Abstract

There are moments in teaching that defy easy description. A student lingers over a question, hesitates in thought, or suddenly stops mid-sentence. Something unspoken stirs: a shift, a felt intensity, a glimpse of understanding that cannot quite be articulated (van Manen, 2014). It is in these moments of uncertainty, ambiguity, and cognitive friction, that Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) are forged. Elusive yet formative, such encounters reveal that thinking is not a static, procedural skill but an unfolding, relational act. It is not simply the structured acquisition of strategies, but a movement into spaces of complexity, where answers do not come easily, where knowledge must be wrestled with, and where understanding emerges through dialogue, resistance, and receptivity.