TEACHERS’ STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING SKILL IN FIQH LEARNING IN THE INDEPENDENT CURRICULUM

This study aims to describe teacher strategies in improving students' critical thinking skills in Fiqh learning at SMP Muhammadiyah PK Kota Barat. The results of the study indicate that learning strategies such as lectures, questions and answers, and demonstrations are effective in helping students' understanding, but are lacking in encouraging critical thinking skills. Therefore, it is recommended to apply the Problem Based Learning (PBL) method involving real case studies to hone students' analytical skills. Supporting factors in implementing this strategy are teacher mastery of the material and the availability of adequate facilities, while time constraints are the main obstacles. This study concludes that more innovative, adaptive, and student-based learning strategies are needed to optimally improve critical thinking skills. The results of this study are expected to be a reference for teachers and schools in developing more effective learning strategies to improve students' critical thinking skills. Thus, students can become more analytical and ready to face challenges in the future. This study can help improve the quality of Fiqh learning better.