Big Ideas for Little Kids: Teaching Philosophy through Children's Literature

by Thomas E. Wartenberg

Big Ideas for Little Kids includes everything a teacher, a parent, or a college student needs to teach philosophy to elementary school children from picture books. Written in a clear and accessible style, the book explains why it is important to allow young children access to philosophy during primary-school education. Wartenberg also gives advice on how to construct a 'learner-centered' classroom, in which children discuss philosophical issues with one another as they respond to open-ended questions by saying whether they agree or disagree with what others have said.

Genres: Philosophy, Education, Nonfiction, Parenting

164 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2009

About the author

Thomas E. Wartenberg, Ph. D., is a philosophy professor at Mount Holyoke College. His main areas of active research are the philosophy of film, philosophy for children, and the philosophy of art.

Reviews

[KamRun · Rating 3 out of 5]

این طرز فکر نادرست که فلسفه و فلسفه‌ورزی با علم تاریخ فلسفه اشتباه گرفته می‌شود عموما دو نتیجه متقابل دارد: یا سبب می‌شود که فلسفیدن را آن‌قدر سهل در نظر گرفت که خیال کنیم صرفا با آگاهی از اندیشه تعدادی فلاسفه در جرگه فیلسوفان قرار گرفته‌ایم و یا آنکه در سویی دیگر عده‌ای با دیدن کوچکترین نشانی از فلسفه دچار وحشت ناشی از رویارویی با سردرگمی‌هایشان می‌شوند. هر دو گروه مذکور با آموزش فلسفه به کودکان مخالف هستند: گروه نخست به این دلیل که کودکان و نوجوانان را ناتوان از درک و فهم مباحث تاریخی فلسفی می‌دانند و گروه دوم دلایلی مانند ایجاد درگیری ذهنی برای کودکان و مسائلی از این قبیل را برای مخالفت خود ذکر می‌کنند. حال آنکه اگر فلسفه را خیلی ساده عشق به دانش و حکمت و راه و روش درست فکر کردن بدانیم، آنگاه فلسفیدن به زندگی‌ای فیلسوفانه منجر خواهد شد که حداقل نتیجه‌اش زیستنِ یک زندگی آزموده و اصیل است

برنامه آموزش فلسفه به کودکان قصد ندارد علم خاصی را به آنان آموزش دهد یا برنامه‌ی جدیدی را به چارت درسی آنان اضافه کند، بلکه می‌خواهد دروس فعلی به شیوه‌ای صحیح‌تر و موثرتر به کودکان - این فیلسوفان ذاتی - آموخته شود. شیوه‌ای یادگیرنده محور که مشارکت حداکثری فکری و عملی دانش‌آموز را طلب می‌کند و همین موضوع بزرگترین نقطه قوتش است. مگر پرسش‌گری و کنجکاوی درباره‌ی محیط و امور اطراف یکی از اصلی‌ترین ویژگی فلاسفه نیست؟ و مگر کودکان در این امر با فلاسفه مشترک نیستند؟ پس چرا نظام آموزشی به جای پرورش این ویژگی کودک، کار را به جایی می‌رساند که دانش‌آموز در آستانه‌ی ورود به دانشگاه تبدیل به یک انسان بدون خلاقیت، بدون روشن‌نگری و بدون پرسش‌گری می‌شود؟ جامعه‌ی روشن‌اندیش و خواهان دموکراسی نباید و نمی‌تواند این اجازه را دهد که شهروندان آینده‌اش با این حس بزرگ شوند که تلویزیون و رسانه‌های جمعی‌ پاسخ‌گوی همه‌ی نیازهایشان است. برنامه‌ی فلسفه برای کودک قصد دارد به این روند خاتمه دهد

درباره‌ی کتاب

کتاب را می‌توان به دو بخش تقسیم کرد. بخش نخست که مقدماتی را درباره‌ی ضرورت آموزش فلسفه به کودکان و برنامه‌های فبک بیان می‌کند و روی نقش تسهیلگر به عنوان اداره‌کننده مسیر تفکر صحیح تاکید دارد و راهکارهایی برای اداره‌ی جلسات کندوکاو فلسفی ارائه می‌دهد. به نظرم این بخش نمی‌تواند آنچنان مفید باشد، زیرا این تنها بیان کلیاتی است که به کار کسانی که آشنایی و تجربه‌ی شرکت در جلسات کندوکاو فسلفی کودکان را نداشته باشند نمی‌آید، از سوی دیگر کسانی که دارای این تجربیات باشند مطالب این بخش را بدیهی می‌یابند و اما بخش دوم کتاب که شامل تعدادی داستان جهت بلندخوانی گروهی در کلاس و طرح درس‌های مرتبط با هر داستان است می‌تواند برای تسهیلگرانی که تجربه‌های عملی نخستین خود را پشت سر می‌گذارند بسیار مفید و راهگشا باشد و آنان را در هدایت مسیر کندوکاو یاری نماید

[Tayebe Ej · Rating 4 out of 5]

طرح بحث هایی که نوشته شده برای اجرا در «یک جلسه» طراحی شدند، و تقریبا تمام مراحل شروع و خاتمه ی بحثها توضیح داده شده، به اضافه ی پیشینه ی فلسفی مختصری درباره ی هر موضوع (زبان، زیبایی شناسی، اخلاق،..) که برای تسهيلگرهایی که دانش فلسفی ندارند بسیار مفیده.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would make a great article, but stretching it into book-length was a bit much. It is written for elementary school teachers (complete with lesson plans), but applicable to anyone who works with kids. Two things bugged me, though: 1) He spends 1/2 the book trying to convince readers that young children are capable of having philosophical discussions, but if you didn't already believe that, you probably wouldn't have picked up the book. 2) He constantly reassures teachers that they are capable of teaching philosophy, as if he assumes they will all be horribly intimidated by the prospect. Most of the elementary school teachers I know are very competent, confident individuals who aren't scared of the word "philosophy." It comes off as very condescending.

But, the book did make me more aware of my children's though processes, and was a good reminder to take their observations and questions seriously rather than just half listening while I'm trying to do something else.

[Cheryl]

Just barely into it, skimmable so far because I already know that kids are philosophical and that kids' books are full of discussable themes.

(TLDR: And if you already know that, you might want this anyway for guidance on how to read & discuss even more richly w/ your children, or you might be doing plenty already.)

But I have a nit to pick. Many of the questions kids ask should be answered w/ science, not philosophy. Where did the first people come from? Why is the sky blue? How big is space? Those are all STEM questions.
Further examples, like the Nature of Bravery, and Will-Power, and How to Treat other Living Things, sure, those are more metaphysical. And talking about them will encourage kids (and parents & other educators) to become better citizens.

Both kinds of education are important.

(The author actually acknowledges all this later. I just wish he hadn't started with the misinformation. "Only those questions for which there is no... agreed upon discipline that provides the method for their solution count as genuinely philosophical.")
----
Further. I like the charts. Particularly 5.1, The Basic Fields of Philosophy, each with its Basic Question.
Metaphysics - What really exists?
Epistemology - What can we know?
Philosophy of language - How does language refer to reality?
Philosophy of mind - Is the mind distinct from the body? (Actually, science is in the process of answering this now.)
Ethics - How should we act?
Social and political philosophy - How should society be organized?
Aesthetics - What is art?
(Lately added, Environmental phil.)
...
He reveals that, since the teacher is to be the facilitator, and the lesson is grounded as 'learner-centered education,' what is really going on is the teaching of *"How to take part in a philosophical discussion."* This is critical, and understood by few adults. It's about respect, connections, being willing to agree to disagree, being willing to change one's mind, etc. It's not just the politicians and trolls who don't do this, but even I, and even some of you, my friends, need to work on this skill.

Which does not mean that everyone needs this book right now. What it does mean is that every parent, caregiver, or other educator needs to listen carefully when a child comes with questions, and, if a science question, look for real answers, and if a philosophical conundrum, help the child express their concerns (good question; let's talk about it) and guide their thinking (I like that idea, or, but what if), avoiding dictates of what they must believe (even if you want to make it clear what you believe).

The stories are:
Dragons and Giants (a Frog and Toad chapter) for Teaching Ethics (bravery)
Frédéric for Teaching Social and Political Philosophy
The Important Book for Teaching Metaphysics (and independent thought, imo)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for ... The Philosophy of Mind
The Giving Tree ...Environmental Philosophy (hm. I thought the theme was sacrifice, unconditional love, martyrdom, which would be Ethics, no? I guess we'll see when I get to that chapter.)
Morris the Moose ... Epistemology
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale ... Language
Emily's Art ... Art
---
Still haven't read the stories & their guides, but need to say, there are lots of stories that would help achieve the explorations. For example, Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots (for epistemology, iiuc).
---
Ok finally done.

Most selections almost supply their own discussion questions directly. But I did find his discussion of The Important Book interesting, not least because he & I agree that Brown's choices are silly, and that children are best off using the book as an inspiration. He defines important as 'essential,' and therefore the important thing about an apple is definitely not that it is round (after all, it isn't, and even if it were square it would still be an apple). His conclusion is that the 'best candidate' characteristic is that an apple has seeds (but this only counts if he reminds us that the seeds are important because that's how new apple trees grow [evolutionarily speaking, even though most are grafts now]). Anyway, the highest-level discussion questions for this are obvious, no? What is the most important/essential thing about you? "What makes you you?"

I've never read Morris the Moose but it is still in my libraries so I've requested it. His description/summary of it is sufficient anyway. In his exploration of the theme (to be read by the adult, before creating the lesson plan) he says this:

"... we think that it is easy to revise a mistaken belief that we have. All that we need to do is to acquire the appropriate corrective experience and we will realize that our beliefs were false and modify them appropriately."

To this I say hah! If only it were this easy! Maybe kids who start young reading & discussing books that explore philosophical questions will be able to, but I know that it's not easy for me, and that it's impossible for a lot of people. Maybe if you, too, find it difficult to amend mistaken beliefs, you can think about one of the suggested questions:

".. give an example of something you know for which you don't have a good reason. How do you know the thing you said in response to that question?"

I've not ever read Emily's Art, either, but again, his summary makes it clear why he chose the book and how to use it. One copy is at my tertiary library (that I only visit once a year or less) so I hope it's still there when I get there.

I appreciate the back matter. There's an annotated bibliography in which he lists books that appear, to me, to be his competition. If you can't get this, maybe you can get something else. See the comment section below for the titles I'm going to try to find.

[Peter Worley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excited to find a new book on philosophy with children that is written by a philosopher. Looking forward to getting a raft of new resources that I can use with (particularly) the younger children. This book looks very much like it's going to do it! The session I've run using The Important Book chapter was excellent. It's great that Tom recommends using flawed resources for philosophical ends rather than sentimentally 'loving' the resource as if it is full of deep wisdom - even though this particular book probably is, just accidentally! Sorry not to find any lesson plans. But I recommend trying to get the group (the children, that is) to come up with the questions Tom reserves for the facilitator. Given time and the opportunity, they usually get there.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

a bit of a long read where it gets redundant, but i enjoyed the book.
i read this as a course material for a philosophy for children practicum. i am an undergraduate philosophy major.

i enjoyed that there was not very much theory, but instead explanations of the value of nurturing a child’s innate curiosity and the methods of facilitating a discussion with children. very helpful.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOVE THIS IDEA. This is something I hope to implement with my children, and have recommended to elementary school teachers to look into.

The reason I only gave the book 3 stars was because of it's repetitiveness and at time felt like a sales call.

[Miss Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents some interesting ideas, and opens up many possibilities for discussions with children. Much of the book is dedicated to what are essentially lesson plans, and I am dismayed that most of the books used as examples and the basis for the discussions are much older.

[Nous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read out loud and think
We all own life's big questions
Or do they own us?

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely book

[Zdravko · Rating 3 out of 5]

didn't read the whole book, as much of it consists of individual lesson plans/book modules for classroom use. however, there is an excellent discussion on how to facilitate student discussions around them, which i found reassuring.

[Tia Hall]

Read the most interesting article about this book and it's author in the New York Times this week. Have it on hold at the libraby and can't wait to read it!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for teachers and librarians! Very interesting!