Category: News

1. Croc and Bird

   Posted on February 21 2013 by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on Croc and Bird

   We are often asked for suggestions for books to use for philosophy with children. There are so many! Often it is not necessary to go out and buy special books there will no doubt be several in the classroom that are suitable.

   Having said that, one book we have used several times recently is Croc and Bird by Alexis Deacon ISBN987-0-091-89332-3 and published by Hutchinson. A thought provoking story of a crocodile and a bird hatching together and living together until the time they come across other crocodiles and birds – then they realise their differences. Do give it a try!

2. Couldn’t be bettered!

   Posted on February 4 2013 by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on Couldn’t be bettered!

   

   

   Barbara thinking hard with help of Year 1 children

    

   What a great way to spend a morning! We were back in the classroom with years R to 2 demonstrating activities which encourage young children to engage with deep thinking. We had a lovely time with children discussing and offering their ideas, they very quickly grasped the importance of using the word BECAUSE to explain their reasoning. We were made very welcome by the staff in this North Norfolk school and had a good discussion over lunch about this way of working and exploring ways to push the children on further.

   Here is some of the feedback from this session:

   “Couldn’t be bettered… for me it was immensely useful.”

   “I found the session fascinating – the level of thinking of the children surprised me.”

   “It was good to see children offering their ideas, especially some of the quieter children.”

3. Many ways of working…

   Posted on January 15 2013 by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on Many ways of working…

   Our training is always tailored to the needs of each school we visit.

   If your school has a particular focus we will include this in our planning. We will fit the training around the time you have available. This last week has demonstrated this last point well – we spent a whole day in one school, spent the afternoon in another where we are delivering basic training in three sessions spread over a term and a third school in which we covered the basics in two hours!

   So, whatever the needs of your school are we will endeavour to meet them in the training we deliver.

   One of the comments from this week: “It was fun and lively. Felt involved but not put on the spot. I was made to feel secure to have some input.”

    

4. A busy start to 2013

   Posted on January 8 2013 by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on A busy start to 2013

   New terms and Inset days are always busy times for us – we get booked up well in advance!

   Yesterday was no exception. We spent the day working with staff  in a school in Kingswinford, near Birmingham, introducing philosophy to the staff, looking at the skills it develops and ways to implement it with different ages. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and this is some of the feedback

   Presentation: Very good. It was clear and at a pace that gave me time to think and reflect myself – something we have precious little time to do!

   Content: Excellent content. We were given the background and a really clear structure to use with our class. It was packed with ideas which had been used, great to see results that had been tried and tested.

   Was the session useful? It was very useful and I found some great techniques and areas to develop when in the classroom.  I will be able to use what I have learnt today in my own lessons, encouraging the children to be confident in their own opinions and respectful of others.

5. The most effective day I’ve spent training…

   Posted on December 4 2012 by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on The most effective day I’ve spent training…

   We recently led a conference for the Norfolk Association of Primary Head Teachers in the beautiful location of Mangreen Hall just outside Norwich. There was a great mix of headteachers, teachers and ex heads. We had a really interesting day looking at the history of philosophy in schools, philosophy in the context of school life and the demands of the curriculum plus, of course, a philosophical enquiry. Lots of positive feedback, here are three comments:

   “Inspirational ideas from inspirational ladies”.

   “Very clear and facilitative, grounded in experience and a good balance of active participation and thinking / listening”

   “It’s great to have first hand experiences of all the things we talked about. I feel much clearer about P4C. I think the most effective day I’ve spent training out of school.”

6. What will the children be put through?

   Posted on November 17 2012 by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on What will the children be put through?

   Following our trip to Gateshead we travelled to London to work with a school in Islington. The staff were very welcoming and we had a great morning exploring philosophical ideas. Feed back was very positive – in response to our question “Was the session useful, if so how?” here are three replies:

   “Yes indeed, you gave us plenty of information but also plenty of time to think for ourselves and understand the value of this for the children.”

   “Yes, it resulted in some really deep self reflection of my teaching (and self!) which has helped me to focus on areas for self development. Very interesting ideas and strategies for dealing with possible situations.”

   “It was very useful because it formed a coherent whole, linking theory to practice as well as demonstrating how a session actually works, so that we can see what the children will be put through.”

7. Free Thinking!

   Posted on November 5 2012 by Barbara Vidion in News Comments Off on Free Thinking!

   We were delighted to work with The BBC at the weekend. The Free Thinking Festival at The Sage in Gateshead took place over three days with inspiring and thought provoking speakers such as authors Philippa Gregory and Amos Oz, presenters Andrew Marr and Samira Ahmed, academics from Oxford, Cambridge and Essex universities – an amazing three days of debate, new ideas and challenging thoughts. On Saturday Philosophy4Children ran two family sessions which we thoroughly enjoyed and the feedback from participants shows they enjoyed it as well. “The two leaders were clear and welcoming… they made us feel safe so that we could share our ideas and thoughts.”  Another response was “Thought provoking, delivered well in an inclusive of all manner, stimulating!”  and “A brilliant starting point for my seven year old daughter, thank you.”  Highlights of the Free Thinking Festival are being broadcast at 10pm each evening this week – do try to listen!

8. Philosophy4Children working with the BBC

   Posted on September 14 2012 by Dot Lenton in News Comments Off on Philosophy4Children working with the BBC

   Barbara and are delighted to be working with BBC Radio 3 during their Free Thinking Festival in November. “Them and Us” is this year’s festival theme and creates the perfect backdrop for the open enquiry that Philosophy4Chidren promotes. Do come and see us at The Sage in Gateshead on Saturday 3rd November, where we are doing a couple of Philosophy4Children sessions. Go to bbc.co.uk/freethinking for more information about the event under Free thinking Festival 2012. Hope to see you there!

9. Back to basics with Philosophy4Children

   Posted on September 5 2012 by Dot Lenton in News Comments Off on Back to basics with Philosophy4Children

   Barbara and I enjoyed a back-to-basics session at Kersey Church of England VC Primary School yesterday. Back to basics for us in learning how to decipher an atlas and find the village, let alone the school. We did eventually arrive – bang on the scheduled start time! This didn’t leave us too much time to get set up, but the staff were lovely and very helpful in helping us navigate their new computer system. It was a very enjoyable session, with everyone contributing in the experiential session. Questions were just getting to that deeper level when it was time to stop. This is so often the way with philosophy sessions with children in school. We are always reluctant to leave the schools that we are working with. However we did manage to find our way home with yet another note to selves – buy a satnav!

10. Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development

    Posted on June 26 2012 by Dot Lenton in News Comments Off on Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development

    If we want to change the world, then – as Confucius says – we need to” educate the children”. But education is more than learning facts. Schools regularly face spiritual, moral, social and cultural dilemmas that need to be addressed. philosophy4children gives children an exciting but safe place in which to do this – a place where they can let their thoughts and ideas fly, and begin to explore the the big issues in life, such as the nature of God. In this place children are not afraid to get the answers wrong – because there are no right ones. Any answers they give are respected and taken seriously.

    This is part of an article that we wrote and it appeared in Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development: a Christian perspective see www.norwich.anglican.org/schools