appropriate indicators in the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST indicators 1.5.2 and 1.5.3), the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH indicator 3.2.2), and the Philippine Professional Standards for Supervisors (PPSS indicator 3.1.2); ● support the development and application of collaborative expertise in teachers, master teachers and school heads to underpin their own development through the Learning Action Cells (LAC); and ● respond to professional development needs identified in DM 50, s. 2020 or the DepEd Professional Development Priorities for Teachers and School Leaders for School Year 2020-2023.
In 2023, NEAP, as the professional development arm of DepEd, started implementing the PLPs, providing access to all teachers and school leaders in the country. NEAP has closely collaborated with representatives from the Curriculum and Teaching strand, as well as the Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ) in developing additional resources and providing technical assistance to the field stations.
The goals of the PD Program [HOTS-PLPs] are to:
● enhance teachers’ competencies in performing SOLO-based pedagogy; and ● improve teaching strategies and pedagogical practices that promote the development of higher order thinking skills of the learners.
|
Program Description |
The subject-content PD Program aims to do the following:
● Develop guide materials intended for master teachers, school heads, and supervisors to support them in their mentoring roles in schools with a focus on helping teachers. ● Provide proactive support to teachers in understanding HOTS and reflecting these skills in improving their respective classroom practices through the implementation/development of HOTS activities/items/questions for Science, Mathematics, and English/Reading subjects. ● Help teachers perform SOLO-based pedagogy and assessment strategies that promote the development of higher order thinking skills. ● Provide the participants with opportunities to apply their skills in using the SOLO taxonomy.
|