Philosophy for Children Workshop
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
9 am – 3:30 pm
What if you could help your students or children improve their reasoning skills, math skills and reading skills while increasing their self-esteem, self-confidence and empathy all at the same time, just by reading stories and engaging in conversations with them?
The Philosophy for Children program is designed to do exactly that. Studies have shown that students who do philosophy for as little as one hour a week improve their reading and math skill levels by two months. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunches saw even more significant gains: their reading skill levels improved by four months, their math skills by three months, and their writing skills by two months. Teachers and students also reported remarked improvements in students’ levels of self-confidence, self-esteem and empathy.
In this fun and engaging workshop, you’ll learn how to use children’s books and other activities to engage in philosophical discussion with children. We’ll look at how to use the “community of inquiry” model of discussion to extend and deepen discussions based on the children’s interests and questions. We’ll cover basic reasoning and logic tools. You’ll also get a general introduction to philosophy as a discipline, including ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, and logic.
The best way to learn philosophy is to do philosophy. We’ll form our own community of inquiry and will spend our day focusing on philosophical questions like: When do we know something? What is friendship? What is justice? What is the self?
The workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 6, 2019 from 9 am to 3:30 pm at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Thanks to generous funding from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Education and Human Services, the workshop is free for interested teachers, students, parents, caregivers, and community members. Lunch will be provided.
Please register by Tuesday, July 30.
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