For the past 20 years, Chicago native Robin Fogarty has traveled the world as a consultant and author, leading workshops and seminars in curriculum design and professional development. She has trained principals, administrators, teachers, and staff developers in Russia, Australia, Singapore, Great Britain, and the Netherlands.

In one of her many books, Problem-Based Learning and Other Curriculum Models, Fogarty presents six curriculum models that use issues from the real world to help students develop the problem-solving tools they'll need throughout their lives.

Recently, Fogarty spoke to the Intel® Innovator about the critical importance of integrating higher-order thinking skills into every curriculum.

Why is it so important that curriculum is designed to develop students' higher-order thinking skills?
From my perspective, higher-order thinking skills should be the centerpiece of any curriculum. We live in a complex world, a global community, and an information-overload society. Teachers must engage young people in problems of the outside world and weave real-life skills into the curriculum-skills that will help them carry on with their lives in ways that are meaningful, purposeful, and helpful. If our kids can't think critically, problem-solve, make decisions, and decipher what's valuable information and what's frivolous, it's going to be a rough road ahead for them.

Why must teachers routinely require rigor in student performances, projects, and everyday assignments?
The idea of rigorous instruction that promotes higher-order thinking doesn't mean that classroom lessons are difficult; it means they are complex. Projects should include intricate tasks that help students develop life-long habits of mind: pride in their work, a sense of accomplishment in solving a problem, an understanding of what it means to persist, and a tolerance for ambiguity-are what the real world is all about. If we spoon-feed our kids quick answers, if they think there is only one right answer, they're never really going to learn effective habits of mind that will carry them through their lifes' journey.

How do teachers create a "thoughtful" classroom that fosters higher-order thinking such as analysis and argumentation?
In the thoughtful classroom we bring several subject areas together in a problem-based learning unit that has relevancy, appeal, and age-appropriateness for the students. For example, a case study using the subject of lying asks questions that force young people to look at their own behavior: Is it ever appropriate to tell a lie? Is omission of information a lie? Is it okay to tell a white lie to avoid hurting someone's feelings? Depending on grade level, a teacher can bring in literary themes, social science research, and other materials to enrich the discussion of questions such as these.

Teachers participating in the Intel® Teach to the Future program have developed a set of project-based units that integrate technology and promote higher-order thinking. Can classroom teachers effectively integrate these units into their curriculum?
These comprehensive, kid-friendly unit plans are what I call "ready to wear": robust, rich, and rigorous. Teachers can select a unit appropriate to their grade level, look over the subject focus and instructional procedures, and tweak the material for their own classrooms. Every project-based unit uses the same template with Essential Question, Unit Questions, and Content Questions. Then the scenario takes students right into the problem-based learning piece where they are the stakeholders. It's make-believe, and that's what kids love.

What are inquiry models of curriculum and how do they connect with Intel units?
My book, Problem-Based Learning and Other Curriculum Models looks at what we call models of inquiry: problem-based learning where a teacher sets up a scenario and students become the stakeholders. Expeditionary learning, walkabouts, field trips, apprenticeships, internships-those are the ways we bring inquiry into the classroom. Students are not just learning in a static, rote-memory way, but are actively investigating.

Intel's unit plans present great examples of inquiry-based classroom projects that span all age groups, from "Pond Water and Pollywogs" for the five- to seven-year-olds, to "Go-Go Gadget: Invent a Machine" for 8- to 10-year-olds, to "Using Electricity on the Job!" for high school students.

The brain learns best by doing activities we traditionally consider extracurricular: reporting for the school newspaper, putting on a musical, creating the yearbook. These create memories that we carry with us from school. Such activities, which integrate learning into a real performance or project, are present in all the Intel unit plans, and should be the centerpieces of curriculum.