Fostering students’ character of patriotism and critical thinking skills

Abstract

Patriotism and critical thinking are two significant factors in preparing the young generations in facing globalization in order to build our nation. However, the negative impacts of globalization either diminish people’s patriotism or escalate chauvinism. As a result, critical thinking serves as an important filter to reduce those negative impacts. The purpose of this study was to analyze the implementations of the Creative and Productive Learning (CPL) model to enhance the students’ patriotism and critical thinking skills in their Civics lessons. The action research design, performed among the seven Grade 8 students at Global Sevilla Puri Indah School, Jakarta, was carried out in the classroom in three cycles. The qualitative data were collected through observations, interviews, field notes, video recordings, photos, and school documentations. The study obviously suggests that the CLP model has enhanced the sense of patriotism and critical thinking skills among the students involved. In the CLP model, both the teacher and students are more engaged in reaching their learning objectives. More importantly, the teacher, as a facilitator and motivator, may perform an important role in stimulating the teaching-learning interactions while the students may take more ownership in exploring the learning materials presented in their lessons.