Hoërordedenkvaardighede is noodsaaklike basiese vaardighede vir die een-en-twintigste eeu
aangesien rekenaars berekeninge en algoritmes baie vinniger en akkurater kan doen as mense.
Dit beteken dat skole leerders moet toerus om logies te dink, patrone te ontdek, bewyse te lewer,
asook om nieroetineprobleme op te los. Hierdie fasette wat as hoërordedenke geklassifiseer
word, is die kern van wiskundige denke en ontwikkeling. Suid-Afrika neem aan verskeie
internasionaal vergelykende studies deel. Met behulp van hierdie vergelykende studies kan
bepaal word hoe die Afrikaanse wiskundeleerders in Suid-Afrika se prestasie met dié van
leerders in ander lande vergelyk en ook wat die tekortkominge in die wiskundeonderwys
is. Volgens die 2003-TIMSS-uitslae is die probleem in Afrikaanse skole juis dié vrae wat
hoërordedenke vereis. Dit beteken dat die Afrikaanse skole ’n doelbewuste poging sal moet
aanwend om hoërordedenke te ontwikkel. Die 1999-TIMSS-videostudie toon dat die lande
wat die beste presteer, soos Japan, tydens onderrig meer tyd wy aan die ontwikkeling van
begripsvorming en aan die oplos van moeiliker probleme. Die fokus in die presterende lande is
op die ontwikkeling van hoërordedenke deur probleemoplossing. Daar word dus minder tyd
afgestaan aan herhaling van roetine- of soortgelyke oefeninge wat ’n rekenaar ook kan doen.
Die omgekeerde hiervan is ’n tipiese verskynsel in Afrikaanse skole, waar ’n onderwyser
byvoorbeeld een of meer voorbeelde op die bord doen waarna die leerders ’n hele aantal
soortgelyke roetine-oefeninge doen.
Higher-order thinking skills are
essential basic skills for the 21st century as computers can do calculations and algorithms
faster and more accurately than people. This means that schools should equip students
to think logically, search for patterns, do proofs and solve non-routine problems. These
activities are part of higher-order thinking, which is the essence of mathematical thinking
and development. South Africa participates in several international comparative studies.
Using these comparative studies, it has been possible to determine how the performance of
Afrikaans mathematics learners in South Africa compares to that of learners of other countries
and also to highlight possible deficiencies in mathematics education. According to the TIMSS
2003 results, Afrikaans learners perform poorly in the TIMSS advanced level questions, where
higher-order thinking is required. This means that Afrikaans schools should purposely develop
higher-order thinking. The TIMSS 1999 Video Study shows that the best performing countries
like Japan spend more time in class on the development of conceptual understanding and
working on complex problems. High-performing countries are focused on the development
of higher-order thinking through problem solving. They also spend less time on doing routine
or repetition exercises which can rather be done by a computer. The contrary is typically the
case in Afrikaans schools where a teacher will for example do one or more examples on the
blackboard and the students will follow and do a number of similar routine exercises.
