Jun 30, 2018 07:26 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...philosophy
EXCERPT: . . . When the questions were tweeted by an AFP reporter, a further question was raised: should British children be doing more philosophy, too? There is already a reasonably large movement of philosophy and P4C (Philosophy for Children) in the UK that has garnered more and more interest over the past 20 years or so. The Education Endowment Fund (EEF) even published some research findings in 2015 showing that philosophical discussion among pupils led to small improvements in reading and maths performance in primary schools.
So, isn’t that a reason enough to do philosophy? Well, maybe not. The improvements were small, so one might ask a couple of questions. Firstly, surely there must be other ways to make greater improvements in reading and maths. Then, if there are, shouldn’t we just do them if the aim is to improve reading and maths?
Which brings me to my second question: is that really the reason we might want to do philosophy in schools? [...] The Journal of Philosophy in Schools has recently published a special edition (in which I make a contribution) making some robust cases for why philosophy should be taught in compulsory education. Among other things, essays explored the idea that an education in philosophy better equips people for ethical life, and how philosophy improves the quality of children’s thinking.
Further to this, our education system has a few core failings. One of them is that it is consumer-led, where the students are made to think of education only instrumentally. By the time students get to university, they demand: “Tell me what I need to know to pass what I’ve paid for.” Philosophy provides a space to think for the sake of thinking.
[...] Philosophy also employs and encourages critical thinking. In this age of post-truth, “alternative facts” and fake news, children need tools to be able to navigate an increasingly confusing and information-rich world....
MORE: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...philosophy
EXCERPT: . . . When the questions were tweeted by an AFP reporter, a further question was raised: should British children be doing more philosophy, too? There is already a reasonably large movement of philosophy and P4C (Philosophy for Children) in the UK that has garnered more and more interest over the past 20 years or so. The Education Endowment Fund (EEF) even published some research findings in 2015 showing that philosophical discussion among pupils led to small improvements in reading and maths performance in primary schools.
So, isn’t that a reason enough to do philosophy? Well, maybe not. The improvements were small, so one might ask a couple of questions. Firstly, surely there must be other ways to make greater improvements in reading and maths. Then, if there are, shouldn’t we just do them if the aim is to improve reading and maths?
Which brings me to my second question: is that really the reason we might want to do philosophy in schools? [...] The Journal of Philosophy in Schools has recently published a special edition (in which I make a contribution) making some robust cases for why philosophy should be taught in compulsory education. Among other things, essays explored the idea that an education in philosophy better equips people for ethical life, and how philosophy improves the quality of children’s thinking.
Further to this, our education system has a few core failings. One of them is that it is consumer-led, where the students are made to think of education only instrumentally. By the time students get to university, they demand: “Tell me what I need to know to pass what I’ve paid for.” Philosophy provides a space to think for the sake of thinking.
[...] Philosophy also employs and encourages critical thinking. In this age of post-truth, “alternative facts” and fake news, children need tools to be able to navigate an increasingly confusing and information-rich world....
MORE: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...philosophy