Philosophy
Term 3 has hit its fair share of potholes, but the Arlington children have nonetheless persevered with their online and offline learning for philosophy.
In conjunction with the Kindergarten’s Conceptual Playworld, the philosophy lessons are supporting the children’s ability to categorise objects. We have put pictures of objects onto posters of different categories and given reasons for why they belong there. Conversely, if an object doesn’t clearly fit into a category a reason must also be given.
In the Lighthouse we are gathering information by honing our questioning skills and asking questions beginning with who, what, when, where, why or how. Each question starter will produce a different answer and so the children must think a step ahead to identify what information they are trying to gather.
For the Loft Room, we have been trying out different ways of expressing ourselves. If we start a sentence with I think…, I know…, I believe…, or I feel…, then we shift our justification for a claim. For example if one says “I believe that car is red” compared to “I know that car is red” then we express that our degree of knowing the thing is different.
In the Sunroom we have been refining our evaluation skills to challenge one another’s thinking. Each member of the classroom has been asking questions to their classmates to challenge a claim they have made. The children are presented with an unknown argument such as “Should older siblings get more presents for their birthday?” and then asked to either represent a side of the argument or challenge the statements made by someone arguing for one of the sides.
Finally, in the Peppercorns, our rich discussions are now focusing on clear and precise definitions of terms. Defining is a key skill of philosophy both for the purpose of presenting a succinct idea, and as a means to challenge the understanding of someone else. Without a common understanding of a given word, a conversation can be difficult to progress. To support building this skill, we have been playing the game ‘Balderdash’, in which the children must make and identify fake definitions of unfamiliar words.
Oliver Breedon
Philosophy and Peppercorn teacher