Taking higher order thinking seriously: Using Marzano’s taxonomy in the economics classroom

This paper argues for the need for instructors to more intentionally foster higher order thinking skills in economics students, as these skills lend themselves to longer-lasting, more transferable knowledge. This paper proposes the use of Marzano’s taxonomy to aid in this endeavor. It provides a clear functional delineation between lower- and higher-order thinking, and serves as a natural way to systematically build a course around incrementally building up student thinking skills. We outline how it was used in course design for drafting student learning outcomes (SLOs), creating assessments for a Principles of Economics course, and leveraging it as a tool to provide more targeted feedback for students. Preliminary observations on the impact on student learning are presented.