Philippine E-Journals

RE-ALIGNING HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS: CHALLENGES OF TEACHERS IN THIS NEW NORMAL

Sandra Kristine Simpliciano | Marciano B. Melchor

 

Abstract:

Developing the higher-order thinking skills of the students is an essential task for teachers. However, due to the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic, the new normal way of education has been implemented, making the new learning modalities very different from what the teachers in the Philippines have been used to. This creates the question of the different challenges that the teachers are facing when it comes to the development of the higher-order thinking skills of the students despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic. This study has explored this subject matter as well as identified their coping mechanisms to address their challenges. From the results of the interview data analysis, it has been found that the teachers are having difficulties in the development of the higher-order thinking skills of the students due to the less-contact measure of the modular learning modality. The participants also shared that internet connectivity issues have been a challenge and that there was a lack of constant communication between the students and the teachers. To address this, the teachers in this study have employed the coping mechanisms of finding other ways to communicate with students and finding creative means to assess students and provide feedback to improve their HOTS. From these results, it is suggested that teachers work together in creating activities that will challenge the learners but at the same time motivate them. It is further suggested that policymakers conduct activities and programs that will help teachers improve their experiences in developing HOTS during the implementation of distance education.