Modeling Higher Order Thinking: The Alignment Between Objectives, Classroom Discourse, And Assessments

The purpose of this study was to describe the levels of cognition modeled and the alignment among the levels of cognition modeled via course objectives, instructional strategies, and assessments in preservice teacher preparation courses. The accessible sample consisted of seven teacher educators teaching courses for secondary and middle school-level education majors at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Higher levels of cognition (application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) were modeled in 88% of the preservice teacher preparation course objectives. Lower levels of cognition, were modeled in 61% of classroom discourse. Application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation levels of cognition, represented 39% of the classroom discourse. Higher levels of cognition as a whole represented a mean of 90% of all classroom assessments, with the synthesis level of cognition representing a mean of 40% of the classroom assessments for all instructors. Hierarchical cluster analysis methods were employed to examine the alignment among the cognitive levels of instructional objectives, classroom discourse, and assessments, respectively.