Enhancing the prospective teachers' higher order thinking skills in solving pedagogical problems

Abstract

A prospective teacher requires a Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in solving pedagogical problems. On the other hand, in reality, this ability was still relatively low. The general purpose of this study was to improve the quality of the learning process in the mathematics learning strategy course to strengthen students HOTS in solving pedagogical problems. Furthermore, the purpose of this research specifically was to determine the validity, practicality, and effectiveness of the module. This study was development research (Research & Development) using Thiagarajan, Semmel and Semmel model (4D model) which consist of four stages: defining, designing, development and disseminating. The instruments used were validation sheet, HOTS test, observation sheet, and questionnaire. The subject of this research was the undergraduate students of class A on trial I and class B on trial II, where each class consists of 48 and 39 people respectively. The finding of this study shows that the module developed was valid, practical, and effective to use. Moreover, students’ HOTS increased significantly.