This study investigates teachers' strategies to promote students' critical thinking in
instructional activities at the senior secondary level in the Indonesian context. It
involved two state-school and two private-school English teachers. It used semistructured
in-depth interviews analyzed qualitatively to gain insights into the
strategies used. The research findings indicated that teachers from the two groups
reported different learning strategies in teaching interactional and functional texts.
The state-school teachers reported using discussions and differentiated learning
strategies. In contrast, the private-school teachers informed to apply Project-based
learning and Problem-based learning. Such differences provide valuable insights
for English teachers on incorporating strategies that conform to the standard
Indonesian curriculum. It is recommended that teacher professional development
programs focus on enhancing learning skills and strategies in promoting critical
thinking in their instructional activities.