Boosting Critical Thinking in High School Students with Tech-Based Workshops at SMAN 1 Katapang

The digital era has transformed societal norms, necessitating critical and solution-based thinking skills to navigate information overload and emerging challenges. This study aims to enhance high school students' critical thinking and problem-solving abilities through technology-based workshops. The program employs a variety of interactive methods, including games, digital modules, online quizzes, and case study analyses, to introduce students to a structured four-step framework: problem identification, solution exploration, solution evaluation, and execution planning. Hands-on sessions with programming platforms like C, along with hardware tools such as Arduino provide practical experience. The results indicate significant improvements in students' abilities to apply critical thinking to real-world problems, fostering proactive behavior and the emergence of local leaders within their communities. The program underscores the necessity of integrating structured problem-solving frameworks into educational curricula to prepare students for future challenges. Recommendations include adopting similar workshops in educational settings to leverage technology for enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Keywords: Critical Thinking, Solution-Based Thinking, Technology-Based Workshops, High School Education, Problem-Solving Skills.