Philosophy in Education: Questioning and Dialogue in Schools

254 Pages·2016·1.59 MB·English

by  Jana Mohr Lone, Michael D. Burroughs

Philosophy in Education

Philosophy in Education
Questioning and Dialogue in Schools
Jana Mohr Lone and Michael D. Burroughs
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London
Published by Rowman & Littlefield
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.rowman.com
Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB
Copyright © 2016 by Jana Mohr Lone & Michael D. Burroughs
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission
from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Mohr Lone, Jana, 1960- | Burroughs, Michael D.
Title: Philosophy in education : questioning and dialogue in schools /
Jana Mohr Lone and Michael D. Burroughs.
Description: Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield [2015] | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015027135| ISBN 9781442234772 (cloth : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781442234789 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442234796 (electronic)
Subjects: LCSH: Children and philosophy. | Philosophy—Study and teaching (Elementary) |
Philosophy—Study and teaching (Secondary) | Questioning.
Classification: LCC B105.C45 M64 2015 | DDC 107.1—dc23 LC record available at
http://lccn.loc.gov/2015027135
∞ ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/
NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
PART I: WHY INTRODUCE PHILOSOPHY TO YOUNG PEOPLE? 1
1 Philosophy beyond the University 3
2 Wonder, Questioning, and Reflection 17
PART II: MAKING SPACE FOR QUESTIONING AND DIALOGUE 29
3 Learner-Centered Education and the Dialogical Model 31
4 Philosophical Sensitivity 41
5 The Community of Philosophical Inquiry 53
PART III: IN THE CLASSROOM 67
6 Philosophy in Elementary School 69
A Question Board 70
Creating Our Own Philosophical Story 72
The Three Questions by Jon Muth 74
Stuart Little, “The Schoolroom,” by E. B. White 75
Big Questions and How We Answer Them 76
Why? by Lindsay Camp and Tony Ross 78
Keep the Question Going 79
What’s Your Reason? 80
Good News, Bad News 81
Horton Hears A Who by Dr. Seuss 83
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,
“The Mirror of Erised,” by J. K. Rowling 84
Silent discussion: The Hole by Øyvind Torseter 84
Let’s Do Nothing by Tony Fucile 86
The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater 87
An Angel for Solomon Singer by Cynthia Rylant 88
A Shelter in Our Car by Monica Gunning 89
v
vi Contents
Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed 90
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman 91
Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch 92
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson 93
Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles 94
Bird by Zetta Elliott 96
The Conductor by Laetitia Devernay 97
What is music? Silence and Sound 98
The Art Lesson by Tomie de Paola 99
What is art? An art activity 100
The Coat by Julie Hunt and Ron Brooks 101
7 Philosophy in Middle School 103
Freedom 103
Fair or Equal? 105
Justice and Fairness in Schools 108
Stereotyping 110
Following the Leader 112
On Friendship 113
Human Nature and the Ring of Gyges 116
Drawing a Good Life 118
Shallow Pond and Charity 119
Philosophical Inquiry and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 120
LEGOs of Theseus 125
Social Media and Free Will 130
Convince your Teacher/Principal 133
Logic Charades 136
8 Philosophy in High School 145
Arguments and Philosophical Reasoning 145
Drop the Ball 151
What Do We Find Beautiful? 152
Affirmative Action in University Admissions (1) 154
Affirmative Action in University Admissions (2) 158
I Lost My Cool 162
Social Contract Theory: Creating a Cooperative Learning Environment 164
Sample Student Constitution 167
Applied Ethics—Genetic Enhancement 169
Justice and Utopia 175
The Case of Kitty Genovese: Moral Responsibility
and the Bystander Effect 178
The Words We Live By 180
The Ethics of “Stop Snitching” 182
Socratic Seminar 186
In-Class Ethics Bowl 190
Contents
PART IV: IDENTITY, SOCIAL INEQUALITY,
AND PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICE 195
9 Philosophical Recognition and Identity: Recognizing the Child 197
10 Children’s Philosophical Encounters: Taking Seriously the
Role of Privilege in Classrooms 209
11 Philosophy and Transforming K-12 Education 219
Appendix 225
Bibliography 227
Index 233
About the Authors 243

Preface
In the past decade, there has been tremendous growth in precollege philosophy in the
United States. More and more philosophers, graduate and undergraduate students,
precollege teachers, and other educators have begun engaging in philosophical inquiry
with precollege students or have become interested in the field. Increasing numbers of
newly created university and college classes are focusing on precollege philosophy,
for children and teenagers, involving faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates
learning about methods for, and then leading philosophy sessions with, precollege
students in local schools.
Our aim has been to write a book that would be a valuable resource in such classes,
as well as useful for other philosophers and philosophy students, precollege classroom
teachers, administrators and educators, policymakers, and precollege practitioners of
all kinds. There is a relatively large body of literature, amassed over the past forty-odd
years, on the value of philosophy and its significance for adults and children, as well
as a wide range of helpful resources for introducing philosophy to children in a variety
of ways (many of which we list in the bibliography and appendix).
This book offers additional practical resources for use in classrooms, as well as
consideration of broader educational, social, and political topics currently underrep-
resented in the literature. Writing it required us to think deeply about the educational
value of precollege philosophy, the philosophies of education that inform this philo-
sophical practice, and the relevance of precollege philosophy for pressing issues in
contemporary education (such as education reform, child development, and prejudice
and privilege in classrooms).
We begin in chapters 1 and 2 with a discussion of what we take to be the primary moti-
vations for practicing philosophy with young people. Broadly, these motivations are based
on the belief that philosophy, at its core, is a practice that is fundamental to the human
condition. Philosophy should not be reserved for students and faculty in higher education;
asking, examining, and responding to essential questions—whether of the moral, political,
existential, epistemological, or metaphysical variety—is a common practice that can be
educational and beneficial from a young age. When philosophy is introduced in schools,
ix