Chapel Hill State School

Philosophy in the Classroom at Chapel Hill

• Four staff members undertook the introductory training and we engaged all Year7 students in the Circle of Enquiry and taught Philosophy to selected groups in Year 5.
• We have continued to use the Circle of Enquiry in Year 7 and involved all Year 4 students by teaching philosophy as a specific subject in their Literacy Block.
• All staff received Professional Development in teaching Philosophy on the Pupil Free Day on October 10 2005 and will be trialing this very powerful pedagogy in their classrooms for the remainder of the year. We will complete the second day of our training late 2005 or early 2006. In 2006 we are committed to using Philosophy in the Classroom P-7

Who Should be Involved?

Years P-7

From the first year at school children should be able to participate in a community of enquiry by listening, contributing to discussion and forming a question of their own.

The earlier the groundwork is laid for inquiry and good thinking the better.

The purpose of Philosophy is to educate students to be responsible, active, creative participants in society.

Why teach Philosophy?

Teaching philosophy at school has immense value because it builds self-esteem and contributes to the development of independent thinking, good judgment and reasonableness.

In Philosophy the students learn to

• give reasons
• formulate questions
• articulate ideas.

In philosophy class there are no experts and answers are not always, right or wrong. Philosophical enquiry is primarily concerned with the search for meaning, but is as much concerned with the processes of enquiry as it is with the discovery of final answers.

What does Philosophy aim to do ?

Philosophy aims to stimulate curiosity about

• who we are,
• how the world is,
• what our relationships within it and with each other are
• what is fair, good and right.

It is not concerned with teaching the history or the writings of traditional philosophy, although you will inevitably find the community of enquiry raising issues, that have concerned philosophers for thousands of years.

What values are instilled in a community of enquiry?

• Listening to what others say
• Having respect for what they say
• Co-operation
• Reasonableness
• Truth Seeking

Where does Philosophy fit in the school curriculum?

Philosophy is not an add on extra.

It links naturally to virtually all other areas of the curriculum. The connection to English, reading and comprehension is clear because of the emphasis on clarity, meaning, conceptual analysis, careful reading and precise expression. Philosophy also encourages logical thinking and problem-solving skills that are required in all Key Learning Areas, particularly Mathematics Science and Technology. The cooperative and communication skills learnt in philosophy equip the students to participate in discussions in SOSE and many of the issues raised in SOSE are explored in Philosophy.

Most importantly philosophical discussion builds self-esteem and self-awareness, while raising children’s sensitivity to and tolerance of other points of view and the circumstances of others. Children come to realize and respect the fact that people are different, have different likes and dislikes, ideas and opinions. They learn to explore and question, to evaluate and make judgments about what is important to them.