The application of teaching aids as thinking tool in Islamic education classroom.

There are weaknesses detected among Islamic Education teachers in terms of the application of teaching aids (TA) in the teaching and learning process. Therefore, this study aims to explore the application pattern of TA in Islamic Education (IE) teaching which incorporates critical thinking by Islamic Education expert teachers. This is a qualitative study in the form of case study conducted on a group of six IE expert teachers. Data were collected for 12 months using interview method, teaching observation and document analysis. The findings show that three key themes of TA were used by IET in IE teaching which incorporate critical thinking to meet the interests and tendencies of students, to gather information and to express and formulate ideas. This study suggests that teachers should leverage their own ability to produce TA according to the needs of students and share the materials with other teachers. This study is expected to contribute towards strengthening the effectiveness of IE teaching in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]