Category: News

  1. Gifted and Talented workshop

    Posted on by Dot Lenton in News Comments Off on Gifted and Talented workshop

    After working in a summer school for gifted and talented pupils in a Suffolk High School we received some encouraging feedback – particularly from the pupils. One year 6 girl said: “The philosophy session today was really interesting because it made me think more than usual about every-day life, about all the opportunities there are to stretch myself and think about something I haven’t thought about before.” One of the teachers said that it made the students stop and think more deeply about the topics we introduced and “it was interesting to see how they dealt with questions that have no right answers”. The Assistant Headteacher was so impressed with the way in which the pupils had responded to the challenging questioning that she is considering how it can be successfully incorporated into the school curriculum.

    The school also rated the content as “excellent”. For presentation the assistant headteacher wrote: “Professional delivery in a manner that both encouraged and engaged our students.” It was a very enjoyable experience for us too.

  2. Thinking really hard

    Posted on by Dot Lenton in News Comments Off on Thinking really hard

    It was very exciting to work with a school that has a strong mission to get all its children thinking really hard! The staff at Swaffham Infant School are a dedicated group who are keen to give their children time to listen, reflect and respond. During the first session we talked briefly about the history of P4C – particularly looking at examples of how easy it is to dismiss children’s thoughts and ideas without really pursuing them.

    Later in our experiential session we talked about how modern living can have a negative impact on exploration. One member of staff wrote to us and said,

    “I just wanted to say a big thank you for the training you gave today at Swaffham Infant School. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and found the whole concept fascinating. I really do hope that all schools will start using philosophy for children, for all ages. I think it would benefit young people immensely.
    Thank you again for a truly interesting training session.”

  3. Feedback

    Posted on by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on Feedback

    When we delivered p4c today we took along an observer, this is her feedback after watching the session.

    “Excellent presentation. I gained an enormous insight into the way in which children think. It helped me to evaluate my own practice as a teacher and review preconceived ideas that I have. Very thought provoking.”

  4. Try Rdeainig Tihs

    Posted on by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on Try Rdeainig Tihs

    “I cdnuol’t blveiee taht I cluod aclaltuy uesdnatrd waht I was rdgnaeig. The phaonmnael pweor fo the hmuan mnid!” This was the starting point for our work today with two groups of gifted and talented young people (Y6, 7 and 8) at a summer school in Suffolk. This led to very animated thinking! One group explored the capacity of the human mind and what we mean when we speak of “self”. The second group puzzled over what language is and the conventions we have and how they have developed. Dot and I had a great time and our thinking was definitely stretched!

  5. Philosophy4Adults

    Posted on by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on Philosophy4Adults

    At Philosophy4Children we often work with groups of adults who are keen to explore how to use philosophy with children in their school. Last week we were delighted to work with quite a different group of adults who had no connection to a school at all. The Erasmus Foundation. in rural Suffolk, invited us to guide them through a philosophy session. They were interested to discover how philosophy could be integrated into their group and their meetings. We had a wonderful evening and were treated to a delightful supper into the bargain. We are beginning to see many possibilities of using philosophy beyond schools!

  6. Philosphy4Children moving on

    Posted on by Dot Lenton in News Comments Off on Philosphy4Children moving on

    A very exciting, and excitable, group of teachers met at Woodside Infant and Nursery School in Hethersett last week. They have been pioneers in using philosophy for children in the classroom and wanted to see how that could move their children on into even deeper thinking. Philosophy4Children were able to help! We looked at the art of questioning itself and considered the tools that the facilitator needs to do this successfully. We also considered the nature of the questions themselves – how children’s open imaginative questions can move into the philosophical. We looked at the way in which children’s questions can cover all aspects of philosophical thought. Their questions range from the ethical (right and wrong) right through the social and political (rights and laws) spectrum to the epistemological (does science give us the right answers?) through to aesthetics and logic. We had a good session and staff seemed fired up to move on to the next level!!

  7. New term, new start

    Posted on by Dot Lenton in News Comments Off on New term, new start

    Philosophy4Children spent a very enjoyable day delivering training to Rockland and Surlingham Schools. The schools have recently formed a partnership. The head teacher and her staff are wanting to work together and are keen to embed Philosophy4Children into their curriculum. Everyone took part enthusiastically and, after a technical hiccup at the start, the day went smoothly. Some staff have experience in this method of teaching, and for some it was a new approach. We began by asking three questions:

    Why do children come to school?

    What does it mean to learn?

    Do we need to teach in order for children to learn?

    This started some lively discussions before we went into learning mode ourselves. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the group and from comments at the end it seems to have been a very productive day.

  8. School Of Creativity Conference June 18th, 2010

    Posted on by Dot Lenton in News Comments Off on School Of Creativity Conference June 18th, 2010

    Move forward button on our calendar to June to find out more about the exciting conference taking place at Barnham Broom with the School of Creativity. The day will be led by well-known speakers Chris Watkins and Luke Abbott. Not only will there be opportunities to learn about the inquiry curriculum, but also a chance to speak to children from a school who are using the Mantle of the Expert approach to learning. Should be an exciting and rewarding day.

    Delegates should sign up for the conference by emailing office@surlingham.norfolk.sch.uk

  9. A day in the classroom.

    Posted on by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on A day in the classroom.

    Following the staff training we did at the school in Norwich, we returned a week later to carry out demonstration philosophy4children lessons throughout the school. Dot and I were delighted to find that some teachers, during the week between our visits, had run a philosophical enquiry with their classes!

    We had a great day in the eight classes (Years 3 to 6). Children, teachers and support staff were all very enthusiastic, here are some of the staff comments:

    “It allowed me to see a teachable structure with a class, how time needs to be given for pupils to formulate their answers, how children respond to each other and their ideas.”

    “Excellent modelling of flow of a session. It allowed me to pay attention to the class and listen to their ideas.”

    “Clear expectations set out to the children. I liked the content and the re-focusing techniques and questions”

    “It helped children to think about their behaviour and how they should talk to each other.”

  10. A busy start to the term!

    Posted on by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on A busy start to the term!

    It has been a vey busy start to the term for Philosophy4Children with more and more schools asking for training in how to use and develop philosophy with their children. Monday saw us working in a large junior school in Norwich with a very enthusiastic staff group. We are looking forward vey much to going back next week and spending the whole day working with the children.