El. knyga: Philosophy Through Storytelling

Reviews "Pauline Purcell has encapsulated the essence of Philosophy for Children in this delightful collection of stories that accommodates a range of abilities across the Primary Phases. The theme of this practical book is underlined by the opening quote: I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think (Socrates). The essential aim of Philosophy for Children is the development of an atmosphere in which children feel free to question, to probe their own thinking and the thinking of others, including the teacher's. No-one has a 'right' answer but, equally, no-one has a 'wrong' answer. The emphasis is on exploring the reasoning behind the questions and examining possible answers; the underlying objective being to listen and respond in a collective atmosphere of enquiry. The class is arranged in an inclusive circle and the lessons are broadly divided into: pre-session games, establishing the ground rules of discussions, warm-up questions, the lesson stimulus with the generation of key questions, the negotiated decision about the main focus of the lesson, and strategies for ending the lesson with wind-down suggestions. The pre-session games are delightful and easy to implement from the step-by-step guidelines. A vital part of the group activity is that the class itself sets the rules for the discussion - the teacher scaffolding and mentoring the rules until the group can function independently with the minimum of guidance from the teacher. The resource also has a collection of 25 Philosophical Discussion Cards with pictures and questions to provoke discussion. In addition, there is a collection of 57 Philosophical Question cards with: What if ---? questions, Which would you choose? questions, and, What is ---? questions. For example: . What if --- there were no computers? . Which would you choose --- money or friends? . What is --- courage? I found this resource delightful and easy to implement in the classroom. I recommend it to all teachers and parents.