This
study attempts to investigate teachers’ experience as educational philosophers based on the
experiences of elementary school teachers. Research method is qualitative. The population consisted of all elementary school teachers of Ize City. The sample
size was not determined in advance, but, using a purposive method, sampling
continued to the point of saturation which occurred after interviewing forty
subjects (participants) who were willing to be
interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect
the data.Data from the interviews were analyzed based on van Manen’s
phenomenological method. The gathered data were analyzed in order to explain
this lived experience. Then the
resultant processed findings were returned to participants for validation. The
findings include 20 themes which were categorized in 4 major axes. The first
axis comprising major tasks of the teacher included 7 themes: goal setting, friendly relations, and attention to
individual differences, motivating, strengthening team spirit, strengthening
accountability, and assessment of students. The second axis under the title of
fostering critical thinking subsumes 5 themes: creating a challenging
environment, posing the question or issue, opportunities for
contemplation and reflection, participatory methods and criticism. The third
axis covering creative thinking includes 6 themes: discovery methods, creating
opportunities for practical activities, encouraging students' creativity,
creative patterns, and creative curiosity. In the fourth axis called deepening
of knowledge 2 themes were identified: research and teaching aids. Since
it is the teacher that copes with the actual conditions of teaching and has
first hard knowledge of students’ interests, demands needs and abilities, he
can provide grounds for an autonomous learning process. Also, if the teacher is
to be successful in teaching thinking, he should be a philosopher - teacher who
can make use of all the factors that support the cultivation of critical
thinking in students.