Name three commonly used instructional strategies to promote higher-order thinking.

• A. Socratic questioning, problem-based learning, and case-based learning.
• B. Lecture, drill-and-practice, memorization.
• C. Group students randomly.
• D. Screen reading only.

Answer: (A)

Higher-order thinking comes from tasks that require analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and creation. Socratic questioning pushes students to reason through ideas, justify conclusions, and probe assumptions through thoughtful dialogue. Problem-based learning places learners in authentic, ill-structured problems where they must identify what they know, seek new information, apply concepts, and develop plausible solutions. Case-based learning uses realistic scenarios to analyze factors, compare alternatives, and argue conclusions, linking knowledge to real-world practice. Taken together, these strategies actively engage higher-level cognitive skills rather than just recalling facts.

In contrast, methods like lecture, drill-and-practice, and memorization center on remembering information or performing routine procedures, which address lower-order thinking. Randomly grouping students can aid collaboration but doesn’t inherently require higher-order cognitive work. Screen reading only is a passive activity that typically doesn’t stimulate analysis, evaluation, or creation.