Describes one teacher's attempts to move her students from rote learning to reasoning. Elaborates on the use of a standardized multiple-choice test as a basis for evoking students' arguments concerning defensible answers and reasons they are defensible. (JAD)

The Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) program uses microcomputers to help high risk students master basic thinking processes, grasp course content, and apply learned information in various problem-solving situations. Specifically, HOTS aids students with metacognition, inference from context, and generalization skills. It also improves…