Abstract: This paper analyzed a well-structured lesson to examine the opportunities and missing opportunities for students’ learning in terms of developing basic skills and higher-order thinking skills. The instructional activities in the lesson that show a very systematic choice of variation and clear focus, may serve well the goal of teaching a specific basic skill. However, the type of engagement the teacher created in the lesson is less ideal for fostering students’ higher-order thinking skills. While both basic and higher-order thinking skills are important and it is not necessary to sacrifice basic skills for higher-order thinking, nor higher-order thinking for basic skills, this paper calls for research and design classroom instruction to develop both basic skills and higher-order thinking.

Key words: Higher-order thinking skills; Basic skills; Fractions; Mathematics learning and teaching

¹Agnes is working in the Education Bureau and what is presented in the paper is only her personal view.