Reflections on Cultivating Students’ Higher-Order Thinking in Senior High School Mathematics Classes

Abstract

Against the backdrop of competency-oriented educational reform, cultivating students’ higher-order thinking has become a critical mission in high school mathematics education. Based on the literature research methodology, this study commences by examining the conceptual essence of mathematical higher-order thinking. It then analyzes the prevailing challenges hindering its development in current high school mathematics classrooms: traditional teaching approaches, entrenched student thinking patterns, and overly simplistic evaluation systems. To overcome these challenges, this research proposes targeted instructional strategies: adopting innovative teaching methods, constructing diversified evaluation systems, optimizing assignment design, and strengthening metacognitive training. By creating deep inquiry-based learning contexts, implementing process-oriented assessment of cognitive approaches, designing appropriately challenging tasks, and developing students’ metacognitive reflection capabilities, these  strategies effectively stimulate, guide, and consolidate students’ mathematical thinking. This integrated approach ultimately fosters the development of higher-order thinking  (HOT) competencies, thereby achieving the fundamental objective of cultivating core disciplinary literacies.