ENCOURAGING CRITICAL THINKING WITH PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING (PBL)

One of the important roles of a teacher is not only to deliver lessons but also to encourage students to think critically. To achieve this, I apply Problem Based Learning (PBL) connected to real-life situations. For example, in the topic of hazardous substances, I divided the students into several groups and gave them a problem to discuss, such as: “Why is plastic waste dangerous for the environment?” Each group then discussed the issue, looked for solutions, and presented ways to reduce and manage plastic waste at home and at school.

Through this method, students become more active in analysing problems. Even those who are usually passive in discussions can still absorb information and learn to process it. In addition, this method also trains them to become more independent in learning and finding information, so they are not fully dependent on the teacher.

By: I Nengah Edi Catra, Science teacher.