Philosophy for Children – Enhancing Cognitive Skills

There have long been advocates of Philosophy for Children (P4C) who have promoted the idea that dealing with the elements of thinking in a rational and systematic way would promote the development of higher order thinking skills in young people.

To this end, a recent email from Teaching Times piqued my interest.

Research has shown that P4C improves children’s cognitive abilities and helps develop their thinking and reasoning skills.

This can lead to higher levels of attainment, improve their social skills, self-esteem and empathy for others… all of which are vital tools children need now more than ever to help conquer the effects of lockdown.

Encourage the children in your classroom to become more willing and able to question, reason, think critically and collaborate with these two best selling creative thinking resources.

However, as always, the issue will be who develops and delivers the learning? Primary colleagues have the advantage of a more fluid curriculum delivery model in which to integrate P4C in a systematic and impactful way.

I fear that in secondary school, P4C will be one more add-on strand in an already-constipated curriculum, delivered, less than willingly, by a team of teachers who resent the intrusion of a new topic into their primary role of subject specialist… There really is no 21st century curriculum without a fundamental review of how we re-construct the content based curriculum to reflect wider attitudes, behaviours and competences designed to equip young people for an effective life beyond school.

Bring enjoyment, creativity & challenge to your classroom and improve the thinking skills of your pupils. Start Thinking worksheets cover words, numbers, science, creativity and philosophy so you can easily choose the most appropriate challenge for your pupils.

Order here: Start Thinking – Daily starters to inspire thinking in primary classrooms | Teaching Times Bookshop

About educationalist04

I'm convinced we can, as a species, do much better than this if we set our minds to being much more positive and productive towards our fellow humans. The solution is learning - creating independent and autonomous learners who can problem solve, innovate and create a better more equitable and sustainable world. My books, Future Proof Your School and Re-Examining Success together with this blog, explore how better learning outcomes for all can be achieved.

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