Higher Order Thinking Opportunities Provided By Professors In College Of Agriculture Classrooms

Abstract

Accomplishing higher order thinking requires analysis or understanding of the new situation, a background of knowledge of methods which can be readily utilized, and some facility in discerning the appropriate relations between previous experience and the new situation (Bloom, 1956). Mastering the higher order thinking of which Bloom speaks is one of the most significant activities of life. How are professors in a College of Agriculture performing? A variety of instruments including an aspiration survey, and attitude scale, a demographic form, and an assessment instrument were used in a study of 28 purposefully selected faculty members from each of eight departments/schools in a College of Agriculture to examine relationships among the variables. It was found that professors aspired classroom discourse to be balanced across the levels of cognition. However, a preponderance of discourse occurred at the lower levels of cognition, regardless of the course level or subject area. Do professors desire to change the cognitive level of discourse in their classrooms? As agricultural educators, important responsibilities include educating colleagues on current teaching issues. The issue of teaching critical thinking must be addressed in today's learning environment. There is every reason why agricultural educators should be leading this trend, considering the diverse directions agriculture has taken.