Implementation of the Philosophy for Children Approach to Build Critical Thinking Skills: A Case Study in Elementary School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17977/um009v34i22025p309-324Keywords:
philosophy for children (P4C), critical thinking, elementary education, pendidikan dasar, implementasi pedagogis, pedagogical implementation, penalaran kritisAbstract
Abstract: The 21st century demands critical thinking skills, a competence often underdeveloped by conventional elementary teaching methods. This creates a significant gap, particularly in contexts like Indonesia's Terdepan, Terluar, dan Tertinggal (3T) regions where students are vulnerable to misinformation. This qualitative case study thus aimed to analyze how the "Philosophy for Children" (P4C) approach, integrated within a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model, can cultivate critical thinking skills in elementary school students. The research involved 10 sixth-grade students and the researcher as a teacher-facilitator. Data were collected over three learning sessions via participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation, then analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The findings reveal that this P4C-PBL implementation effectively fostered critical thinking, manifesting in three central themes: (1) a cognitive shift from passive information reception to critical inquiry and skepticism towards media messages; (2) an evolution in thought from personal issues to nuanced ethical reasoning and collaborative action; and (3) the teacher's pivotal role as an architect of a democratic and humanist learning community. This study underscores the urgent need for a pedagogical paradigm shift in primary education to empower students with robust critical thinking capabilities.
Abstrak: Abad ke-21 menuntut keterampilan berpikir kritis, suatu kompetensi yang seringkali kurang berkembang akibat metode pengajaran konvensional di tingkat sekolah dasar. Hal ini menciptakan kesenjangan yang signifikan, terutama di wilayah-wilayah seperti Terdepan, Terluar, dan Tertinggal (3T) di Indonesia, di mana siswa rentan terhadap informasi yang menyesatkan. Studi kasus kualitatif ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis bagaimana pendekatan “Filsafat untuk Anak-Anak” (P4C), yang diintegrasikan dalam model Pembelajaran Berbasis Masalah (PBL), dapat mengembangkan keterampilan berpikir kritis pada siswa sekolah dasar. Penelitian ini melibatkan 10 siswa kelas enam dan peneliti sebagai guru fasilitator. Data dikumpulkan selama tiga sesi pembelajaran melalui observasi partisipatif, wawancara mendalam, dan dokumentasi, kemudian dianalisis menggunakan model interaktif Miles dan Huberman. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa implementasi P4C-PBL ini secara efektif mengembangkan pemikiran kritis, yang tercermin dalam tiga tema utama: (1) pergeseran kognitif dari penerimaan informasi pasif menjadi penyelidikan kritis dan skeptisisme terhadap pesan media; (2) perkembangan pemikiran dari masalah pribadi menjadi penalaran etis dan tindakan kolaboratif; dan (3) peran sentral guru sebagai arsitek komunitas belajar demokratis dan humanis. Studi ini menekankan kebutuhan mendesak akan pergeseran paradigma pedagogis dalam pendidikan dasar untuk memberdayakan siswa dengan kemampuan berpikir kritis yang kokoh.
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