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There are so many ways we can use a spare 5 minutes with our students. One of my favourites is to have class discussions about philosophical issues. The idea is to ask a question and then let the discussion run wild. Say as little as possible but direct the discussion where it is needed. These are some ideas for possible discussions and they draw upon a long history of similar philosophical lines of inquiry.

Oversimplifications

One useful skill for students to have is recognising oversimplifications. I have found this kind of discussion to be really interesting.

Example: School is a place to learn

Sample dialogue

Teacher: What do you think about this? School is a place to learn.

Student 1: I think it is true, we go to school to learn things.

Teacher: What else?

Student 2: Well I like playing at school and that isn’t really learning.

Teacher: Interesting, so we can do things other than learn although, I wonder if you think that when we play we could learn?

Student 2: I guess, maybe we learn when we play, like how to get along or play on the equipment.

Student 1: What about eating?

Teacher: Interesting point, is eating learning? Something to think about …

 

Teacher: Now so far we have thought about students at school, who else is at school?

Student 3: Well there are teachers?

Teacher: And what do they do?

Student 3: Well they teach things!

Teacher: That’s one of the things, so is school a place to learn?

Student 3: No.

Teacher: Does anyone disagree?

Student 2: Yes, I still think it is a place to learn because that is why we are here. We wouldn’t come to school if it wasn’t a place to learn.

Teacher: Okay, so you think that learning is the reason for being at school?

Teacher: let’s bring this all together then. Do we learn at school?

Everyone: Yes.

Teacher: Is that all we do?

Everyone: No.

Teacher: So how could we fix this statement to make it more accurate?

Student 4: What about, school is a place to learn and much more?

Student 5: How about, learning is the main reason we come to school?

Teacher: Good ideas!

Here are some more examples you could use:

1. Fish like swimming (can you know what it is like to be a fish? Just because they swim, does that mean they like it? Just because kids go to school, does that mean they like it?).

2. All birds can fly (are there any counter-examples? What does it mean to fly? What about damaged wings?).

3. Summer is always hot (can they think about times when that wasn’t true? What about in other parts of the world? What about on the moon? What does hot mean?).

4. Money can buy happiness (what does it mean to be happy? Can you be happy without possessions? Can you be sad with money?

5. All heroes wear capes (consider what it means to be a hero).

 

Ambiguity

Ambiguous statements can have more than one meaning. Students often find this especially tricky. I find making a drawing can help.

1. Everyone must put rubbish in this bin or they will be fined (two possible meanings, either ‘when you get rid of rubbish, put it in the bin’ or ‘you must put rubbish in the bin or be fined (whether you had any rubbish to get rid of or not).

2. I saw a man on the beach with my binoculars (Either I had the binoculars or he did).

3. Look at the bird on one leg (either you are on one leg or the bird is).

 

Would you rather

These draw students to give their reasons. You should accept whatever reasons they give you although you can ask follow-up questions. No need to be appalled by their answers, they are only hypothetical questions.

1. Have a million dollars or cure all diseases?

2. Be able to speak all languages or be able to speak to animals?

3. Have the strength of ten people or the ability to teleport?

 

Comparisons

It is interesting to make comparisons between things. How are they different and how are they the same?

1. How are a dog and a snake the same? How are they different? (They will probably start with things like, they both have two eyes, one has legs and one does not, they are both animals, and one is a reptile. Then you can move on to opinions. I like dogs better than snakes, dogs are more friendly and make better pets. You can ask if this is true, how do we know that dogs make better pets? Do all dogs make better pets than all snakes? Are all snakes dangerous? Are all dogs safe?

2. If you colour a white paper black, is it still a white paper? (what makes it white paper? Is it how it starts or how it ends up?).

3. How is a chair the same or different to a tree? (They could be made out of the same thing. One is for sitting on, although you could sit on a tree so couldn’t a tree be a chair? So maybe some trees are chairs? Maybe a tree is only a chair if you choose to sit on it?).

 

Composition

This is always an interesting discussion. What makes something what it is?

1. I get a chair and take it to pieces so it is just a pile of wood on the floor. Is it still a chair? (all the pieces are there so what is the difference? Is it the way the pieces are arranged?)

2. Is a broken clock still a clock if it can’t tell time? (Does something have to do its job? Or just look like the thing?).

 

Organising society

It’s fun to think about the rules that govern our society. What would happen if you took them away? Why are they that way in the first place?

1. What is one rule you would make that everyone has to follow? (Make sure to ask why and think of the ramifications. As an example, a rule where anyone can change their name at any time. It would make it hard to keep track of people, driver’s licenses, or school attendance.

2. What is one rule you would remove? (again, think of the ramifications of removing the rule, and what would it mean for society. Why did the rule get put there in the first place?

 

Conclusion

Those are just a few ideas to get you going. There are so many different ways you could take this and these discussions. It’s great to come up with your own questions too.

Jake Heading

Creator of GoodTeach and Primary School Classroom Teacher.

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