P1C Philosphy in the Classroom

Philosophy in the Classroom What are Thoughts?

What is Love?

Why am I Special?

Martin Clephane 1

Foreword P1C Catholic education is under increasing scrutiny and pressure: revelations of abuse by the church, the rise of militant atheism and an increasing secularism make being a witness to one’s faith increasingly more challenging. We must therefore consider how we prepare the children brought up in the Catholic faith to meet an increasingly hostile environment.

Through the use of Philosophy for Children (P4C) we can use reasoning skills to develop apologetics in the classroom. P4C is based around the 4 Cs: caring, collaborative, creative and critical thinking skills. In our RE lessons we are adept at being caring and collaborative but there is a definite need to be more creative and critical if we are to engage the children meaningfully in addressing the ‘Big Questions’ of life.

When delivering our RE curriculum we must also make the distinction between education and faith development. In faith schools we are also charged to catechise and make the doctrine of the church meaningful to its children. Using this scheme we can move from Philosophy to Catechesis what I call P2C. Philosophy in the Classroom (P1C) is the first in the series of 4 books which use P4C enquiry techniques in RE with children as they progress through school. It introduces the idea of thinking skills and critical enquiry through the use of poems around the themes of ‘What are thoughts?’, ‘Why am I special?’ and ‘What is Love?’

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Food for thought: Consciousness, mortality and love. (‘Cogito ergo sum’. ‘I think therefore I am.’ Rene Descartes.)

Human experience begins with consciousness; the awareness of being. This conscious thought develops into the realisation of our own mortality and from this comes fear. Beyond the basic need to survive, love underpins all our desires and from this love we have hope.

Consciousness leads to three key questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Am I alone?

Mortality leads to three key questions: What happens after death? Who or what made me? What is life?

Love leads to three key questions: Is there a universal force? Do we have a purpose? Is there inherent morality?

The questions of consciousness lead to ideas about creation and a path to belief in a creator God, the God of the Old Testament.

The questions of mortality lead to ideas about the afterlife and belief in resurrection; as borne out in the Gospels and in the person Jesus Christ.

The ideas of love make us question how we live our life and the force that may be driving it. This is the Christian life of the New Testament and the belief in the Holy Spirit.

This analysis of consciousness and the human condition can lead us to the conclusion we are created in the image of a greater consciousness; in the image of God. Jesus is the ultimate human. As such He is conscious of His paramount place as one with God. He is conscious and fearful of His own mortality, yet aware of His spiritual immortality. He promotes a lifestyle and ideology based on love. If the Christian goal is to be more like Jesus then we must strive to be ultimately human. An understanding of the philosophical nature of our existence, therefore, is crucial.

This scheme of work takes children on the journey from consciousness and thinking to faith and doctrine or from Philosophy to Catechism (P2C).

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Contents: 2

Foreword

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Food for thought

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Rationale / Quotes

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Summary of why we should use this scheme.

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AT2: Learning from Religion: Reflection on Meaning

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3 Big Questions

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Scheme Overview

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What are thoughts?

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What are thoughts? Introduction

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What are thoughts? Lesson Plan

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Worksheet 1: What is a thought like?

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What are thoughts? PowerPoint

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Poem: I Think Therefore I Am

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Poem: Opinions

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Why am I special?

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Contents: 25

Why am I special? Introduction

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Why am I special? Lesson plan

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Worksheet 2: What or who is special to you?

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Why am I special? PowerPoint

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Poem: A Special Bear

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Poem: What is so special about me?

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What is Love?

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What is Love? Introduction

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What is Love? Lesson plan

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Worksheet 3: The power of love

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What is Love? PowerPoint

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Poem: What is Love?

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Poem: Love is for Losers

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Glossary

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Using the whole scheme

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Rationale: To develop deeper thinking which will lead to the skill of apologetics; making children more resilient in their faith

Quotes: I think courageous and open-minded critical enquiry lies at the heart of deepening one’s faith, and P4C offers a marvellous vehicle for that.

Will Ord If one has the answers to all the questions - that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble.

Pope Francis 37 Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

38 "What is truth?" Pilate asked.

John18:37-38

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Summary of why we should use this scheme.

1: The young people who leave our schools are vulnerable to all sorts of criticisms and indeed their faith will be increasingly challenged. Some understanding of apologetics and learning based on reason and self- reflection must be developed if we are to see their faith develop as they move on in education.

2: One of the accusations made by critics of Faith Schools is indoctrination. Therefore, children, regardless of their faith or lack of faith, should be able to question and indeed challenge aspects of religious teaching.

3: Although religious education and levels of attainment are rigorously scrutinised in our schools, gauging where children are in terms of faith development is avoided. It would appear not only relevant to gauge this but, from a Church point of view, the only question really worth asking.

4: Make better use of attainment target ii, strand ii, the hardest area of the RE curriculum to evidence. This area specifically focuses on the asking of questions and giving reasons for belief, as shown in attainment targets.

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AT2: Learning from Religion: Reflection on Meaning Philosophy: the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence Philosophy is already part of the attainment targets set out for our schools.

Our RE curriculum should be leading us to engage with questions around the meaning of life and existence.

AT2 Learning from Religion: Reflection on Meaning i) engagement with own and others’ beliefs and values. Throughout this strand pupils will be reflecting on beliefs and values; by talking, exploring, discussing, thinking, responding and questioning, pupils will be increasingly able to structure and articulate their thoughts; they will be able to listen attentively to others and come to understand and empathise with others’ views, beliefs and values; they will develop the ability to engage critically with their own and others’ religious beliefs and world views. ii) engagement with questions of meaning and purpose In this strand pupils will be confronting the difficult questions which all people have to face; they will be thinking critically about their own questions of meaning and purpose and about the ways in which people of all faiths and none have struggled with similar questions; they will be exploring the evidence and arguments used by people of different faiths and other traditions to justify their position; they will be developing the ability to express their own point of view.

(Bishops’ Conference Department for Catholic Education and Formation) 8

The three big questions covered in this scheme are: This is put in the form of a cycle. Children will consider why or how we are conscious beings in ‘What are thoughts?’ then look at the importance of their own existence in ‘What makes me special?’ The concept of selfworth and existence is further developed in ‘What is Love?’

This cycle then carries on to link with other philosophical concepts in P2C, with three new questions:

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Scheme Overview Each unit is designed to take approximately 2 hours, however, open ended enquiry can lead in all sorts of interesting directions. The units can also be split in half if needs be; the first part focused on enquiry and hermeneutics, the second on data collection, again this is just a suggested model.

Unit

Intro and warm up

What are Outline thoughts? project and the purpose of this unit, share vocabulary and do the warm ups on the Power Point Why am I Reflect on special? previous session and how it links to this one, share vocabulary and do the warm ups on the Power Point What is Reflect on love? previous session and how it links to this one, share vocabulary and do the warm ups on the Power Point

Oral response

Written response (Hermeneutics)

Written response (Data)

Break

Plenary

Share What are thoughts Power Point, and lead enquiry

Share poems ‘I think therefore I am’ / ‘Opinions’

Children write or draw response to the question:

During this time gather some interesting responses to prompt further discussion.

Share some interesting responses or open enquiry in response to a child’s answer.

2 hours

Share Why am I Special Power Point, and lead enquiry

Share poems ‘A Special Bear/ What’s so special about me?’

Children write response to the question: What or who is special to you?

Share some interesting responses or open enquiry in response to a child’s answer.

2 hours

Children respond to the poems.

During this time gather some interesting responses to prompt further discussion.

Share What is Love Power Point, and lead enquiry

Share poems What is love? / ‘Love is for Losers

Children write response around the power of love:

During this time gather some interesting responses to prompt further discussion.

Share some interesting responses or open enquiry in response to a child’s answer.

2 hours

Children respond to the poems

Children respond to the poems.

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What does a thought look like?

The things that happen because of love

Time for whole session

Share Catechism view at a separate time.

Share Catechism view at a separate time.

Share Catechism view at a separate time.

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What are thoughts?

Two poems are used as a stimulus for us to begin thinking about what thought and thinking actually are. This is a thinking skills program and so it helps introduce the scheme as a whole. This unit looks at thoughts as actions which lead to change and how people can have different thoughts about the same thing, which is essential in creating a community of enquiry where ideas can be explored freely without prejudice.

We can make a link to Rene Descartes. In search for truth he decided to strip away anything he could doubt, his own perception of reality could even be doubted as a dream. He came to the conclusion that the only thing he could really know was that his mind was at work, which lead to the famous quote:

‘Cogito ergo sum.’

‘I think therefore I am.’

Or Ludwig Wittgenstein who saw the link between thinking and language inescapable:

‘The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.’

‘Like everything metaphysical the harmony between thought and reality is to be found in the grammar of the language.’

The poem of ‘I think therefore I am’ is in the form of thoughts that changed something; leading to the conclusion that thoughts define us.

The poem ‘Opinion’ helps us think about how people think differently and listening to each other’s opinion is important in a community of enquiry.

This unit would link to work around ‘What is Truth?’ as they both look into how we perceive our world.

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What are thoughts?

Objective : To introduce children to thinking skills.

Introduction to project: What are thoughts? Why am I special? What is Love?

Explain that in this course we will be using thinking skills so it makes sense that we think about thinking. We will create a community of enquiry where people are free to give their answers and learn to disagree in a constructive way that will lead to greater understanding.

Explain vocabulary: Philosophy, opinion, reasoning Warm up: Ask, ‘What is better, dogs or cats/ girls or boys’ this will help establish how we can state an opinion, disagree and reason why we think a certain way.

Follow the key questions in the thought bubbles to generate the enquiry Share the poem ‘I think therefore I am’ Children reflect on how every human action starts with a thought Children complete activity: ‘What is a thought like?’ Children can draw or write whatever they feel.

Giving a reason for their choices.

Share the poem ‘Opinion’.

Children reflect on different thoughts and establish rules around creating a community of enquiry.

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What is a thought like?

Write or draw a picture to show what your idea of a thought is.

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What are thoughts? PowerPoint Presentation

Show how this unit fits in with the whole scheme and how one progresses to another.

If you are doing the follow up units you can see how this can lead us to a further cycle and how they are linked.

Introduce the Unit title but also the concept of thinking skills, and philosophy. Explain that you will make a community of enquiry and establish rules around turn taking and listening.

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What are thoughts? PowerPoint Presentation

Warm up Get the children to choose a side then explain their answer. Children are free to change sides if they change their mind.

Conscience and consciousness are very difficult concepts; use this as an opportunity to put into perspective any anxiety around guilty feelings.

You may choose to do the activity sheet after this slide and they can draw or write what they think a thought is.

Again thought related to consciousness here.

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What are thoughts? PowerPoint Presentation

This makes the link between thought and action, even if that action is an emotion it can effect change.

Show this very famous quote and explain it at their level.

Read the poem out first so the children can enjoy it. In this activity children share examples of when their thoughts have had similar consequences.

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What are thoughts? PowerPoint Presentation

Children will very easily relate to these two lines.

Make it clear that quitting isn’t necessarily a bad or a good thing; discussion could lead to how our mental attitude can shape our lives.

The happiness of ourselves and others could also be affected by how we think.

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What are thoughts? PowerPoint Presentation

Also our thoughts could lead to our unhappiness.

It is important to make it clear that keeping secrets can cause serious harm, make the distinction between this and keeping someone’s confidence..

How well we do in the future could be effected by what we think now.

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What are thoughts? PowerPoint Presentation

In contrast to the idea that we can have bad thoughts this expresses the sanctity of our thoughts.

Examples of inventions that have changed the world are useful here, also children can reflect on how they would like to change.

This will reinforce the community of inquiry rules where it is important to respect others views and to learn how to disagree in an appropriate way.

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What are thoughts? PowerPoint Presentation

Read the poem out first so the children will enjoy it before opening out into discussion.

The animals are chosen because of their different habitats to create a contrast

You could open this up to views of other cultures or religions and how far should we respect their views.

It is important to bring out that people’s views are also dependent on their environments.

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I Think Therefore I am I had a thought that made me laugh, I had a thought that made me cry.

I had a thought that made me quit I had a thought that made me try.

I had a thought that made a friend I had a thought that helped a stranger

I had a thought that saved my life I had a thought that put me in danger.

I had a thought that I must keep secret I had a thought that I can’t wait to tell.

I had a thought that spoilt my chances I had a thought that meant I did well.

I had a thought that thoughts are untouchable, I had a thought that thoughts are free.

I had a thought that might change the world, I had a thought that my thoughts are me.

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Opinions We asked some animals About life in the zoo.

They had different opinions Here are a few:

The parrot thought it was too cold.

The polar bear thought it was too hot.

The scorpion thought it was too wet.

The fish thought ‘Definitely not!’

The mouse thought it was too big.

The elephant thought it was too small.

The snail thought it was too fast.

The cheetah thought, ‘Oh, not at all!’

The butterfly thought it was too scary.

The lion thought, ‘No, not very!’

The giraffe thought it was too short.

That’s the end of what the animals thought.

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Why am I special?

In this unit the purpose is to get children thinking about their own sense of self and the sense of others. This expands into other questions: Are we all different? Are we all special? Is different the same as special?

The poem ‘A Special Bear’ is about a bear who is in every way the same as all other bears but is special to a little girl, which acts as a stimulus to look at what makes something or someone special; their attributes or our emotion towards them?

The poem, ‘What’s so special about me?’, is about a boy who feels like he is a loser until his friend points out that all the negative things he sees about himself are real positives from others’ point of view. The poem acts as a stimulus to generate different views on what is special.

This unit would links to ‘Who am I?’ in P2C.

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Why am I special?

Objective: To gauge children’s perspective on how they view their own sense of self and the sense of others.

Explain vocabulary: Philosophy, community of enquiry, unique Reflect on previous learning: What are thoughts? The last session looked at how our thoughts define us; this unit carries on from that to look at what we think about ourselves and others.

Warm up: Which is better to be, a child or an adult? This will help the children think of the different properties that each of us have.

The children then discuss the different ways of answering the question ‘Why am I Special?’ : What you look like Your personality Your gifts or talents What others feel about you Show power-point Share the poem ‘A Special Bear.’ What makes this ordinary bear special?

Children complete activity: Listing all the things that are special to us.

Share the poem ‘What’s so special about me?’ Are we special due to the way others feel about us? How does that reflect what is on the activity sheet?

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What or who is special to you?

Write or draw a list of things.

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Why am I special? PowerPoint Presentation

Remind the children of the cycle and how they all link to a better understanding of our lives.

This directly links to the follow up scheme P2C in Who am I?

Relate the previous unit and the idea that it may be our thoughts that define who we are, which will relate to why we are special.

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Why am I special? PowerPoint Presentation

Warm up Get the children to choose sides. This activity will start them think about the properties we have.

It can be useful to get the children to be the zeros on the billions as the concept of scale with these numbers are difficult.

Get the children to gather into groups according to criteria; it is not so easy when it is things you can’t observe.

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Why am I special? PowerPoint Presentation

It is worth exploring a wide range of gifts as not everyone feels they have them, perhaps being a good friend, or making people laugh.

You may need to explain the concept of clones. Star Wars might be a start, but you could go on to Dolly the Sheep and even the moral issue around human cloning.

Again we are back to Ludwig Wittgenstein as it is all about our language definition of special.

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Why am I special? PowerPoint Presentation

Share the poem in its entirety so the children enjoy it.

The Bear in this poem is special while not being different.

Note how the things the bear can’t do are highlighted in this verse.

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Why am I special? PowerPoint Presentation

It is the little boy’s feelings about the bear that makes it special rather than an intrinsic quality.

This leads us to the idea that being special is being loved which ties in with the final unit ‘What is love?’.

Share the poem in its entirety before exploring it.

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Why am I special? PowerPoint Presentation

Children may reflect that sibling rivalry or vying for parents attention can make us feel sad.

You can explore the idea of special used in other ways as in a ‘special’ diet, which may not be something you would want.

Billy is not special because of the things he has, the exact opposite; he is special because he gives them away.

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Why am I special? PowerPoint Presentation

You could make the link to other figures that are special because of the sacrifice they made i.e. Jesus, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandella etc.

It is important to look at the actions of the others in the poem, the parents, the friends and family and especially Charlotte.

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A Special Bear I got a new Teddy; a wonderful bear.

You won’t find one like him anywhere.

He was made in a factory with thousands of others, A worldwide family of identical brothers.

He has golden brown fur and a tartan bow, He’s so different from others bears you might know.

Two arms, two legs and fluffy round ears You’d never get one like him in a million years.

Shiny dark eyes and a sewn on smile, He stands out from other bears by an absolute mile.

He just sits still, he can’t sing or speak.

In every respect he is totally unique.

He is stuffed with fluff and stitched at the seam.

In every way he is truly supreme.

So what if he looks the same as the rest, He’s MY Teddy and to me he’s the best.

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What’s so special about me?

Billy’s legs were too long for his little bike so he gave it to his little brother.

Mum and dad said, ‘Get a bigger one if you like.’ but it was ages till they bought him another.

Billy gave his big sister his new books that were cool, because they were too hard to read.

Mum and Dad said he should try harder at school, and sadly Billy agreed.

Billy gave his friend a Snickers bar because he’s allergic to nuts, Mum and Dad said, ‘The sweet shop’s too far And you know that soon the shop shuts.’

He won tickets to go and see Star Wars and needed an adult because the film was 12a, He asked his parents to go but they both said no, and so Billy gave the tickets away.

‘I’m such a loser’, he said in disgrace.’

Nothing is good about me!’

But Charlotte turned round with a cross look on her face, ‘Oh Billy you clearly don’t see!

You are just being so, so silly you’re the coolest kid by miles, You’re bloomin’ brilliant Billy, look at all of these smiles.

Your friends and your family are happier now, because of the things that you gave.

So don’t you be sad when you made everyone glad and showed us all how to behave.

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What is love?

In this unit the purpose is to get children leading an enquiry on Love; its different forms and how we can identify it; if it can be identified.

The stimulus comes from two poems. The first is ‘What is love?’ which poses a list of questions to help us focus on the different ways of seeing love. Through enquiry the children can explore what their version of love might be.

The second poem ‘Love is for Losers’ looks at the concept that how much we love something or someone can be measured by how much we would miss them. This may be difficult if a child has lost a pet or a relative recently and the teacher must exercise caution.

There is a real challenge to distinguish between love as a thing and love as an action and in the activity children can consider how love impacts on us and others; the teacher will have to prompt the children by giving possible scenarios to help.

This unit would link to work around who is God?; as God or spirit is often closely linked with the idea of love and is not physically discernible; however some scientists would break love down into a series of genetically programmed chemical responses, many would see it as something beyond this. This concept could be expanded with older children.

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What is love?

Objective: To gauge children’s perspective on how they view the concept of Love Explain vocabulary: Philosophy, love, affection, Reflect on previous learning: Why am I special? The previous unit looked at how we can be deemed special by the feelings others have for us, or how we are loved.

Warm up: What makes someone a good person, making people happy or following the rules?

Stimulus: The first poem is ‘What is love’ Get the children to consider the different versions presented in the questions.

Share the poem ‘Love is for losers.’ The poem presents the idea of losing things we love and that there may be different levels of love.

Children complete activity: Children consider how something is affected by love ie a hug can make you feel safe, a gift can make you feel valued, or even tough love can help you be safe in future.

Summing up of the project, make links to the following: What are thoughts?

What is truth?

Why am I special?

Who am I?

What is love?

Who is God?

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The power of love Sometimes love is described as a force; write or draw some of the things that happen because of love.

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What is love? PowerPoint Presentation

Show how this unit links back to our ideas around self-belief.

This unit moves on to P2C.

Get the children to close their eyes and imagine/ observe how their body language changes.

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What is love? PowerPoint Presentation Warm up This offers a dilemma as it could mean doing something bad to make someone happy or to follow rules.

Children begin by thinking about love as an emotion -in terms of how it feels.

We talk about love as if it was a thing we can identify, but can we?

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What is love? PowerPoint Presentation

Children can do the activity and prioritise the things they love in a diagram.

Read the poem all the way through first then start analysing each couple of lines.

In this poem we attempt to separate the action, object or words from the thing we call love.

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What is love? PowerPoint Presentation

This verse underlines the importance of growing in a loving environment.

Songs and prayers constantly use the word love, why is that?

Can we separate love from physical presence?

In this slide we think why it is sometimes hard to say the word goodbye even though we use it all the time.

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What is love? PowerPoint Presentation People sometimes use the term ‘real love’ how could we measure that?

The second line makes us focus on how we define love.

We all strive for material wealth but how does that compare to our thoughts of love? Would we love to be rich?

Defining how you can have too much love is a challengeit may lead to the idea of unwanted love.

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What is love? PowerPoint Presentation

We often anthropomorphise objects to make them more human. Are our feelings to pets or toys the same as people?

This poem is about loss so we need to be sensitive to the children who may have lost a loved one or a pet, and it may be necessary to leave it out.

Depending on the age of the children they might not feel they would cry over these things.

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What is love? PowerPoint Presentation

The loss of a pet can be very upsetting. What is it about a pet that triggers these feelings?

Love is not felt more acutely than in the loss of a loved one, this can relate into the follow up scheme ‘Who am I?’ where the concept of life after death is explored.

The experience of being loved is fundamental to our happiness; get the children to reflect on how they are loved.

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What is Love?

Is it in a hug, or in the person who gives it?

Is it life, or how someone lives it?

Do we have to learn it, or do we just know it?

Can we see it if there is no-one to show it?

Is it a song? Is it a prayer?

If someone is gone is it still there?

Is it in saying goodbye?

Or only when that makes us cry?

Is it real if it only lasts for an hour?

Is it an object or is it a power?

If we don’t know it can it be taught?

If we are rich enough can it be bought?

Is it a touch, sight, smell or sound?

Can it be lost? Can it be found?

Can I have too much? Can I have not enough?

Can anyone tell me, just what is love?

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Love is for Losers.

I lost the pencil I love, I cried for ten, Whole seconds and soon I was crying again.

When I looked in my bag; there was nothing in it, I’d lost the sweets that I loved so I cried for a minute.

I lost my favourite toy; how I loved Big Ted, I cried for an hour; ‘till my face was bright red.

But when they took my dying doggy away, I loved him so much that I cried for a day.

I lost a person I love …I’ve been crying for years.

I wonder if I’ll ever run out of tears.

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Glossary philosophy: the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, paradox: a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true or a statement or proposition which, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems logically unacceptable or self-contradictory apologetics: reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine hermeneutics: the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts catechism: a summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers, used for religious instruction(in Roman Catholic use) religious instruction in general. catechesis: a method of oral instruction involving question and answer techniques theism: belief in the existence of a god or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe. theology: the study of the nature of God and religious belief natural theology: theology or knowledge of God based on observed facts and experience apart from divine revelation. deism: the belief that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to determine the existence of a Creator, accompanied with the rejection of revelation and authority as a source of religious knowledge revelation: the divine or supernatural disclosure to humans of something relating to human existence fideism: the doctrine that knowledge depends on faith or revelation relativism: the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute agnostic: a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God. humanism: a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence (rationalism, empiricism) over established doctrine or faith (fideism ) secular: not connected with religious or spiritual matters atheist: a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods antitheism: active opposition to theism. The term has had a range of applications; in secular contexts, it typically refers to direct opposition to organized religion or to the belief in any deity, while in a theistic context, it sometimes refers to opposition to a specific god or gods

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Using the whole scheme You can follow the cycle as it is set out through the four books.

Or you can create your own units around topic themes.

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ŠMartin Clephane 2016

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