Paper presented at the 15th International Conference on Thinking, ICOT 2011, Belfast, Ireland.

Abstract

Thoughtful discussion in school is encouraged by methods like the Socratic seminar, philosophy for/with children, and deliberative dialogues. The paper explores how didactics (as the art and science of teaching) can be analyzed from considering how the teacher plans the product and/or process of teaching. The switching between the different didactic positions will teach students habits of mind to promote a lifelong learning process. To motivate the students to learn, the sequence in which the different didactic positions are addressed is important. The paper endeavors to explain what function the methods for thoughtful discussion have in the school curricula when integrated with other instructional methods. Thoughtful discussion might serve as a start of the learning process but might also help to challenge and integrate along the way. However, whether or not thoughtful discussion is seen as a meaningful way of teaching is dependent on the inner pedagogical theory of the teacher.

See complete paper: Thoughtful dialogue in relation to other instructional methods

Rationales and Effects of Philosophizing with Children Doctorial Dissertation

Ann S. Pihlgren

Ladda ner: Socrates in the Classroom, Rationales and Effects of Philosophizing with Children

Ann S Pihlgren: Socrates in the Classroom: Rationales and Effects of Philosophizing with Children

Socratic seminars have long been practiced internationally by educators and philosophers as a supplement to classroom teaching and coaching. However, the rationales and effects of this methodology including how these effects are achieved have not been thoroughly investigated or systematically analyzed.

The first section of this study is a theoretical review of literature, investigating the pedagogical rationales for using a Socratic methodology. The second section is an analysis of sixteen seminars conducted over three years with children from five to sixteen years old. The students’ body language and group interaction were analyzed closely through a phenomenological approach. The analysis focused on how the seminar culture was taught and learned and whether the intended methodology made a difference.

The literature review reveals that the various Socratic traditions describe a set of methodological steps to attain similar objectives. By using these steps, intellectual and dialogical habits of mind are expected to be internalized. The seminar analysis shows that the skilled participants shifted their interaction towards an “inquiring” dialogue over time, and that the distribution of rhetorical power changed to a more cooperative communication. The students’ learning proceeded through a series of stages, partly different from the anticipated ideal. The facilitator’s ability to handle rule breaking, and to create a safe environment for intellectual exploration, was significant. The findings show that intricate “silent” moves like gestures and glances helped maintain a productive and egalitarian seminar culture. The participants developed their thinking skills over time, evolving from relativism to critical examination.

Keywords: Socratic dialogue, habits of mind, group interaction, seminar culture, rule breaking