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Interested in having a resident philosopher in your school? Read on...
Case Study: A Revolution in Thinking – Philosophy at Greenbank High School, Hillside
Southport Visiter Article:
https://pressreader.com/article/281732678072055
Resident Philosopher
After visiting Greenbank High School for a number of years to deliver ‘introduction to philosophy’ courses for various age groups, The Thinker Director, Glenn Skelhorn, was appointed ‘resident philosopher’ at the school for 2014-16. Every Wednesday, he worked collaboratively with a broad range of subject areas, delivering philosophy sessions in class, crafted to tie in with topics covered in the curricula, and delivered training and support for teachers looking to develop philosophical approaches in their own practice.
Each half term, Glenn worked with staff from two subject areas, drawing up a timetable through which as many staff as possible could experience philosophy in the classroom. Based on information provided about topics being covered at that time, Glenn then produced materials for the philosophy sessions, sharing them with the teachers involved prior to the session and explaining the content and format.
What is Philosophy?
Philosophy is a subject which dates back to the Classical world of Ancient Greece. Philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were concerned with working towards understanding, knowledge and truth through very careful, rigorous reasoning and collaborative discussion. The ability to think well in order to develop well justified beliefs, values and behaviours is a paramount value of philosophy and its presence in education is a source of great intellectual and personal nourishment. As Socrates put it, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’.
What are the philosophy sessions like?
Examples of sessions include:
Geography – does nature have intrinsic value? (Y10)
Art – what makes art good art? (Y7)
English – can we ever find a poem’s true interpretation? (Y11)
Maths – do mathematical objects exist in the world? (Y10)
RE – should someone be punished for an action if they have lost their memory? (Y8)
History – to what extent does gender involve fixed characteristics? (Y9)
Sessions typically ran for 20-30 minutes at the beginning of lessons, giving pupils an opportunity to explore, discuss and evaluate key philosophical issues, relevant to their studies. This was undertaken through a structured approach, including basic rules of conduct and sequencing of activities, moving from individual reflection on the stimulus (e.g. a story, poem, article, object, picture, event, video clip) to small group and whole class enquiry. Glenn, as ‘facilitator’, encouraged productive, focussed discussion through the strategic use of questioning, probing reasoning and gently guiding the direction of the enquiry, where necessary.
What are the benefits of philosophy in the classroom?
· Pupils are provided with the chance to develop their thinking skills – to think critically, and creatively about important philosophical questions related to their studies.
· Through reflection and discussion, pupils become more aware of how they think and the justification (or lack thereof) behind their arguments
· Pupils can start to become more autonomous – to think for themselves and shape their own beliefs, values and actions, based on reasoning and reflection.
· Pupils are carefully encouraged to articulate their thinking through tactful questioning, moving beyond providing easy answers to a more rigorous mode of thinking.
· Pupils work collaboratively in tackling the question in hand, developing skills of interaction, and purposeful argumentation.
· Teachers benefit through exposure to the methods and resources used and consideration of how it might influence their own practice
Feedback
Staff and pupils were very positive about Glenn’s work during his time as resident philosopher at Greenbank. Comments from teachers include the following:
“Thanks very much! I found the session very interesting, and I have spoken to the girls who also enjoyed the activity. They felt that it helped them to think about questioning the text and we did a follow up where we thought about how this could help them in the exam when confronted with two unseen poems.”
“Thank you for delivering two very thought-provoking sessions with the year 8 Geographers. Both sessions were incredibly well planned and confidently delivered. The content really focused on the importance of sustainability. It was clear the girls thought deeply about the intrinsic value of nature, and it linked perfectly with our renewable energy lesson.”
“The girls have really enjoyed their sessions so far!”
Supporting Staff
Glenn worked with staff from all departments, demonstrating philosophy practice in the classroom, creating departmental packs containing subject specific resources, and delivering CPD training to individuals and groups of staff.
Promoting Values
The school has also used Glenn’s activities as an aspect of promoting British Values – a key focus of OFSTED at present. In particular, philosophy in the classroom is an excellent vehicle for promoting the following values highlighted by OFSTED:
· Individual liberty
· The promotion of opportunities for all
· Treating others with fairness
· Participation in community life
· Democracy
Extra-curricular Philosophy
A group of enthusiastic Greenbank pupils from a range of year groups volunteered to become ‘Philosophy Champions’ and embarked on a series of projects helping them to lead their own philosophy discussions, complete a guided philosophy research project, and attend a philosophy trip in the Summer term.
Y7 Introduction to Philosophy Courses
In addition to the work across subject areas delivered by Glenn, extra-curricular philosophy-specific lessons were run for groups of Greenbank Y7 pupils, discussing a diverse range of topics including ‘is it morally unacceptable to eat cat?’, ‘can the senses give us certain knowledge?’, ‘how should wealth be distributed?’, and ‘am I the same person as I was 5 years ago?’
All in all, the work done at Greenbank resulted in a philosophical ethos becoming embedded in the culture of learning, stretching and challenging pupils to think in careful, critical, and creative ways, in turn opening their minds to new perspectives and encouraging pupils to strike out and think for themselves. The need for more schools like Greenbank to embrace philosophy as a means to enrich the education of pupils is summed up neatly by French philosopher, de Montaigne:
“Since philosophy is the art which teaches us how to live, and since children need to learn it as much as we do at other ages, why do we not instruct them in it?”
If you would be interested in exploring the possibility of Glenn or one of our other Thinker tutors practicing in your school or college, please contact us at: info@thethinkerhub.com
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