homework philosophy for teachers

Creating a Homework Policy With Meaning and Purpose

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We have all had time-consuming, monotonous, meaningless homework assigned to us at some point in our life. These assignments often lead to frustration and boredom and students learn virtually nothing from them. Teachers and schools must reevaluate how and why they assign homework to their students. Any assigned homework should have a purpose.

Assigning homework with a purpose means that through completing the assignment, the student will be able to obtain new knowledge, a new skill, or have a new experience that they may not otherwise have. Homework should not consist of a rudimentary task that is being assigned simply for the sake of assigning something. Homework should be meaningful. It should be viewed as an opportunity to allow students to make real-life connections to the content that they are learning in the classroom. It should be given only as an opportunity to help increase their content knowledge in an area.

Differentiate Learning for All Students

Furthermore, teachers can utilize homework as an opportunity to differentiate learning for all students. Homework should rarely be given with a blanket "one size fits all" approach. Homework provides teachers with a significant opportunity to meet each student where they are and truly extend learning. A teacher can give their higher-level students more challenging assignments while also filling gaps for those students who may have fallen behind. Teachers who use homework as an opportunity to differentiate we not only see increased growth in their students, but they will also find they have more time in class to dedicate to whole group instruction .

See Student Participation Increase

Creating authentic and differentiated homework assignments can take more time for teachers to put together. As often is the case, extra effort is rewarded. Teachers who assign meaningful, differentiated, connected homework assignments not only see student participation increase, they also see an increase in student engagement. These rewards are worth the extra investment in time needed to construct these types of assignments.

Schools must recognize the value in this approach. They should provide their teachers with professional development that gives them the tools to be successful in transitioning to assign homework that is differentiated with meaning and purpose. A school's homework policy should reflect this philosophy; ultimately guiding teachers to give their students reasonable, meaningful, purposeful homework assignments.

Sample School Homework Policy

Homework is defined as the time students spend outside the classroom in assigned learning activities. Anywhere Schools believes the purpose of homework should be to practice, reinforce, or apply acquired skills and knowledge. We also believe as research supports that moderate assignments completed and done well are more effective than lengthy or difficult ones done poorly.

Homework serves to develop regular study skills and the ability to complete assignments independently. Anywhere Schools further believes completing homework is the responsibility of the student, and as students mature they are more able to work independently. Therefore, parents play a supportive role in monitoring completion of assignments, encouraging students’ efforts and providing a conducive environment for learning.

Individualized Instruction

Homework is an opportunity for teachers to provide individualized instruction geared specifically to an individual student. Anywhere Schools embraces the idea that each student is different and as such, each student has their own individual needs. We see homework as an opportunity to tailor lessons specifically for an individual student meeting them where they are and bringing them to where we want them to be. 

Homework contributes toward building responsibility, self-discipline, and lifelong learning habits. It is the intention of the Anywhere School staff to assign relevant, challenging, meaningful, and purposeful homework assignments that reinforce classroom learning objectives. Homework should provide students with the opportunity to apply and extend the information they have learned complete unfinished class assignments, and develop independence.

The actual time required to complete assignments will vary with each student’s study habits, academic skills, and selected course load. If your child is spending an inordinate amount of time doing homework, you should contact your child’s teachers.

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Is Homework Beneficial: Exploring the Pros, Cons, and Current Debates

Homework has been a cornerstone of education for generations. It has sparked endless debates among educators, parents, and students. Some see it as a vital tool for children’s learning. Others view it as an unnecessary burden that can cause stress and burnout. Still, most teachers assign homework. They believe additional tasks improve student achievement. As educational methods evolve, we must ask: does homework help students? Does it assist in learning and good study habits? Or does it just add to the pressures of a demanding school establishment? Let’s delve into the pros and cons of homework students receive daily to understand its role in modern education.

Table of Content

Tracing the Roots: A Historical Perspective on Homework

Homework has a long, varied history. It goes back centuries to the start of formal education. In ancient civilizations, only the upper classes received an education. Learning often took place at home, under a tutor or family member. In the 19th century, public education systems developed. Then, homework became a standard practice. It aimed to reinforce school lessons and instill discipline in students.

In the early 20th century, homework faced backlash in the U.S. Some educators and parents argued it stressed kids and cut into family time. During this time, progressive education movements gained momentum. They advocated for less rote memorization and more hands-on learning. However, the Cold War changed views on homework. The 1957 launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik spurred the U.S. to prioritize math and science education. Homework was then seen as essential for academic competitiveness and national security. Indeed, teachers see till now how homework improves student achievement.

Today, the debate continues. We are reassessing homework’s role in a changing education system. We must balance academic rigor with students’ well-being. Understanding the history of homework helps us see its deep roots. It also explains why it is a contentious issue in education. The National Parent-Teacher Association oversees the quality of the educational process.

Homework has long been a staple in education. It bridges school and home, reinforcing learning and building skills. However, homework’s role in education is more complex than just extra student practice.

Psychological Impacts

One often overlooked aspect of homework is its influence on students’ psychics. Moderate homework can build discipline and responsibility. However, too much of it can cause stress and anxiety. Younger students may lack the skills to handle heavy homework, which can harm their mental health and love of learning. Educators and parents must recognize these stressors. They should adjust homework policies to support, not hinder, a child’s education.

The Role of Socioeconomic Status

Socioeconomic status plays a crucial role in how homework affects students. For affluent families, homework may be easy. They have a good environment and access to resources like books, the Internet, and quiet study spaces. In contrast, lower-income students might face challenges. They may lack access to the necessary resources. They might live in a noisy, crowded home. They may also have to work part-time or care for siblings. These disparities can make homework harder and widen the achievement gap. For this reason, schools must consider these factors when assigning homework. They should also support students to ensure a fair chance to succeed.

The Influence of Technology on Homework

Technology has significantly changed how homework is assigned and completed in today’s digital age. Many educators use online platforms to assign, collect, and grade homework, which can make learning more interactive and engaging. However, this shift also raises concerns about digital equity. Some students lack access to computers or reliable Internet at home, hindering their ability to complete home tasks. Additionally, there is a debate about screen time’s impact on students’ health. It suggests that digital homework should be balanced with offline assignments.

Cultural Perspectives on Homework

Cultural attitudes towards homework vary significantly around the world. In some countries, homework is vital to education. It shows a strong focus on academic success and discipline. Otherwise, some nations want to reduce homework. They seek a better balance with time for play, creativity, and family. Educators in diverse communities must understand these cultural differences. It’s key to developing homework policies that respect all students and families.

Strengthening Learning and Developing Skills

Homework has various benefits:

• It can greatly improve a student’s education and growth.
• It helps students retain skills, build life skills, and boost parental involvement.
• One of the most notable advantages is its role in reinforcing classroom learning.
• Homework helps students remember what they learned in school by revisiting those concepts.

Repeated exposure is crucial for mastering subjects. It’s especially true in math and language arts, where skills are built incrementally if you attend college. As a result, HW tasks help to develop children’s academic strengths.

Moreover, homework fosters essential skills that extend beyond academics. Students develop many skills by completing assignments outside of class. These include time management, self-discipline, and responsibility. Students learn to organize, prioritize, and work independently by dedicating time to study and homework. These skills are vital for academic success in school and work.

Also, homework lets parents engage with their child’s education. When parents help with assignments to high school boys and girls, they learn what their kids are studying. This can improve communication and collaboration with teachers. This helps create a supportive home learning environment. It reinforces that education is a shared responsibility among students, teachers, and families.

When students feel confident, they have good college attendance. Together, these create a better education. If you need help with HW assignments, feel free to address Edubrain for homework answers .

The Drawbacks of Homework

Homework aims to benefit students. However, it has downsides, and some teachers prefer to eliminate homework. This has sparked debate among educators, parents, and students. One of the most significant concerns is the stress and burnout that homework can cause. As academic demands rise, students feel overwhelmed by too many assignments and marks in a high school journal.

This causes anxiety and harms their mental health. This stress can hinder their ability to socialize, relax, and join activities. All are crucial for healthy development and well-being.

Another major drawback is the role homework can play in exacerbating educational inequalities. Not all students have the same access to resources and support outside of school. For instance, low-income students may lack a quiet space to study, have limited access to educational materials for homework, or face extra responsibilities at home. These factors can make it hard to complete homework. This gap can widen the academic achievement gap, hurting struggling students. These students need to finish homework fast, so they need help.

Also, there is debate about homework’s effectiveness in improving learning. Some research suggests that too much homework can backfire. This is especially true for elementary school students.

They may lack the skills or attention span to benefit from long study sessions during the school day and outside of school. In such cases, homework may not help learning. It can instead cause frustration and disengagement. Homework and academic success influence attending college.

Here’s a comparative table outlining the pros and cons of homework:

This table shows the pros and cons of schoolwork. It shows the need for a balanced approach to HW tasks, weighing its benefits and drawbacks.

The Complex Homework’s Impact on Learning

Research on the effectiveness of homework reveals a complex and often contradictory picture. Many studies have explored how homework affects students. Results vary by age, subject, and assignment quality.

Homework for the Youngest

Research generally suggests that homework has limited benefits for younger students. It reveals no academic gains for elementary students. Too much homework now can hurt kids’ love of learning, raise stress, and lower their enthusiasm for school. Experts agree that homework should be minimal for young kids. It should foster a love of learning, not drill-specific skills.

Homework in Middle and High School Periods

As students move to middle and high school, additional homework helps improve their grades. Research shows that moderate homework can boost learning and grades. This is especially true for math and science. However, this positive correlation plateaus when the amount of homework is excessive. Studies show that high school students swamped with homework may suffer. The stress can harm their mental health and well-being.

Homework Develops Kid as a Person

Research also shows that homework helps develop skills beyond academics. It improves time management, self-discipline, and independent problem-solving, which are crucial for success in higher education and the workforce. However, the effectiveness of homework in fostering these skills depends on the nature of the assignments. Homework that is meaningful and well-designed is better than busywork. It is more likely to help students if it aligns with classroom instruction. Busy work just wastes time and adds no value.

Overall, research findings underscore the importance of a balanced approach to homework. Homework can help learn and build skills. Still, its benefits depend on its quality and quantity. It also helps prepare for standardized tests. Finding the right balance is key to maximizing its positive impact on students’ education and well-being. Students can use different resources for assignments.

For example, they can Google “ how to use AI for homework ” and use AI to improve academic achievement.

Rethinking the Role of Homework in Modern Education

Homework’s role in education is a hot debate. Views and practices are shifting, reflecting changes in educational philosophies and priorities. A recent movement is growing among educators, parents, and policymakers. They want to reassess the traditional approach to completing homework. Concerns over student well-being and homework’s effectiveness in promoting learning drive this.

One major trend is the push toward a more personalized approach to homework. Some schools are testing differentiated homework policies. They know each student has unique needs, abilities, and home environments. This approach tailors homework to each student’s learning style and pace. It aims to make it more relevant and manageable. Personalized homework wants to engage middle school students and encourage ownership of their learning. Still, it should not overwhelm them with tasks that may not suit their needs.

Another trend is to assign less homework, particularly in elementary schools. Some educators and schools are adopting a “no homework” policy for young students, and others are reducing homework. This shift is based on research. It suggests that less excessive homework in the early years can foster a positive attitude towards school and prevent burnout. It also allows time for play, family, and activities, essential for holistic development.

In addition, there is a growing emphasis on the quality rather than the quantity of homework. Educators are urged to assign meaningful homework. It should reinforce learning and promote critical thinking, not memorization or busy work. Pupils should not just finish homework fast ; they should understand what and why they did it. This trend supports many education goals, including building problem-solving skills and a love of learning.

Technological advancements are also influencing current debates about homework. Digital tools and online resources offer new opportunities for engaging, interactive assignments. They let high school students access a wealth of information and learn in more dynamic ways. However, this shift raises concerns about screen time and access to technology. It also highlights the need for guidance on using digital resources effectively.

Overall, the current debates and trends in homework reflect a broader reevaluation of its role in education. Excessive homework will be a hot topic as schools adapt to students’ diverse needs. Discussions will focus on best supporting elementary school students’ learning and well-being.

Conclusion: Striking the Right Balance in Homework Practices

The debate over homework’s value is ongoing. It reflects varying views on its effect on student learning, social skills and well-being. Homework can reinforce learning and build life skills. However, it can also cause stress, increase inequality, and fail to boost grades. As education changes, we must rethink the role of homework. It should support, not hinder, student success.

Recommendations for Effective Homework Practices:

• Quality over Quantity: Focus on the quality of assignments rather than the amount. Homework should be meaningful, purposeful, and aligned with what elementary school students are learning in the classroom. It should promote critical thinking and problem-solving, not just drill facts or practice repetitive tasks.
• Age-Appropriate Assignments: Tailor homework to the student’s developmental stage. Younger children should have little homework. It should foster a love of learning. Older students can handle increased homework and can take home assignments. Homework should build on classroom lessons and prepare them for college and jobs.
• Personalized Homework: Consider each student’s unique needs, abilities, and circumstances. Personalized homework can help here. It can engage all students, no matter their background, with the material in a meaningful, manageable way.
• Encourage a Balanced Approach: Recognize the importance of balance in students’ lives. Homework should not overwhelm elementary students. It should not cut into family time, extracurriculars, or rest. These are critical for their development.
• Utilize Technology Wisely: Use digital tools to create engaging, interactive assignments and effective homework, such as AI science solver . But limit screen time. Ensure all students have equal access to the needed resources.

References:

For a deeper look at the research on homework, see these sources:

• Cooper, H. (2006). The Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents. Corwin Press.
• Kohn, A. (2006). The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. Da Capo Press.
• OECD (2014). PISA 2012 Results: What Students Know and Can Do. Volume I, Revised edition, February 2014.
• Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (2007). The Case For and Against Homework. Educational Leadership, 64(6), 74-79.

By carefully considering these recommendations and drawing from a wide range of research, educators and parents can work together to create homework practices that enhance learning, support well-being, and foster a positive educational experience for all students.

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Homework: what's helpful and what isn't

As legend has it, an Italian teacher named Roberto Nevilis invented a form of punishment for students who misbehaved in his class in 1905: He called it “homework.”

This origin of homework is apocryphal, but homework itself has become ubiquitous in American schools and the debate about whether it is a help or a hindrance rages on. As a newer teacher, you may be familiar with where research has landed on the link between homework and student achievement (it’s unclear), who benefits from homework (older students more than younger ones) and how much homework is optimal (10 minutes per grade is a standard rule of thumb).

If you haven’t already developed a personal homework philosophy, it can be helpful to devote some time to considering the practical value of the homework you plan to assign and the logistics around its submission and grading. As you do so, keep in mind these “three Ds” of what homework should allow students to do:

Demonstrate knowledge . It’s easy to assign homework that can feel more like busy work. “Giving students homework that involves drill and practice is often said to ‘reinforce’ the skills they’ve been taught in class ... [but] practicing doesn’t create understanding,” writes author and progressive educator Alfie Kohn in his book “The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing.” Students who struggle with a particular math concept in class, for instance, are unlikely to develop an understanding of it by completing a page of equations for homework. Conversely, students who have mastered the concept at school probably get little benefit from that page of equations either. Homework should allow students to demonstrate what they understand (or don’t) about a topic in a meaningful way. Instead of solving variations on the same problem, for instance, ask students to analyze an equation that was solved incorrectly and explain where the mathematician went wrong.

Develop and apply their skills. Homework doesn’t have to be a one-off worksheet or an opportunity to “cram kids’ heads with facts for tomorrow’s tests that they’re going to forget by next week,” as Kohn puts it. If you extend the timeframe students have to complete assignments, you’ll give them the chance to reinforce their learning over time — and you’ll likely be able to give them more meaningful feedback. “We assign homework to set strong expectations of continuing research outside our regular social studies period,” says Ted Ganung, a teacher at Renaissance School of the Arts in East Harlem. Folding in homework on longer-term projects also helps students hone time management skills.

Differentiate their own learning from their peers. Your students aren’t identical in terms of their abilities, their interests and their understanding — so their homework shouldn’t necessarily be identical, either. “I feel homework is a chance for students to take full ownership of their learning,” says Andriana Xenophontos, an English teacher at Martin Van Buren HS in Queens Village. She gives her students a “choice board” from which they select one in-depth assignment per week, like a character analysis or a topic to research and reflect on.

In the upper grades, a choice between assignments gives students both the freedom to pursue a particular interest or medium and the agency to bolster their self-awareness of their strengths and challenges. In younger grades, differentiated assignments can help students reinforce particular skills or deepen their understanding.

Homework: Help or Hindrance?

Originally published in TEACH Magazine, January/February 2015 Issue

By Martha Beach

Each day after school, eight-year-old Miranda heads home and unwinds from the social school day, plays outside, and has a snack. But after dinner it’s time for Miranda to get to work. Only halfway through grade three in the east end of Toronto, Miranda is still getting used to weekly assigned homework.

Getting into the routine of completing pages of math questions, reading review, and writing at home is no easy task. “I have to annoy the heck out of her to get her to sit down and do it and there will be eight distractions on the way to the table,” says Miranda’s mom, Kathryn Rose. “Miranda and I have a terrific relationship, it’s fun and humouristic. But when she’s doing her homework she gets a lot of attitude. We have to make friends over and over,” Rose says. “She claims she doesn’t need my help, but I have to come and go and supervise to keep her on track.”

Some good news for parents like Rose is that educators are starting to place more importance on home activities and reading rather than repetitive, regurgitative homework. It seems that traditional homework is not necessarily helping students succeed academically. A new homework philosophy is on the up and up: enjoyment of learning through home practice. There are many ways for teachers to help students continue learning outside the classroom by assigning constructive homework and communicating with parents about how best to support students without helping too much.

A growing number of teachers don’t think traditional homework is working. “Teaching a kid to do traditional repetitive homework makes them equate doing multiplication with punishment. They aren’t interested,” says Dave Martin, a calculus teacher at École Secondaire Notre Dame in Red Deer, AB, who stopped assigning his classes homework three years ago. “If there has to be homework, it should be personalized. Kid A should have none, kid B two questions, and kid C should have five and they should all be different questions,” he says. “But no one wants to sit down and just do math problems.”

Indeed, a 2008 University of Toronto study from Linda Cameron and Lee Bartel found that 85 percent of children in kindergarten are enthusiastic and willingly cooperative when it comes to doing homework. But these attitudes quickly change as they get older: by grade four, 61 percent of students are very resistant or only grudgingly cooperative. “This change is related to the time required by homework—more homework correlates with more negative attitude,” write Bartel and Cameron.

Amount of work isn’t the only concern. “Homework takes the individuality out of learning,” says Martin. He recommends using games to practice concepts. Monopoly and cribbage require math skills, while checkers and chess are all logic. Find video games that require problem solving, hand-eye coordination, math, and reading. (Martin shares the ultimate success story: four of his students told him one Monday that over the weekend they got together to play a video game. Partway through, they put down their controllers in order to figure out the gravitational pull in the game, just because they wanted to.)

Find ways to incorporate learning into their interests. For example, ask young basketball fans how the points add up. “Find something relatable,” Martin says. “It won’t help them on their quiz on Friday, but who cares?”

Jordan Kleckner, Vice Principal of North Glenmore Elementary in Kelowna, BC, agrees. “The main thing with work at home is that it should be fun. It shouldn’t be pulling teeth.”

Many teachers do still assign traditional “pulling teeth” homework, and parents help with that homework: over 80 percent say they help their child(ren) in kindergarten up to grade two “usually or always,” and this continues at around 77 percent through grade four, according to Lee and Bartel’s study.

But research published by U.S. sociology professors Keith Robinson from the University of Texas and Angel Harris from Duke University comes to the surprising conclusion that no clear connection exists between traditional parental involvement and success. “Helping with homework is not associated with reading or math achievement,” write the duo in The Broken Compass: Parental Involvement with Children’s Education , a book that looks at how parents across socio-economic and ethnic groups contribute to academic performances of students in kindergarten to grade 12 in the United States.

One would presume that teachers would stop assigning homework if parents are “helicopter” helping (carefully and closely circling their child like a chopper, occasionally making an emergency landing to drop in the right information). Some schools in Canada are trying just that. One example is College de Saint-Ambroise, a small school in Quebec’s Saguenay region (in the southeast) that launched a one-year pilot program in September 2014 where every class in grades one to six has an almost complete ban on homework.

But Christina Rinaldi, a child psychologist and professor of educational psychology at the University of Alberta, doesn’t think eliminating homework is the answer. “To say you got rid of homework is unrealistic because any work outside of school is homework,” Rinaldi says. “How a teacher defines homework is part of assigning it.”

Before sending home assignments, worksheets, or learning games, Rinaldi reminds teachers to communicate their philosophy on homework with parents and students: what are their expectations of the student, what is the purpose of work that may be sent home, and what is the teacher’s goal when assigning home practices? Teachers also sometimes have to communicate with parents what may seem obvious to educators: “Helping with homework is more so knowing that the child is doing the work rather than how well or how quickly or even if they’re finishing every little thing,” says Rinaldi.

Traditional homework is different from home practice. “I come from a background and philosophy of no homework, but I’m a big advocate of home practice,” says Kleckner. “It’s not about going back to school and being marked. It’s about practicing for the sake of skill development. If you already understand it before leaving the classroom, regurgitating it at home won’t do anything.”

Kleckner also agrees that communication is key. “Parents will tell you if it’s not working, if it’s a fight every night, or if they don’t understand the work. Parents will also give positive feedback if the kids are playing games and are enthusiastic and are learning,” he says. “Teachers also need to recognize that parents are doing a zillion other things. They aren’t experts on reading help or math help, so it’s best to make information about how to help easily available.”

“Parents should ask the teacher for help knowing how to support their child, how to find resources,” Rinaldi adds. Rose occasionally asks Miranda’s teacher for suggestions on ways to help because she herself doesn’t understand the work. “I’m only now just getting comfortable saying what I don’t understand,” Rose says. Despite some of the work being a little tricky, in general Rose feels homework is a way to teach responsibility and reinforce lessons. “I think homework is a good way to help grapple with what they’ve already learned in school.”

The main method for parents to help kids do that grappling is something Rinaldi calls “scaffolding”—providing hints, prompts, and ways to set them up to find the answer themselves. “It means communication with the child of the expectation that they do homework, not ‘I’m going to make the best exploding volcano for you!’” says Rinaldi.

“A parent can’t helicopter if the right task is sent home. So if you’re sending a kid home to make a volcano, then yes a parent might make it for them,” Kleckner points out. Send homework students can (and have to) do on their own, with a bit of scaffolding.

But some the most beneficial work isn’t meant to be done alone. In younger grades especially, families are expected to simply read together. “Parents should be aware of projects and worksheets, but mainly they should focus on literacy,” Rinaldi says. Research in The Broken Compass found that reading to children is associated with increased reading achievement. Simply put, any form of reading is beneficial.

Kleckner worries about misconceptions around reading development. “For example, parents don’t let their kids read the same book over and over because it’s just done by memory. But what’s more important than if they are reading from memory is whether or not they are enjoying reading. So if they read the same book twice, that’s OK,” he says.

Enjoyment is a huge part of learning. “The question shouldn’t be: ‘Did you learn this?’ It should be: ‘Did you enjoy learning this?’” says Martin. “We need to change the game. When I started teaching, I was traditional. I assigned 35 minutes to one hour of homework per night. At the time, my failure/dropout rate was 50 percent. I was proud of that. Now my failure/dropout is only one percent. I thought I was weeding out the people who didn’t want to do math, but I was just killing their passion,” he explains. “My goal now is to get students interested in and talking about math at home.”

It’s part of a teacher’s job to communicate with parents the best method of support: encourage students to learn things in ways that interest them, but remember that ultimately only the child can be the student. “I’m learning this year to try and allow Miranda to do it right or do it wrong or not do it. She has to have the consequences. That’s important for her learning,” Rose says.

“It’s always going to go back to why are we doing this. If it’s a logical answer, then continue,” Kleckner adds. “If you feel like the why is going to help strengthen the child’s abilities, then continue with that.”

Martha Beach is a recent graduate of Ryerson University’s journalism program. Currently, she is a freelance writer and factchecker in Toronto.

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Evidence-Based Homework Philosophy

Homework is often a source of stress for students who learn differently and their families. That’s why we do homework differently!

We recognize homework as a necessary part of our students' educational experience. However, we also recognize that for students with learning differences, hours upon hours of daily homework can be damaging—adversely affecting their home life in many unexpected ways. 

Homework at Lawrence is designed so students of all ages can balance a healthy academic career with family life and after-school activities. Our school-wide homework policy allows only previously mastered material to be assigned as homework. This way, students are able to complete it independently, and in a reasonable amount of time. Learn more about our approach on The LionShare Podcast.

Our Philosophy:

We believe when thoughtfully designed, homework promotes responsibility and a healthy home-school connection. Consistent, successful completion of homework enhances a student’s learning experience and helps strengthen executive function and life skills. 

The purpose of homework at Lawrence School is to... 

• Assist students in building academic confidence by allowing them to experience success while also becoming aware of their limits
• Encourage students to demonstrate a sophisticated level of metacognition—a student’s ability to think about their own thinking
• Reinforce critical concepts taught in the classroom through independent practice
• Build and enhance a partnership between home and school
• Allow teachers to have an increased level of awareness of student strengths and weaknesses, thereby guiding personalized instruction
• Improve executive function skills—the ability to organize, plan and manage time
• Provide opportunities for students to demonstrate application of knowledge and skills in a variety of settings

Lawrence homework always... 

• Strategically meets the needs of each diverse learner
• Minimizes any anxiety or frustration
• Recognizes and respects competing demands on students' time outside of school
• Is meaningful and purposeful in objective
• Promotes exploration and discovery
• Considers each learner's Zone of Proximal Development, which asserts true learning requires the level of challenge not overwhelm an individual's level of competence
• Recognizes attempts at completion and/or attempts to problem solve

Homework assignments are thoughtfully designed with the needs and goals of our community members in mind...

• Apply and expand knowledge in different settings
• Gain a desire for continued learning and growth
• Transfer skills to future life experience
• Become more self-sufficient and accountable
• Own their academic and social strengths, as well as their challenges
• Practice self-advocacy without arrogance or apology
• Master effective study techniques, organizational, and time management skills
• Learn to balance responsibilities so they may participate in extracurricular activities
• Assess students’ strengths and challenges using subjective and objective-based data.
• Obtain a better perspective of how each student learns.
• Adjust curriculum and methods according to students’ needs.
• Provide constructive feedback regarding student progress.
• Celebrate their child’s strengths and accomplishments
• Protect and honor family time
• Taper their involvement based on their child's developmental needs, independence, and ability
• Gain a better understanding of their child’s learning style
• Receive consistent feedback regarding what the student is learning and how he or she is progressing toward the constant goal of mastery

How did we establish our K-12 homework policy? 

Over the course of two years, Lawrence teachers and administrators discussed homework-related practices with the goal of creating a consistent school-wide philosophy and policy. The process was detailed and involved: much research into best practices, the benefits of homework, and consideration for the negative effects it can sometimes have on learning were explored. The team convened for more than a dozen small group meetings and two half-day planning sessions; they gathered input from student and teacher experience surveys; and contacted LD schools across the country. Careful thought formed our philosophy, which was embraced school wide and paved the way for a consistent K-12 policy.

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Homework in the Responsive Classroom

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Cathy Vatterott is an associate professor of education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. A former middle school teacher and principal, Vatterott learned first-hand about homework struggles as the parent of a child with learning disabilities. Today, her son is a successful college student and she is known as “the homework lady.” She earned the title after years of research and writing about homework. She has presented on the topic to over 6,000 educators and parents in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Her most recent book, Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs (ASCD, 2009), details a differentiated approach to homework—one that can serve teachers, students, and parents. Vatterott believes that homework needn’t stretch into the wee hours of the night, and that teachers shouldn’t take a punitive stance against unfinished homework. In fact, Vatterott sees incomplete homework as a crucial window for teachers into the academic and personal needs of students. She also sees an important role for parents in providing feedback to teachers on the struggles of their children to complete homework.

We spoke to Vatterott about her homework philosophy and why too much homework can bring about academic failure.

Are you opposed to homework?

I’m not at all opposed to the idea of homework. I’m opposed to homework that is excessive. I like the 10-minute rule, which is recommended by the Parent Teachers Association and the National Education Association, that kids should have no more than 10 minutes of homework per grade level, per night. In other words, a 1st grader should only have 10 minutes and a 5th grader should have 50 minutes, and so on. To me, that’s a good guideline. It’s also consistent with the research that shows that for kids who do more than that amount of work, their achievement actually goes down because they get burned out. They get tired. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be the same for every kid. You’ve got kids that are very focused, who really enjoy doing their homework. They might be able to work longer.

The biggest parent misconception is that a lot of homework is a sign of rigor. A lot of times, parents are like, “If they don’t do all of this work, they’re not going to get into Harvard.” Actually, the research doesn’t support that a lot of homework does any good.

In some ways, there are shades of Ruby Payne—whose focus is on poverty’s impact in the classroom—in your book. Specifically, you address how some educators attach their own negative, personal attitudes about social class to students who don’t complete their homework. How does this play out?

I think when students don’t complete their homework, it’s easy to blame the student or the parent without really examining what valid reasons there might be for the homework not being completed. Students may not be able to do homework because of home conditions or family responsibilities, not because they are lazy or irresponsible. When teachers fail to understand how poverty or other circumstances can interfere with homework, there can be a tendency to make moral judgments about the student and the parent.

How does poverty interfere with homework?

It’s not uncommon that kids who live in poverty don’t have a quiet place to work. For instance, where I live, it’s not uncommon for there to be a family of five living in a two bedroom apartment. There’s no quiet place to work. There is no desk. There are no materials. Like when teachers say, “Oh, go home and cut pictures out of a magazine and then put them together for this.” They don’t have magazines. That’s part of it, but the other part is that children of poverty often have lots of responsibilities at home.

An example that I give is of a teacher who said a 9th grade student told her, “My mom won’t let me do homework.” And the teacher said, “What do you mean?” And the student responded, “Well, when I get home I have to babysit my brothers and sisters, then I have to cook dinner, and then I have to give them a bath. And then it’s time for me to go to bed.”

And so when you look at kids in poverty, that’s a scenario. When you get to middle school, high school, those kids are making money. They’re working to help feed the family. And so they’re not doing homework. You also have the population of ELL kids. They get home and their parents don’t speak English. There’s no help available if they need help. I think those are things that people don’t often consider when they look at kids in poverty.

What advice do you have for teachers in these circumstances?

In the book, I have a homework schedule card where the kids write down what they do after school, what they’re supposed to do after school, and what responsibilities they have. If the homework is not getting done, investigate why instead of punishing the kids.

You also suggest involving parents in the homework process, including completing questionnaires about how long it takes their children to complete homework assignments. Why is that important?

The parent is the best source of information about what’s really going on with homework. Parents can help teachers diagnose whether the work is too hard or too lengthy and can alert teachers to other factors.

What other factors?

In addition to academic issues, the parents also know if it’s an organizational issue—for example, if the kid says, “I did it, but I can’t find it.” Or, if the kid is really frustrated or they’ve got a lot of other activities going on that are competing with homework. But then there can also be personal things, like does this kid have an anxiety problem? Are there things going on in the family where this kid is depressed?

The parents know if there’s this horrible thing going on in the family. Their child’s favorite aunt is sick. It’s a young kid and their grandmother’s in the hospital dying. Stuff like that that teachers don’t necessarily know, that parents can communicate back and say, here’s what’s going on with my kid right now and why they’re having trouble focusing. That is helpful to a teacher.

How do you get a parent to comply with a questionnaire, especially when the family could be coping with some of the issues you mention that might be influencing a student’s ability to complete work?

You may not be able to get that from the parent. You may have to make a phone call and ask them questions. Yes, sometimes it is hard to get that feedback from the parents. And you may have to just go on the feedback from the kid.

I never understood why we punished kids because their parents didn’t sign something. Is that really the kid’s fault? Or, is it that the parent just didn’t sign it?

You don’t believe that homework instills discipline in children; in fact, you stress that homework can negatively affect students’ attitudes, their college admissions’ test scores, even their admission to college itself. How does this happen?

When students are repeatedly given homework tasks that are too hard for them, frustrations build and students can start to hate learning. When kids are that frustrated, they basically just shut down. We’ve learned about that from brain research. We’ve known that frustration shuts down kids’ learning. And we know psychologically that’s what they do to protect themselves.

You’ve got kids who were fine in school and all of a sudden they start getting a lot of homework in the 3rd or 4th grade and all of a sudden they’re starting to say they hate school and that’s a little scary. What if what we’re doing here—the overloading of kids or the giving kids things they can’t do—is causing them to hate to school?

No one wants to do something that repeatedly makes them feel stupid. Students may decide it’s less painful not to do the homework. When we give students failing grades for not completing homework, it further de-motivates them and may make them feel like they are a failure in school. Failing grades in homework often lead to failing course grades which lead to a lower GPA which can make students less competitive for college admissions. Students who give up and stop doing homework may be shortchanging their own development of knowledge and skills, which in turn can cause them to do poorly on college admissions tests.

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What’s the Right Amount of Homework?

Decades of research show that homework has some benefits, especially for students in middle and high school—but there are risks to assigning too much.

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Many teachers and parents believe that homework helps students build study skills and review concepts learned in class. Others see homework as disruptive and unnecessary, leading to burnout and turning kids off to school. Decades of research show that the issue is more nuanced and complex than most people think: Homework is beneficial, but only to a degree. Students in high school gain the most, while younger kids benefit much less.

The National PTA and the National Education Association support the “ 10-minute homework guideline ”—a nightly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. But many teachers and parents are quick to point out that what matters is the quality of the homework assigned and how well it meets students’ needs, not the amount of time spent on it.

The guideline doesn’t account for students who may need to spend more—or less—time on assignments. In class, teachers can make adjustments to support struggling students, but at home, an assignment that takes one student 30 minutes to complete may take another twice as much time—often for reasons beyond their control. And homework can widen the achievement gap, putting students from low-income households and students with learning disabilities at a disadvantage.

However, the 10-minute guideline is useful in setting a limit: When kids spend too much time on homework, there are real consequences to consider.

Small Benefits for Elementary Students

As young children begin school, the focus should be on cultivating a love of learning, and assigning too much homework can undermine that goal. And young students often don’t have the study skills to benefit fully from homework, so it may be a poor use of time (Cooper, 1989 ; Cooper et al., 2006 ; Marzano & Pickering, 2007 ). A more effective activity may be nightly reading, especially if parents are involved. The benefits of reading are clear: If students aren’t proficient readers by the end of third grade, they’re less likely to succeed academically and graduate from high school (Fiester, 2013 ).

For second-grade teacher Jacqueline Fiorentino, the minor benefits of homework did not outweigh the potential drawback of turning young children against school at an early age, so she experimented with dropping mandatory homework. “Something surprising happened: They started doing more work at home,” Fiorentino writes . “This inspiring group of 8-year-olds used their newfound free time to explore subjects and topics of interest to them.” She encouraged her students to read at home and offered optional homework to extend classroom lessons and help them review material.

Moderate Benefits for Middle School Students

As students mature and develop the study skills necessary to delve deeply into a topic—and to retain what they learn—they also benefit more from homework. Nightly assignments can help prepare them for scholarly work, and research shows that homework can have moderate benefits for middle school students (Cooper et al., 2006 ). Recent research also shows that online math homework, which can be designed to adapt to students’ levels of understanding, can significantly boost test scores (Roschelle et al., 2016 ).

There are risks to assigning too much, however: A 2015 study found that when middle school students were assigned more than 90 to 100 minutes of daily homework, their math and science test scores began to decline (Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2015 ). Crossing that upper limit can drain student motivation and focus. The researchers recommend that “homework should present a certain level of challenge or difficulty, without being so challenging that it discourages effort.” Teachers should avoid low-effort, repetitive assignments, and assign homework “with the aim of instilling work habits and promoting autonomous, self-directed learning.”

In other words, it’s the quality of homework that matters, not the quantity. Brian Sztabnik, a veteran middle and high school English teacher, suggests that teachers take a step back and ask themselves these five questions :

• How long will it take to complete?
• Have all learners been considered?
• Will an assignment encourage future success?
• Will an assignment place material in a context the classroom cannot?
• Does an assignment offer support when a teacher is not there?

More Benefits for High School Students, but Risks as Well

By the time they reach high school, students should be well on their way to becoming independent learners, so homework does provide a boost to learning at this age, as long as it isn’t overwhelming (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Marzano & Pickering, 2007 ). When students spend too much time on homework—more than two hours each night—it takes up valuable time to rest and spend time with family and friends. A 2013 study found that high school students can experience serious mental and physical health problems, from higher stress levels to sleep deprivation, when assigned too much homework (Galloway, Conner, & Pope, 2013 ).

Homework in high school should always relate to the lesson and be doable without any assistance, and feedback should be clear and explicit.

Teachers should also keep in mind that not all students have equal opportunities to finish their homework at home, so incomplete homework may not be a true reflection of their learning—it may be more a result of issues they face outside of school. They may be hindered by issues such as lack of a quiet space at home, resources such as a computer or broadband connectivity, or parental support (OECD, 2014 ). In such cases, giving low homework scores may be unfair.

Since the quantities of time discussed here are totals, teachers in middle and high school should be aware of how much homework other teachers are assigning. It may seem reasonable to assign 30 minutes of daily homework, but across six subjects, that’s three hours—far above a reasonable amount even for a high school senior. Psychologist Maurice Elias sees this as a common mistake: Individual teachers create homework policies that in aggregate can overwhelm students. He suggests that teachers work together to develop a school-wide homework policy and make it a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year.

Parents Play a Key Role

Homework can be a powerful tool to help parents become more involved in their child’s learning (Walker et al., 2004 ). It can provide insights into a child’s strengths and interests, and can also encourage conversations about a child’s life at school. If a parent has positive attitudes toward homework, their children are more likely to share those same values, promoting academic success.

But it’s also possible for parents to be overbearing, putting too much emphasis on test scores or grades, which can be disruptive for children (Madjar, Shklar, & Moshe, 2015 ). Parents should avoid being overly intrusive or controlling—students report feeling less motivated to learn when they don’t have enough space and autonomy to do their homework (Orkin, May, & Wolf, 2017 ; Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008 ; Silinskas & Kikas, 2017 ). So while homework can encourage parents to be more involved with their kids, it’s important to not make it a source of conflict.

Philosophy Toolkit

Welcome to the philosophy toolkit, a searchable index of philosophical lesson plans.

Our Links page  also offers links to other sites with high quality lesson plans and other resources for philosophy with young people.

We welcome lesson plan submissions for the PLATO Philosophy Toolkit. Submissions should include: grade level, time necessary for the lesson, area, and topics (see other Toolkit lesson plans).  Submissions are accepted for review year round. Please s ubmit lesson plans to Education Director Karen Emmerman at  [email protected] . 

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Getting Started The Philosophy Toolkit contains a variety of different lesson plans for leading philosophical discussions with young people. Each lesson plan indicates the grade level for which it is appropriate as well as an estimate of the time necessary to complete the lesson. Please explore the Toolkit and contact us with any suggestions, questions, or feedback.

Search by Areas and Grade Levels: The Toolkit is organized by Area and Grade Levels. In the navigation on the left, you can click “Areas” to get a drop-down menu of academic topics (e.g., History and Social Studies, Science, and Music).

If you would like to search by the age range of the students you work with, click on “Grade Levels” to open a menu listing grades from preschool through high school and beyond.

Search by Philosophical and Other Topics: If you are looking for lesson plans focused on a particular philosophical area (e.g., ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, and aesthetics), simply enter that term into the search bar to receive a list of lesson plans with that philosophical focus.

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Popular Topics Looking for inspiration? Take a look at some popular lesson plans from recent user searches by clicking the “Popular Topics” tab in the navigation bar on the left.

It’s important that the teacher/facilitator always keeps in mind that the whole point of doing philosophy with young people is to help the students develop their own thinking!  The role of the teacher/facilitator is guide the discussion without attempting to control its content. In other words, do not plan to dictate the substance of the discussion, but rather provide the tools and structure for the discussion to take place among the participants/students.

Remember it’s a balancing act between helping students achieve philosophical clarity and depth and refraining from imposing on the conversation your own preferences for subject matter. This requires sensitivity, skill and practice; push too hard and you’ll monopolize the conversation, but if you do not provide enough structure the students can end up following tangents at length or simply engaging in an opinion-sharing exercise, and making no progress!

To assist you in getting started, we have compiled a list of things to do and not to do that we have found helpful for new and experienced philosophy educators alike.

Things To Do

Hint: Let the discussion flow from the students’ questions and ideas. After reading a story or doing an activity, ask, “What questions did this make you think of?”

• Encourage the students to build on each other’s ideas.
• Show the students that what they say makes you think.
• Encourage the students to speak to one another.

Things Not To Do

• Tell the students their answers are right or wrong.
• Plan to teach the students some philosophical argument or point.
• Insist on your own views.
• Be uncomfortable with or try to fill-in intervals of silence.
• Give a definitive answer to a philosophical question.
• Permit lengthy discussions of relatively unimportant issues.
• Monopolize the discussion.
• Resolve issues for them.
• Try to show the students how philosophically sophisticated you are.

Good Leading Questions to Ask in a Philosophy Session:

• “What did you mean when you said . . .?”
• “That’s an interesting idea. Can you explain what you were thinking when you said that?”
• “When you said . . . , did you mean . . . ?”
• “How does what you just said relate to what ____ said a moment ago?”
• “So if what you just said is true, is ____ also true?”
• “When you said ____, were you assuming ____?”

For more thoughts on how to facilitate philosophy sessions with young people, read this article on “The Cultivation of Philosophical Sensitivity”

The Difference between Philosophical & Non-Philosophical Questions:

Ten Examples of Philosophical Questions 

• Are numbers real?
• Do animals think?
• What is a thought?
• Why I am alive?
• What makes someone a good friend?
• How do we know anything? 
• What makes a life a good life? 
• How should human beings treat the environment?
• What does it mean to be brave?
• What is time?

Ten Examples of Non-Philosophical Questions

• What is 10 x 10?
• How many bats are there in the state of Pennsylvania? 
• How do computers work?
• How does the brain work?
• Do sea cucumbers have brains?
• What is the capital of Bulgaria? 
• How much pollution do humans contribute to the Earth?
• Is the death penalty legal in Sweden?
• How many people live in Nigeria?
• When was the Declaration of Independence signed? 

Most classroom philosophy sessions are arenas for discussions about the ideas and questions of philosophy, as opposed to being primarily focused on what historical and contemporary philosophers have to say about these ideas and questions. That is, we engage young people in the practice of philosophy. A powerful model for this educational approach is the community of philosophical inquiry.

Lipman and the Community of Inquiry

Matthew Lipman’s detailed conception of the community of inquiry—in which students and teacher(s) learn from one another— was among his most significant contributions to the field.

The community of inquiry, as Lipman conceived it, includes the following characteristics:

• The enterprise is based on mutual respect;
• The students build on one another’s ideas and follow the argument where it leads;
• Students challenge each other to supply reasons for their opinions;
• Students assist one another in drawing out inferences from what has been said; and
• Students endeavor to identify one another’s assumptions.

The members of the community of inquiry come together in a spirit of intellectual freedom to explore the more problematic and puzzling aspects of situations and curriculum concepts, rather than emphasizing the “facts.”

The Community of Philosophical Inquiry

The community of inquiry model can be used to explore any subject matter in the classroom. The special features of a community of philosophical inquiry (CPI) involve the content (i.e., philosophical topics). Philosophical topics examine meanings, attempt to clarify concepts, and generally engage abstract questions whose answers are contestable, rather than final or settled.

In a CPI, the students’ philosophical questions shape the scope of the inquiry. Teachers guide the students in inquiry, but do not control the content of the discussion and often don’t know ahead of time what the topic or topics under consideration will be.

The teacher’s role here is robust, but subtle. Teachers pay close attention to the initiation and progress of the dialogue, look for connections among what students say, ask for clarification and reasons, and are attuned to the philosophical content of questions and ideas that might otherwise be lost. This entails a delicate balance between supporting students’ attainment of philosophical clarity and depth and refraining from imposing the teacher’s own preferences for subject matter and the direction of the discussion.

Central features of a Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CPI)

• The content is philosophical: Members of a CPI are engaged in a structured, collaborative inquiry aimed at building meaning and acquiring understanding through the examination of philosophical questions or concepts of interest to the participants.
• Epistemic Modesty: A CPI entails a consensus of ‘epistemological modesty’—an acknowledgement that all members of the group, including the facilitator, are fallible, and therefore hold views that could end up being mistaken. Teachers in a CPI facilitate students’ ability to think for themselves about the fundamental aspects of human existence. We demonstrate a reticence about advocating for our own philosophical views and model a comfort with uncertainty and with the fact that we don’t have final settled answers philosophical questions.
• Avoiding the use of jargon: Participants in a CPI generally refrain from using much technical philosophical language or referring often to the work of professional philosophers. This helps to ensure that the group focuses on exploring the questions themselves and not the past or current history of the subject among professional philosophers.
• Intellectual Safety : The CPI is an environment of intellectual safety, one in which any question or comment is acceptable, so long as it does not belittle or devalue others in the group, and which allows trust and a corresponding willingness to present one’s thoughts to participants. The teacher models openness and respect for others’ ideas and constructs a structured space that invites the students to engage thoughtfully and with an appreciation for multiple perspectives

While an intellectually safe learning community involves trust, respect, and an atmosphere conducive to taking intellectual risks, it does not promise comfort. Communities of inquiry are dedicated to the open and rigorous exploration of difficult and contestable issues and the intellectual growth that results, the process of which can often provoke feelings of perplexity and uncertainty. This can be an uncomfortable experience. Feeling intellectually safe, therefore, is not to feel complacent or unchallenged—it is to feel supported in one’s struggles to make sense of the world for ourselves.

One practical tool to begin to fashion an intellectually safe atmosphere is to help the students set the rules for the community of inquiry at the beginning of the year. The rules can be posted so that they are always visible during philosophy sessions, and you can remind the students of them from time to time.

Warm-up #1: Think of someone you know who you think is a really good person. What makes that person a good person?

Warm-up #2: • Think of something that’s pretty good. • Now think of something that’s better than pretty good, that’s good. • Now think of something that’s better than that, that’s really good. • Think of something that’s pretty bad. • Now think of something that’s worse than pretty bad, that’s bad. • Now think of something that’s worse than that, that’s really bad. • Now think of something that’s both good and bad. • Now think of something that’s neither good nor bad.

Warm-up #3: • Do you have memories that make you feel a certain way? • Can you have a memory that makes you happy? • What is happiness? • Can you be happy but feel sad? • Can you feel sad but be happy? • Can you be happy and sad at the same time? • What makes you happy?

Warm-up #4: Think of something: • You’re glad has happened • You wish had happened • You wish hadn’t happened • You’re glad didn’t happen

Warm-up #1: • Think a big thought (about something small) • Think a small thought (about something big) • Think a really hard thought (about something soft) • Think softly. Can you? • Think a funny thought • Think a serious thought • Think of a part of your body: think of your foot • Think of your hand • Think of your head • Think of your mind: What is your mind? • Think of something that’s true: What is true? • Think of something that’s false: what is false? • How do you know the difference between true and false?

Warm-up #2 • Think the biggest thought you can. • Think the tiniest thought you can. • Think the oldest thought you can. • Think the newest thought you can. Can you think of an even newer one? • Think of something really good. • Think of something really bad. • What makes something good or bad?

Warm-up #3: Let’s start by all thinking together. What’s a thought we can share? • Can we all think about the same thing? • Let’s all think about the sky. Are we all thinking the same thing? • Let’s all think about a dog. Are we all thinking the same thing? • Can we all have different thoughts? Is it possible that every one could think of something different? • What are you thinking about right now? What about now? • How long is now?

Warm-up #4: • Let’s all think really really hard…about something really soft. • Let’s all have really big thoughts…about something small. • Let’s all think of the same thing • Let’s all think of something different • What’s your favorite thought? • What’s your least favorite thought? • Let’s all think about something we know. • What is something we wonder about? • Do you ever wonder what it means to be a friend? • What can you be friends with?

Warm-up #5: • Think of something in the past • Think of something in the future • Think to yourself • Think to someone else • Think something you know • Think something you don’t know • What makes something what it is? • What makes a duck a duck? • What makes a chair a chair? • What makes your teacher your teacher?

Warm-up #6: • Think the biggest thought you can. • Think the tiniest thought you can. • Think the oldest thought you can. • Think the newest thought you can. Can you think of an even newer one? • Think of something about yourself. • Think of something about someone else. • What’s the difference between you and someone else? • What makes you you?

Warm-up #7: Let’s start by wondering. What are you wondering about? • Can you wonder about what you’re wondering about? • What are you thinking about? Can you think about what you’re thinking about? • How many of you are thinking about tomorrow? What’s it like to think a thought about the future? • Can you think a thought about the past? • What are thoughts like? What are they made of? Can you build thoughts? • Think of an elephant. Now put a hat on it. Now, on top of the hat, put a bird. Now change the color of it. • What color are thoughts? Can you think a green thought? A red thought? What about a super-bright thought? • Can thoughts make you feel things? Can a thought make you happy? Can it make you laugh? What about scared? Can a thought make you scared? • Here’s a story… • When it’s dark out, I….

Warm-up #8: • Let’s all think. What are you thinking about? • Can you think about what you’re thinking about? • Let’s try wondering. What are you wondering about? • Can you wonder about what you’re wondering about? • Do you ever wonder about what is real? • What’s something that’s real? • What’s something that isn’t real? • Can you think of something that isn’t real, but seems real? • Can you think of something that is real but doesn’t seem real? • How can you tell if something is real? • Are dreams real? • Are thoughts real? • Are you real? • Something I wish that was real is…

Warm-up #9: • Is anyone NOT thinking? • What are you NOT thinking about? • Do you ever think about yourself? • When you think about yourself, what do you think about? • Can you think about your foot? Your hand? Your head? • Can you think about your mind? • When you think about your mind, what is doing the thinking? • Can you imagine you were something else? What? • Can you imagine your were nothing? If you were nothing, what would you be? • Do you ever wonder who you are? • How do you know who you are? • Could someone convince you that you weren’t you? How? • When I think of myself, I know…

Warm-up #10: Write down something you believe and something you know. How do you know the difference?

Warm-up #11: • Write down something you know about yourself. • Write down something you don’t know about yourself. • Write down something pretty much everyone who knows you knows about you. • Write down something hardly anyone who knows you knows about you.

Warm-up #12: Think of someone you think of as a really good friend. What makes this person a good friend?

Warm-up #1: Write down something that you think is beautiful and two reasons why you think it’s beautiful, and write down something that you think is ugly and two reasons why you think it’s ugly.

Warm-up #2: What is your favorite art form (music, literature, visual arts, dance, poetry, film, theater, etc.)? What about it do you like most?

Warm-up #3: Think of something (and write down if appropriate): • Visually beautiful • Visually ugly • Tastes delicious • Tastes disgusting • Smells fragrant • Smells stinky • Feels really good • Feels really awful • Sounds great • Sounds terrible

Warm-up #4: • Think a red thought • Think a blue thought • Think a green thought • Think a yellow thought • Think a purple thought • Think an orange thought • Think a clear transparent thought

Warm-up #1: If you had to describe yourself using only 5 words, what would they be? Write them down.

Warm-up #2: • Think of something that’s real. • Is there a way it might not be real? • Think of something that’s not real. • Is there a way it could be real?

Warm-up #3: Think of (and write down) something that happened (or is happening) • In the present • 1 minute ago • 1 hour ago • 1 day ago • 1 year ago • 5 years ago • 10 years ago • Your earliest memory • Now, return to the present and think of something: • 1 minute from now • 1 hour from now • 1 day from now • 1 year from now • 5 years from now • 10 years from now • As far in the future as you can imagine

Warm-up #4: Think of: • Something that is • Something that was • Something that will be • Something that won’t be • Something that could be • Something that can’t be • Something that should be • Something that shouldn’t be • Something you wish was

Warm-up #5: Think of: • Something that exists • Something that doesn’t exist • Something that might exist • Something that might not exist • Something that could exist be doesn’t • Something that doesn’t exist but could • Something that used to exist • Something the will exist • Something you wish existed

Social and Political Philosophy

Warm-up #1: • Think of something that’s fair. • Think of something that’s unfair. • Think of something that’s both fair and unfair. • Think of something that’s neither fair nor unfair.

Warm-up #2: If you had the power to decide on one rule that should govern society, what would it be?

Critical Thinking

Warm-up #1: • Think about something • Remember something • Wonder about something • Think about thinking • Remember about remembering • Wonder about wondering • Think about remembering • Remember about wondering • Wonder about thinking • Think about remembering about wondering • Remember about wondering about thinking • Wonder about thinking about remembering

Warm-up #2: • Wonder why • Wonder how • Wonder what • Wonder when • Wonder who • Wonder if

Philosophy can be a powerful way for groups to think about issues related to historical and contemporary injustice, exclusion, oppression, and domination. The community of philosophical inquiry can be a helpful format for considering these kinds of complex issues, particularly in the wake of local and national events that warrant reflection and discussion. There are numerous materials practitioners can use to prompt conversations about social justice topics. Before doing so, it is important for facilitators to ask themselves several questions.

Who decides to have this conversation?

The direction of the discussion is determined by the students and not the facilitator. Facilitators can choose a prompt that might stimulate discussion of social justice topics but should not impose their desire to address those topics or their own views of the topics. Students may raise questions unrelated to questions of social justice and wish to discuss those. They have authority over what conversation to have.

Who needs to have this conversation?

We often think about philosophical discussions about social justice issues as “important,” but we must ask ourselves: important for whom? Think carefully about who actually needs to have the conversation you are planning to facilitate. Is it the students from marginalized groups in the room? The students from privileged groups? For example, facilitators often think it is important to discuss race. That is correct as far as it goes, but it is critical to ask oneself who needs to talk and think about race, and with whom. This relates to the third question facilitators should ask themselves.

Who is in the room?

Rather than thinking “this is an important topic to think about with students!” ask yourself “is this an important/valuable/appropriate topic to discuss with these students?”. For example, leading a discussion about race in the United States in a classroom where most students are white and only a few are Black or Brown can be problematic for several reasons. First, students of color already must think about race as they navigate the world day to day. Thinking about race is not novel for them and they may in fact prefer philosophy to be an escape from those burdens. Second, in a classroom that is majority white, Black and Brown students can often be problematically tasked with speaking for the perspectives of marginalized groups. It is not their job to do so, nor should philosophical discussions put them in that position. Finally, it is problematic to subject students from marginalized communities to privileged students’ learning process regarding the injustice in question. For students living with a disability, for example, it is not a learning or growth opportunity to hear other students work through the realization that people with disabilities live rich and varied lives. Facilitators should think about who needs to have the conversation they propose having and how those in the room who may be impacted negatively by such conversations.

How are you, the facilitator, situated relative to the students in the room?

It is critical that facilitators consider their own positionality when planning to discuss topics about social justice issues. Are you a member of the community most impacted by the injustice to be discussed? If not, are you a member of a community that has some responsibility (past or present) for the injustice you would like to discuss? What are the social, racial, religious, and cultural ways in which you are different from your students that are relevant to how they will experience the discussion? For example, for a non-Jewish person, discussing a recent synagogue shooting is very different than it is for Jewish students who may feel fearful for their and their loved ones’ safety when they go to synagogue.

You may need to think about whether you are the best or even an appropriate person to facilitate the discussion. If you are not the classroom teacher, it can be helpful to check in with them to find out if the topic is already under discussion, how it is going, and how the students are doing. It can help to overtly raise the issue of your own positionality and express your understanding that you do not experience the topic to be discussed in the same way as your students. Always be ready to pivot to a different stimulus or topic if students are showing signs of problematic discomfort (some discomfort is normal for philosophy). Commit to listening, taking ownership and apologizing when you are wrong, and saying that you are willing to learn. Finally, engaging in pedagogy research that discusses teacher positionality and how that can impact students’ experiences is a helpful way to gain information and insight into how best to handle these discussions.

What is the power dynamic between you and your students?

By virtue of being adults and being in a facilitation role, P4C facilitators are already in a position of power relative to the students. This is true even when we work assiduously to decentralize the classroom. There may also be other relationships of power in the room, depending on what privileges the facilitator has that the students do not (e.g., race, class, gender, etc.). Differences in power can influence whether and how students share their thinking. Responding to age/power differences is often also mediated by culture. This is all important to consider before embarking on a discussion related to social justice.

How can you help the students end the session feeling healthy and safe?

Should you decide to proceed with the discussion, it is important to make a plan that leaves time for self-care practices at the end. Pick an activity that encourages movement, mindfulness, journaling, energy building, or connection to help students close out the session in a healthy way.

Philosophy has always been preoccupied with good thinking, with logic being one of its oldest branches. While formal logic is beyond the skill of most young children, they are very capable of the informal logical operations that constitute basic reasoning, including:

• Giving reasons
• Considering evidence
• Agreeing and disagreeing
• Giving examples and counter-examples
• Making comparisons and distinctions

Additionally, young people who participate in disciplined philosophical dialogue can learn to overcome shyness, aggression and attention-grabbing behaviors for the sake of cooperating in a kind of group work they find meaningful.

When engaging in a philosophical discussion, students practice such skills as:

For more about the importance of philosophy for young people, see the page “Why Philosophy?”

• Children’s literature
• Activities and games
• Stories the children bring to the classroom
• Current events
• Personal experiences

The following are some helpful resources for deepening your philosophical awareness.

For more resources on doing philosophy with young people, check out our Media and Reference Library !  

The Problems of Philosophy

by Bertrand Russell This slim, classic volume offers an overview of philosophical issues including the nature of reality and the value of philosophy. It does not touch on ethics or social or political philosophy. This work is best for adult readers.   Buy Now »

What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy

by Thomas Nagel Even slimmer than Russell’s classic, this modern overview of philosophical issues is an easy read for most adults and high school students, and probably by many upper-level middle school students. As the author puts it, “This book is a brief introduction to philosophy for people who don’t know the first thing about the subject.” Nagel’s chapters consider nine problems of philosophy, in a very engaging style.   Buy Now »

Socrates Café

by Christopher Phillips Phillips began the Socrates Café movement, which sets up adult philosophy discussion groups at bookstores and other free-access public venues. Phillips’ book is based on the idea that philosophy is something you do –through debate and discussion – rather than simply study, a very appropriate approach for young people. Questions spotlighted in this book include: “What is insanity?” “How do you know when you know yourself?” “What is a world?” “Does anyone have the right to be ignorant?” and “Why question?” Because the tone is colloquial rather than scholarly, it helps those without a philosophy background grasp the nature of philosophical discussion.   Buy Now »

The following activities and thought experiments can be used to facilitate philosophical discussions during advisory periods. They are designed to get students thinking about a range of philosophical questions and most can be completed in one advisory period. Lessons that are longer or with multiple parts can be spread over several sessions. For ease of planning, several lessons have been split into multiple sessions to accommodate the shorter advisory periods.

Objective: To engage students.

Descriptions: 

Think of something that’s pretty good. Now think of something that’s better than pretty good, that’s good. Now think of something that’s better than that, that’s really good. Think of something that’s pretty bad. Now think of something that’s worse than pretty bad, that’s bad. Now think of something that’s worse than that, that’s really bad. Now think of something that’s both good and bad. Now think of something that’s neither good nor bad.

Think a big thought (about something small) Think a small thought (about something big) Think a really hard thought (about something soft) Think softly. Can you? Think a funny thought Think a serious thought What is a thought?

Write down something that you think is beautiful and two reasons why you think it’s beautiful and write down something that you think is ugly and two reasons why you think it’s ugly. Can something that’s beautiful also be ugly? Something that’s ugly also be beautiful?

If you had to describe yourself using only 5 words, what would they be? Write them down. Have class share them.

Objective: To think about the right rules or norms to guide classroom discussions. This exercise attempts to give students the opportunity to formulate rules that they themselves would choose to be governed by.

Description: 

Begin by talking about rules and what their purpose is. One way tol motivate the discussion is by reading Chapter 12 (“The Schoolroom”) from E.B. White’s classic, Stuart Little . In this selection, Stuart, who, in spite of being the son of human parents, looks exactly like (and is the same size as) a field mouse, has taken a one-day job as a substitute teacher. He proposes to his class that he would like to be Chairman of the World and asks them what rules they think ought to be instituted. Stuart’s students suggest rules like “No stealing,” “No being mean,” and “Don’t kill anything except rats.”

In the classroom, discuss the pros and cons of such rules, much as Stuart does in his class.

Pass out index cards to the students and ask them to envision a classroom in which they were bound by only one rule. What rule would that be? Students should then write down their one rule on the notecard they’ve been given.

Session 3: Once students have formulated their rules, collect the notecards and then, after mixing them up, pass them back. Each student should now have a rule that he or she didn’t write. In groups of two, students then work to come to an agreement about which of their two rules they would choose to be bound by.

Before the advisory period, write on the board the rules decided on by the groups of two in the last session.The class then has to pick five rules that they will choose to be bound by for the remainder of the class. (Let them know, though, that they will always have the option of reconsidering the rules they choose; if good reasons can be given for changing them and the class can agree that changes are warranted, rules can be changed.)

Ultimately, students end up voting for the five rules they prefer; often there is some overlap among the five. For instance, “Respect others” and “Respect others’ ideas” can lead to a discussion about whether there’s a difference between respecting a person and respecting a person’s ideas; some students might think that it amounts to the same thing. Still, they may want to keep both rules.

Objective: To look at the world in ways we usually don’t. You can use it as a way to illustrate to students the way in which philosophy encourages us to examine the world from a variety of perspectives.

Description:

Break the class up into groups of three or four. At each group, one student is designated to write down the answer that the group as a whole comes up with.Then hold up some common everyday household item. (A favorite item to use is a rotary cheese grater, but you can also use things like an eyeglasses case, a blackboard eraser, a pencil sharpener, and even a shoe.)

The groups are then given 3 minutes to think up and write down everything they can imagine using the item for—besides its originally intended function. Encourage them to imagine themselves in different settings: for instance, what could they use the item for if they were out in the wood? If they were 3 feet tall? If they were an ant? If they lived in prehistoric times? If they were with their siblings?

Go around the room and have the students discuss a selection of their favorite answers. If appropriate, ask them to demonstrate how they would use the item in the way they have indicated. 

What is the object? Is it still a cheese grater (or whatever the object was)? What makes it so?

Objective: To think about the nature of reality and what we mean when we say something is “real.”

Session 1: 

Break the students up into groups of three. Put the following list on the board and ask each group to come up with at least one thing that fits in each category. Make sure groups don’t discuss or share their answers as they will use these responses in a game in the next session.

• Something that isn’t real but seems to be real
• Something that is real but seems not to be real
• Something you can’t tell if it’s real or not
• Something that has to be real
• Something that is both real and not real
• Something that it doesn’t matter if it’s real or not real

Session 2: 

On day 2, make sure students are in the same groups. Each group takes turns reading aloud one of their items, with the students in the other groups having to guess in which category the item belongs. Points are given for the correct guesses, and the group with the most points at the end wins the game. If a group guesses wrong and wants to challenge the other group’s category choice, they can explain why they think the item should be in another category and see if they can convince the group they are right. If they successfully do so, they are given the point.

Objective: To think about the differences between what it means to “know” something and what it means to “believe” it.

Ask the students to write down three things they know and three things they believe. Once everyone has their statements, have them talk in pairs about their claims and why they put them in the category they did. This should get them started on the difference between knowledge and belief. Then have the whole group come together and have the pairs offer examples of what they agreed were beliefs and what they agreed counted as knowledge. List them on the board under Knowledge and Belief.

Ask the group:

• Do they agree with all the statements as listed? Why or why not?
• What does it take for something we believe to count as knowledge?
• Can we know something we don’t believe? Why would we say we don’t believe it?
• Can we ever know things? Can we be wrong about the things we thought we knew?

Objective: Thinking about and practicing careful communication.

Materials : A blackboard or whiteboard to draw on, blank pieces of paper for students to draw on, crayons or colored pencils if possible.

Description : 

Pair students up, and then have them arrange their chairs back-to-back so that one of the members of the pair faces the board and the other faces away. The student who faces away from the board needs to have a surface to draw on (usually a notebook), a blank piece of paper, and something to draw with. A crayon or marker is ideal since students will eventually display what they draw to their classmates, so something bright and easy to see from across a classroom works best.

The explanation of the exercise goes something like this: “The way this exercise works is that the person facing away from the board is a painter, but you cannot see anything except what you are painting. The good news is you have a set of eyes to help you, the person who is facing the board. I am going to draw a picture on the board and you, the painter, will try to recreate it. However, you can’t look at what I’m drawing; only your “eyes” can do that. Your “eyes” will have to describe to you what I’m drawing. You need to keep in mind two rules: first, the “eyes” cannot look at your paper, and second, the painter cannot look at what I am drawing. Students should feel comfortable engaging in a discussion with each other, but do so in a kind of “stage whisper” since, with many students talking simultaneously, the room can get loud.”

Commence drawing a picture on the board. Do so slowly, one or two lines at a time, so that the pairs of students can keep up. Any picture is fine, but something simple works best, for example, a simple little scene with a house and a mountain and a tree — the sort of drawing a small child would make.

When the drawing is completed, make a box around the whole picture to indicate that it’s finished. Invite the painters to look at what has been drawn and to see how close their drawing is to the original. Ask all the painters to come to the front of the room and display their drawings. Then facilitate a question-and-answer session about what worked and what didn’t and how, perhaps, painters and “eyes” could do a better job of communicating and listening.

Typically, painters commend their “eyes” for giving precise instructions, especially for describing what to draw in terms of recognizable shapes, like triangles, squares, and easily identifiable objects like clouds and letters. The most common complaint is that their “eyes” gave confusing information about the placement — right, left, up, or down — of items in the drawing. Brainstorm together about how to build upon what worked and improve upon what didn’t for the next go-round.

Students get back into their pairs, with the former “eyes” now playing the role of painter and vice-versa. This time around, it’s interesting to draw a much less easy-to-follow drawing. (Usually, we draw a cartoon head. Unlike the first drawing, this one doesn’t have easily identifiable objects like trees and houses. Typically, therefore, students have a far more difficult time recreating the drawing.)

At the conclusion of this drawing, again invite the painters to compare their works to the one on the board. Ask them to come to the front of the room and again display what they’ve done. (Without fail, the drawings are more interesting this time around, even though they tend not to look very much like what was drawn on the board.)

At this point, lead a discussion about why this time around was so much trickier and what could have been done to make it easier for the painters to match the drawing on the board. (Sometimes, a discussion about the nature of art emerges here. Students often want to talk about whether the pieces in the second round — which admittedly look little like what was drawn on the board — aren’t, in fact, more interesting works of art than those in the first round.) Often students want to talk about whether a painter has “failed” if his or her artwork doesn’t match the original picture. Occasionally, some students get very exercised about their drawing (or their partner’s) not looking like what the teacher has drawn. From time to time, this can lead to a rich discussion of whether it was fair that the second time was so much harder. A teacher might put this up for grabs as a topic to inquire about: is it fair that some people face harder challenges than others? If so, why? If not, why not? What if facing those challenges leads to superior outcomes (like more artistic drawings?) Would you rather be an expert at something simple or a novice at something complex?

Objective: Learn to support claims with reasons.

Hand out two or three index cards to each student. Then ask them to write their names on each of the cards and then to write on each card one claim they believe in. Ask that at least one of these claims be a normative claim. Talk with the students beforehand about what normative claims are; the idea is to write down something they believe people ought or ought not to do, or something that is right or wrong. Once they’ve written down the claims, ask them to write down, on the other side of the paper, three reasons they have for believing the claims to be true.They have about 10 minutes to do this and can appeal to whatever outside sources of information they want during this time. Tell them to make sure they give three different reasons for their belief. Encourage students to not share their claims or reasons with others as they will be used to play a game in the next session. Collect the cards.

Before class, divide the cards in half and then divide students into two teams based on the two piles of cards. You keep the cards, making sure to keep the cards from the two teams separate from each other. Then tell them the rules of the rest of the game. The goal is for students to be able to guess what the claim is from the reason(s) cited for believing it.

Starting with Team One, read the team one of the three reasons from the one of the cards from Team Two. They have a minute or two to decide together on a guess for what the claim might be. If the students can guess the claim from the first reason, Team One gets 3 points. If they guess it after hearing the second reason, they earn 2 points, and if they need all three reasons to guess the claim, they earn 1 point. If the students can’t guess correctly, the team earns no points. If the guess is close but not exactly right, sometimes they can earn a half point.

The game is fun and lively. Students enjoy trying to guess claims from the reasons offered for them. And they generally do a pretty good job of it. Sometimes disagreements arise about whether a reason offered for a claim is a good one. This is great — encourage discussion about it.

Objective: To think about the relationship between appearance and reality, and the value of authenticity.

Description:  In his book Anarchy, State and Utopia , American philosopher Robert Nozick developed the thought experiment, The Experience Machine : Suppose there was an experience machine that could give you any experience you desired. Your brain would be stimulated when hooked up to the machine so that you would think and feel that you were doing anything you wanted to do: playing on a major league sports team, being a famous actress, skiing on a fabulous mountain, being the lead in a famous rock band, writing a great novel, etc. When you’re hooked up to the machine, you won’t know you are – you’ll think that it’s all actually happening. Your experience will feel just as real and vivid as your experiences feel to you now. 

Would you map out how you would like your life to go and then hook up to the machine for the rest of your life?

Objective: To think about the ethics of taking something that doesn’t belong to you. 

Description: This is a thought experiment from The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten (2005, p.40) by Julian Baggini.

When Richard went to the ATM, he got a very pleasant surprise. He requested $100 with a receipt. What he got was $10,000 with a receipt – for $100.

When he got home, he checked his account online and found that, sure enough, his account had been debited by only $100. He put the money in a safe place, fully expecting the bank swiftly to spot the mistake and ask for it back. But the weeks passed and nobody called.

After two months, Richard concluded that no one was going to ask for the money. So he headed off to the BMW dealership with the hefty down-payment in his pocket.

On the way, however, he did feel a twinge of guilt. Wasn’t this stealing? He quickly managed to convince himself it was no such thing. He had not deliberately taken the money, it had just been given to him. And he hadn’t taken it from anyone else, so no one had been robbed. As for the bank, this was a drop in the ocean for them, and anyway, they would be insured against such eventualities. And it was their fault they had lost the money – they should have had safer systems. No, this wasn’t theft. It was just the biggest stroke of luck he had ever had.

• What should Robert do? Return the money or buy a new car?
• If Robert keeps the money, does it matter how he spends it?
• Is Robert stealing? What does it mean to steal?
• Does it matter that the money is from a bank? What if it was from an individual?

Objective: To think about the differences between what we need and what we want.

Session 1: Describing Wants and Needs  

Give the students a worksheet with the following questions:

• What are some things you want?
• What are some things you need?
• What is the difference between what you want and what you need?
• Do all people have the same wants?
• Do all people have the same needs?
• What should we do if what one person wants conflicts with what another person needs?

Give the students sufficient time to think about their responses and write them on their worksheets.

Session 2: Distinguishing Wants and Needs 

Make two lists on the board: wants and needs. Ask the students to suggest items for these categories from their worksheets. This generally spurs a discussion about the difference between wants and needs and whether something that is a want for one person could count as a need for another. What is the difference between wanting something and needing something?

Objective: To think about what makes music beautiful or not

Ask students each to choose one or two songs they think are beautiful, and one or two songs they think are ugly, and to think about why. Then ask them to share their songs and their reasons for choosing them in small groups of 4. Invite students to ask thoughtful questions to other group members about their song choices.

Facilitate a large group song share. Invite student volunteers to first say a little about one of their songs and why they think it’s beautiful or ugly, and then play a minute or so of it, and perhaps sometimes the entire song. 

This leads to a discussion of what makes something beautiful and/or ugly, what it means for something to be beautiful or ugly, why music is so meaningful to us, and other issues of aesthetics, but it also allows students to see one another in new ways and to share something of themselves that often ends up being very personal.

Objective: To think about what makes someone a good person.

Think of someone you know who you think of as a good person. What makes this person a good person? List at least three qualities of the person. In small groups, share your lists and generate a list of 3 qualities that the group more or less agrees upon. They don’t have to reach consensus as there will be an opportunity to discuss with the full class.

In a large group share, list each group’s qualities on the board and facilitate a discussion on whether any, some, or all of these qualities make someone a good person. Check with the class if they can think of any qualities that are missing from the list and why they might be important. This can lead to a rich discussion on what it even means to be a good person.

Objective: To think about hopes and dreams.

What is your hope? Show this short video and ask students to answer the prompt, “What is your hope?”

Objective: To think about personal identity.

• Write down something you know about yourself.
• Write down something you don’t know about yourself.
• Write down something pretty much everyone who knows you knows about you.
• Write down something hardly anyone who knows you knows about you.
• Write down something that you think is important that people know about you.

Encourage students to share their answers (to the extent they are comfortable) in small groups asking them to notice any patterns in people’s responses.

Facilitate a whole group discussion about the questions discussed in small groups in the previous session.

Objective: To reflect on gratitude and what it means to be grateful.

This is an exercise that works well in the weeks just before the winter holiday break.

You’re given a sweater for your birthday that you don’t like. 

• Should you be grateful?
• Do you always have to be grateful for a gift even if you don’t like it?
• Are there limits to gratitude?
• Does  it count as being grateful to express gratitude you don’t genuinely feel?

Objective: To reflect on aspects are salient to your personal identity

Go through the thought experiment Staying Alive with your students. At each stage, ask them what choice they would make to stay alive, which is the aim of the game. After students share their choices (a quick poll can be helpful here), ask them their reasons. Each round of the thought experiment can be done in one session, making this a three-session lesson.

Objective: To encourage students to consider what makes something art, and to examine the issue of intentionality in art.

Have each student draw two pictures. One drawing must be a drawing they would call art, and the other one they would not call art.

Once the students have finished drawing, ask them to share their pieces and explain what makes one art and the other not. Ask the students listening to the sharing student: Do you think this (intended not to be art) piece could be art? Why or why not?

Step One:  Choose a prompt that will be read aloud to the group. Write several questions related to the prompt on the board before breaking the group up into small groups of three. Give each group a poster board and each participant a marker or pen (different colored markers is ideal). 

Start by explaining that this is a silent discussion and there will be time to speak in both the small groups and the large group later. Let the participants know that once you have finished reading the prompt, the rest of the activity will take place in silence, with each participant using a pen to communicate their thoughts and ideas to one another on the poster board. The questions on the board are starting prompts, and they should feel free to respond to some or all of these and/or to add their own questions. 

After the prompt is read aloud, the group responds to the questions and/or comes up with new questions, using the poster boards. The silent, written conversation can stray to wherever the participants take it. If someone in the group writes a question, another member of the group can address the question by writing on the poster board. Participants can draw lines connecting a comment to a particular question. More than one person can write on the poster board at the same time. Participants can write words or draw pictures, if drawing is an easier way to express a particular thought. This part of the activity takes about 15-20 minutes.

Step Two:  Still working in silence, participants leave their groups and walk around reading the other poster boards. They can write comments or further questions on other poster boards. This part of the activity takes about 10 minutes.

Step Three:  Silence is broken. The groups rejoin at their own poster boards. For about 10 minutes, each group has a verbal conversation about the comments written by others on their board, their own comments, what they read on other poster boards, and the activity itself. 

Step Four: Debrief with the large group and discuss some of the philosophical issues raised. 

• What did you think of this activity?
• How comfortable were you staying silent?
• Did silence add to or detract from having a rich exchange?
• What philosophical questions that arose seem particularly interesting? 

Created by Emma Macdonald-Scott with contributions from Jana Mohr Lone

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Dewey’s educational philosophy

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John Dewey is credited as founding a philosophical approach to life called ‘pragmatism’, and his approaches to education and learning have been influential internationally and endured over time. He saw the purpose of education to be the cultivation of thoughtful, critically reflective, socially engaged individuals rather than passive recipients of established knowledge. He rejected the rote-learning approach driven by predetermined curriculum which was the standard teaching method at the time. However, importantly, he also rejected child-centred approaches that followed children’s uninformed interests and impulses uncritically. While he used the term ‘progressive education’, this has since been misappropriated to describe, in some cases, a hands-off approach to children’s learning which was not what Dewey proposed. Dewey believed that traditional subject matter was important, but should be integrated with the strengths and interests of the learner.  

He developed a concept of inquiry, prompted by a sense of need and followed by intellectual work such as defining problems, testing hypotheses, and finding satisfactory solutions, as the central activity of such an educational approach. This organic cycle of doubt, inquiry, reflection and the reestablishment of sense or understanding  contrasted with the ‘reflex arc’ model of learning popular in his time. The reflex arc model thought of learning as a mechanical process, measurable by standardised tests, without reference to the role of emotion or experience in learning.   Dewey was critical of the reductionism of educational approaches which assume that all the big questions and ideas are already answered, and need only to be transmitted to students. He believed that all concepts and meanings could be open to reinvention and improvement, and all disciplines could be expanded with new knowledge, concepts and understandings. 

The m ain features of Dewey’s theory of education  

Dewey suggested that individuals learn and grow as a result of experiences and interactions with the world. These interactions and experiences lead individuals to continually develop new concepts, ideas, practices and understandings, which, in turn, are refined through and continue to mediate the learner’s life experiences and social interactions. According to Dewey:  

Interaction s  and  communication s   focused on enhancing and deepening shared meanings  increase potential for learning and development . When students communicate ideas and meanings within a group, they have the opportunity to consider, take on and work with the perspectives, ideas and experiences of other students.  

Shared activities are  an important  context for learning and development . Dewey valued real-life contexts and problems as educative experiences. If students only passively perceive a problem and do not experience the consequences in a meaningful, emotional and reflective way, then they are unlikely to adapt and revise their habits or construct new habits, or will do so only superficially.  

Students learn best when their interests are engaged.  It is important to develop ideas, activities and events that stimulate students’ interest and to which teaching can be geared. Teaching and lecturing can be highly appropriate as long as they are geared towards helping students to analyse or develop an intellectual insight into a specific and meaningful situation.  

Learning always begins with a student’s emotional response ,  which spurs further inquiry.   Dewey advocated for what he called ‘aesthetic’ experiences: dramatic, compelling, unifying or transforming experiences in which students feel enlivened and absorbed.  

Students should be engaged in active learning and inquiry.  Rather than teach students to accept any seemingly valid explanations, education ought to give students opportunities to discover information and ideas by their own effort in a teacher-structured environment, and to put knowledge to functional use by defining and solving problems, and determining the validity and worth of ideas and theories. As noted above, this does not preclude explicit instruction where appropriate. 

Inquiry involves students in reflecting intelligently on their experiences  in order to adapt their habits of action . Experience should involve what Dewey called ‘transaction’: an active phase, in which the student does something, as well as a phase of ‘undergoing’, where the student receives or observes the effect that their action has had. This might be as simple as noticing patterns when adding numbers, or experimenting to determine the correct proportions for papier mâché. 

E ducation  i s a key way of developing skills  for democratic activity . Dewey was positive about the value of recognising and appreciating differences as a vehicle through which students can expand their experiences, and open up to new ways of thinking rather than closing off to their own beliefs and habits.  

What e mpirical evidence  is there for this philosophy in practice?  

While there is no direct evidence that Dewey’s approach improves student outcomes, Dewey’s theory of students’ learning aligns with current theories of education which emphasise how individuals develop cognitive functioning by participating in sociocultural practices 1 , and with empirical studies examining the positive impact of interactions with peers and adults 2  on students’ learning. Quantative research also underlines a link between heightened engagement and children’s learning outcomes, with strategies such as making meaningful connections to students’ home lives and encouraging student ownership of their learning found to increase student engagement 3 . A few empirical studies which examined the effectiveness of aesthetic experiences for students confirmed that students experienced those lessons as more meaningful, compelling and connected than a comparison group. 4

Dewey’s influence on teaching practice  

Dewey’s theory has had an impact on a variety of educational practices including individualised instruction, problem-based and integrated learning, dialogic teaching, and critical inquiry. Dewey’s ideas also resonate with ideas of teaching as inquiry.  

I ndividualised instruction  

Dewey’s ideas about education are evident in approaches where teaching and learning are designed to be responsive to the specific needs, interests, and cultural knowledge of students. Teachers therefore learn about students and their motivating interests and desires in order to find subject matter, events and experiences that appeal to students and that will provoke a need to develop the knowledge, skills and values of the planned curriculum. Students are encouraged to relate learning to their lives and experiences.  

Problem-based learning  and integrated learning approaches  

Dewey’s principles of learning are evident also in problem-based learning and project approaches to learning. These approaches begin with a practical task or problem which is complex, comprehensive, multi-layered, collaborative, and involves inquiry designed to extend students’ knowledge, skills and understandings. Problem-based learning should: 

• start by supporting students to intellectualise exactly what the problem is  
• encourage controlled inquiry by helping students to develop logical hypotheses (rather than depending on their habits of thinking to jump to conclusions), for example, by connecting or disconnecting ideas they already have encountered  
• encourage students to revise their theories and reconstruct their concepts as their inquiry unfolds.  

Student engagement   

Dewey’s theory has also been extended to the problem of enhancing student engagement. Some strategies that have been found to increase student engagement and that align with Dewey’s concept of aesthetic experiences include:  

• engaging students in deeper perception – going beyond the simple recognition of objects to look carefully at colours, lines and textures, question perceptions, and use new understandings to perceive things in new ways  
• building intellectual, sensory, emotional or social connections to a topic, such as connecting to the topic of space travel through intellectual connections to the concepts of speed, power and force, sensory connections to the sounds, fire and vibrations, and emotional or social connections to the feelings of astronauts involved 
• encouraging risk-taking, such as suggesting a calculation, or experimenting to make papier mâché    
• encouraging sensory exploration 
• using a theme or metaphor to illuminate powerful ideas and to produce a sense of wonder, imagination and anticipation, such as  ‘rocks have a story to tell’ 
• provoking anticipation with evocative materials or suggestive situations, enabling students to unravel a mystery rather than follow a recipe.  

Engagement can be heightened when students have ownership of their learning, for example, by being engaged in curriculum planning and cooperatively build curriculum themes, or by selecting a topic to research rather than being assigned a topic. Students can take responsibility for judging the value, significance and meaning of their experiences as well as next steps.  

Dialogic teaching  

Dialogic teaching emphasises the importance of open student dialogue and meaning-making for learning, and builds on Dewey’s ideas about the importance of communication and social interaction. In this approach, students are encouraged to form habits of careful listening and thoughtful speaking: for example, they might be discouraged from raising their hand to speak in a lesson, as that action triggers anticipatory thought rather than full attention to the current speaker. Attention is paid to issues of power, privilege and access that may hinder open dialogue.  

Critical  inquiry    

Dewey’s approach to education is evident in curricula focused on critial thinking skills in which students engage in intellectual reflection and inquiry, critique, test and judge knowledge claims, make connections, apply their understandings in a range of different situations, and go into depth, rather than be given quick answers or rushed through a series of content. Dewey’s philosophy of education highlights the importance of imagination to drive thinking and learning forward, and for teachers to provide opportunities for students to suspend judgement, engage in the playful consideration of possibilities, and explore doubtful possibilities.  

Teaching as inquiry  

Dewey’s perspective on teaching and learning encourages a teaching as inquiry mindset. His principles for teaching and learning suggest that teachers should cultivate an energetic openness to possibilities alongside a commitment to reflectively learning from experiences, be willing to experience ambiguity and use problems as an opportunity to get deeper into an understanding of self, students, the subject and the context. 

References  

Dewey, J. (1980). Democracy and education. In J. A. Boydston (Ed.),  John Dewey: The middle works 1899-1924: Vol 15, 1923-1924  (pp. 180-189). Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

Dewey, J. (1988). Experience and education. In J. A. Boydston (Ed.),  John Dewey: The later works 1925-1953: Vol 13, 1938-1939  (pp. 1-62). Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

Girod, M., & Wong, D. (2002). An aesthetic (Deweyan) perspective on science learning: Case studies of three fourth graders. Elementary School Journal, 102 ( 3 ) , 199-224.

Hickman, L., Neubert, S., & Reich, K. (2009). John Dewey between pragmatism and constructivism. Fordham University Press.

Moroye, C. M., & Uhrmacher, P. B. (2009). Aesthetic themes of education. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 11 ( 1&2 ) , 85-101.

1 Tomasello 1999, 2008, cited in Garrison, J. W., Neubert, S., Reich, K. (2012).  John Dewey’s philosophy of education: An introduction and recontextualization for our times.  New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

2 Göncü, A., & Rogoff, B. (1998)Children’s categorization with varying adult support. American Educational Research Journal, 35 (2), 333-349; Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. Oxford University Press.

3 Turner, J. C. (2014). Theory-based interventions with middle-school teachers to support student motivation and engagement.  Motivational interventions.  341-378.

4 Girod, M., Rau, C., Schepige, A. (2003). Appreciating the beauty of science ideas: Teaching for aesthetic understanding.  Science Education, 87 ( 4), 574-87.

By Dr Vicki Hargraves

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Vicki runs our early childhood webinar series and also is responsible for the creation of many of our early childhood research reviews. Vicki is a teacher, mother, writer, and researcher living in Marlborough. She recently completed her PhD using philosophy to explore creative approaches to understanding early childhood education. She is inspired by the wealth of educational research that is available and is passionate about making this available and useful for teachers.

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40 Philosophy of Education Examples, Plus How To Write Your Own

Learn how to define and share your teaching philosophy.

These days, it’s become common for educators to be asked what their personal teaching philosophy is. Whether it’s for a job interview, a college class, or to share with your principal, crafting a philosophy of education can seem like a daunting task. So set aside some time to consider your own teaching philosophy (we’ll walk you through it), and be sure to look at philosophy of education examples from others (we’ve got those too!).

What is a philosophy of education?

Before we dive into the examples, it’s important to understand the purpose of a philosophy of education. This statement will provide an explanation of your teaching values and beliefs. Your teaching philosophy is ultimately a combination of the methods you studied in college and any professional experiences you’ve learned from since. It incorporates your own experiences (negative or positive) in education.

Many teachers have two versions of their teaching philosophy: a long form (a page or so of text) and a short form. The longer form is useful for job application cover letters or to include as part of your teacher portfolio. The short form distills the longer philosophy into a couple of succinct sentences that you can use to answer teacher job interview questions or even share with parents.

What’s the best teaching philosophy?

Here’s one key thing to remember: There’s no one right answer to “What’s your teaching philosophy?” Every teacher’s will be a little bit different, depending on their own teaching style, experiences, and expectations. And many teachers find that their philosophies change over time, as they learn and grow in their careers.

When someone asks for your philosophy of education, what they really want to know is that you’ve given thought to how you prepare lessons and interact with students in and out of the classroom. They’re interested in finding out what you expect from your students and from yourself, and how you’ll apply those expectations. And they want to hear examples of how you put your teaching philosophy into action.

What’s included in strong teaching philosophy examples?

Depending on who you ask, a philosophy of education statement can include a variety of values, beliefs, and information. As you build your own teaching philosophy statement, consider these aspects, and write down your answers to the questions.

Purpose of Education (Core Beliefs)

What do you believe is the purpose of teaching and learning? Why does education matter to today’s children? How will time spent in your classroom help prepare them for the future?

Use your answers to draft the opening statement of your philosophy of education, like these:

• Education isn’t just about what students learn, but about learning how to learn.
• A good education prepares students to be productive and empathetic members of society.
• Teachers help students embrace new information and new ways of seeing the world around them.
• A strong education with a focus on fundamentals ensures students can take on any challenges that come their way.
• I believe education is key to empowering today’s youth, so they’ll feel confident in their future careers, relationships, and duties as members of their community.
• Well-educated students are open-minded, welcoming the opinions of others and knowing how to evaluate information critically and carefully.

Teaching Style and Practices

Do you believe in student-led learning, or do you like to use the Socratic method instead? Is your classroom a place for quiet concentration or sociable collaboration? Do you focus on play-based learning, hands-on practice, debate and discussion, problem-solving, or project-based learning? All teachers use a mix of teaching practices and styles, of course, but there are some you’re likely more comfortable with than others. Possible examples:

• I frequently use project-based learning in my classrooms because I believe it helps make learning more relevant to my students. When students work together to address real-world problems, they use their [subject] knowledge and skills and develop communication and critical thinking abilities too.
• Play-based learning is a big part of my teaching philosophy. Kids who learn through play have more authentic experiences, exploring and discovering the world naturally in ways that make the process more engaging and likely to make a lasting impact.
• In my classroom, technology is key. I believe in teaching students how to use today’s technology in responsible ways, embracing new possibilities and using technology as a tool, not a crutch.
• While I believe in trying new teaching methods, I also find that traditional learning activities can still be effective. My teaching is mainly a mix of lecture, Socratic seminar, and small-group discussions.
• I’m a big believer in formative assessment , taking every opportunity to measure my students’ understanding and progress. I use tools like exit tickets and Kahoot! quizzes, and watch my students closely to see if they’re engaged and on track.
• Group work and discussions play a major role in my instructional style. Students who learn to work cooperatively at a young age are better equipped to succeed in school, in their future careers, and in their communities.

Students and Learning Styles

Why is it important to recognize all learning styles? How do you accommodate different learning styles in your classroom? What are your beliefs on diversity, equity, and inclusion? How do you ensure every student in your classroom receives the same opportunities to learn? How do you expect students to behave, and how do you measure success? ADVERTISEMENT

Sample teaching philosophy statements about students might sound like this:

• Every student has their own unique talents, skills, challenges, and background. By getting to know my students as individuals, I can help them find the learning styles that work best for them, now and throughout their education.
• I find that motivated students learn best. They’re more engaged in the classroom and more diligent when working alone. I work to motivate students by making learning relevant, meaningful, and enjoyable.
• We must give every student equal opportunities to learn and grow. Not all students have the same support outside the classroom. So as a teacher, I try to help bridge gaps when I see them and give struggling students a chance to succeed academically.
• I believe every student has their own story and deserves a chance to create and share it. I encourage my students to approach learning as individuals, and I know I’m succeeding when they show a real interest in showing up and learning more every day.
• In my classroom, students take responsibility for their own success. I help them craft their own learning goals, then encourage them to evaluate their progress honestly and ask for help when they need it.
• To me, the best classrooms are those that are the most diverse. Students learn to recognize and respect each other’s differences, celebrating what each brings to the community. They also have the opportunity to find common ground, sometimes in ways that surprise them.

How do I write my philosophy of education?

Think back to any essay you’ve ever written and follow a similar format. Write in the present tense; your philosophy isn’t aspirational, it’s something you already live and follow. This is true even if you’re applying for your first teaching job. Your philosophy is informed by your student teaching, internships, and other teaching experiences.

Lead with your core beliefs about teaching and learning. These beliefs should be reflected throughout the rest of your teaching philosophy statement.

Then, explain your teaching style and practices, being sure to include concrete examples of how you put those practices into action. Transition into your beliefs about students and learning styles, with more examples. Explain why you believe in these teaching and learning styles, and how you’ve seen them work in your experiences.

A long-form philosophy of education statement usually takes a few paragraphs (not generally more than a page or two). From that long-form philosophy, highlight a few key statements and phrases and use them to sum up your teaching philosophy in a couple of well-crafted sentences for your short-form teaching philosophy.

Still feeling overwhelmed? Try answering these three key questions:

• Why do you teach?
• What are your favorite, tried-and-true methods for teaching and learning?
• How do you help students of all abilities and backgrounds learn?

If you can answer those three questions, you can write your teaching philosophy!

Short Philosophy of Education Examples

We asked real educators in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook to share their teaching philosophy examples in a few sentences . Here’s what they had to say:

I am always trying to turn my students into self-sufficient learners who use their resources to figure it out instead of resorting to just asking someone for the answers. —Amy J.

My philosophy is that all students can learn. Good educators meet all students’ differentiated learning needs to help all students meet their maximum learning potential. —Lisa B.

I believe that all students are unique and need a teacher that caters to their individual needs in a safe and stimulating environment. I want to create a classroom where students can flourish and explore to reach their full potential. My goal is also to create a warm, loving environment, so students feel safe to take risks and express themselves. —Valerie T.

In my classroom, I like to focus on the student-teacher relationships/one-on-one interactions. Flexibility is a must, and I’ve learned that you do the best you can with the students you have for however long you have them in your class. —Elizabeth Y

I want to prepare my students to be able to get along without me and take ownership of their learning. I have implemented a growth mindset. —Kirk H.

My teaching philosophy is centered around seeing the whole student and allowing the student to use their whole self to direct their own learning. As a secondary teacher, I also believe strongly in exposing all students to the same core content of my subject so that they have equal opportunities for careers and other experiences dependent upon that content in the future. —Jacky B.

All children learn best when learning is hands-on. This works for the high students and the low students too, even the ones in between. I teach by creating experiences, not giving information. —Jessica R.

As teachers, it’s our job to foster creativity. In order to do that, it’s important for me to embrace the mistakes of my students, create a learning environment that allows them to feel comfortable enough to take chances, and try new methods. —Chelsie L.

I believe that every child can learn and deserves the best, well-trained teacher possible who has high expectations for them. I differentiate all my lessons and include all learning modalities. —Amy S.

All students can learn and want to learn. It is my job to meet them where they are and move them forward. —Holli A.

I believe learning comes from making sense of chaos. My job is to design work that will allow students to process, explore, and discuss concepts to own the learning. I need to be part of the process to guide and challenge perceptions. —Shelly G.

I want my students to know that they are valued members of our classroom community, and I want to teach each of them what they need to continue to grow in my classroom. —Doreen G.

Teach to every child’s passion and encourage a joy for and love of education and school. —Iris B.

I believe in creating a classroom culture of learning through mistakes and overcoming obstacles through teamwork. —Jenn B.

It’s our job to introduce our kids to many, many different things and help them find what they excel in and what they don’t. Then nurture their excellence and help them figure out how to compensate for their problem areas. That way, they will become happy, successful adults. —Haley T.

Longer Philosophy of Education Examples

Looking for longer teaching philosophy examples? Check out these selections from experienced teachers of all ages and grades.

• Learning To Wear the Big Shoes: One Step at a Time
• Nellie Edge: My Kindergarten Teaching Philosophy
• Faculty Focus: My Philosophy of Teaching
• Robinson Elementary School: My Teaching Philosophy
• David Orace Kelly: Philosophy of Education
• Explorations in Higher Education: My Teaching Philosophy Statement
• University of Washington Medical School Faculty Teaching Philosophy Statements

Do you have any philosophy of education examples? Share them in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE Group on Facebook!

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The Philosophy Teaching Library: A Q&A, Wes Siscoe & Paul Blaschko

The Philosophy Teaching Library is a new teaching resource created by Wes Siscoe and Paul Blaschko. The Library is a collection of introductory primary texts, excerpted texts that include commentary, illustrative examples, and detailed argument breakdowns that help boost student comprehension and situate the work in its historical and philosophical context. Here, we ask Wes and Paul about what inspired their work on the Library, as well as how they see this resource growing in the future.

Q: Why The Philosophy Teaching Library? What was the motivation for creating it?

Wes and Paul: It began with observing a common experience. When picking readings for classes, many philosophy professors (us included) struggle to find readings that are pitched at the right level. On the one hand, it would be nice for students to read some of the seminal texts in philosophy; in an introduction to ethics course, for instance, it would be ideal to read a bit of Aristotle, a bit of Kant, and a bit of John Stuart Mill. But once you start digging into what exactly to read, things get a bit tricky. If you just assign full passages of the Nicomachean Ethics or the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals , it is going to be very difficult for students to get a lot out of that on their own, especially if this is their first philosophy class. So even though it might be best in a certain sense for students to read the primary text, very few will even make it through the assigned reading, and those who do might not have retained or understood very much.

The Philosophy Teaching Library allows students to read portions of the primary text itself with plenty of guidance along the way, making it a resource that professors can assign to first-year students with the confidence that those who read will be well-prepared for a class discussion the next day.

Q: Tell us more about the readings that make up the Library. You call them “introductory primary texts.” What exactly does that mean?

Wes and Paul: We landed on the “introductory primary text” name in a roundabout way. At first, we were thinking of just calling them primary texts with commentaries, but that is a little bit misleading. The primary texts that students will read in the Library not only have commentary, but are also excerpted, including the most crucial passages and quotations. So the primary texts are more introductory in that sense. We provide links to the full text of the various works, but the readings themselves only contain parts of it. To see how this interplay between excerpted primary text and commentary works, you can check out some of the following pieces:

• The Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, and Book II
• W.K. Clifford’s The Ethics of Belief
• Aquinas on Faith and Reason and the Five Ways
• Descartes’ Meditation I and Meditation II
• Plato’s Apology and the Allegory of the Cave

Q: How confident are you that the Library will serve as a valuable resource for philosophy instructors? There is a lot of start-up work to create a website like this without knowing how it will be received.

Wes and Paul: The inspiration for the Library comes not just from what we mentioned before—how challenging it is to select readings for first-year students—but also from work that was being done by Paul and the team working on God and the Good Life course at the University of Notre Dame. It was this class, and its course website, that served as an incubator for the introductory primary text format. 

God and the Good Life originally started experimenting with the combination of commentary and excerpts of primary text. And even though the readings on the God and the Good Life course site were targeted at Notre Dame students, instructors at a number of other institutions started using them as well. This collection of pieces currently receives over 5,000 visitors per month during the academic year and provided the proof of concept that something like the Library could be widely used by philosophy teachers. 

At the same time, despite the fact that other instructors are already using the God and the Good Life website in their own syllabi, the fact that all these readings are embedded within different places on the course site has made it difficult for a broader audience to find and access these articles. Because of their popularity with instructors, we want to have a single digital platform, with the ultimate aim of building up an extensive library of readings that are easily searchable by philosophical tradition, time period, and topic so that they can be found by instructors, students, and the general public.

Q: I see you have around fifteen readings currently in the Library. What is your plan for adding more in the future?

Wes and Paul: Moving forward, we will have an open submission system much like an academic journal. Authors will submit pieces that will then be evaluated through peer review, with reviewers recommending that pieces be rejected, accepted, or revised. 

Because the Library is a unique resource, though, there are a couple more steps as well. Those who are interested in contributing should first email us at philosophylibrary@nd.edu to see if the primary text they would like to write on is available. We might have a piece in the works behind the scenes, so we wouldn’t want an author to spend a lot of time on something we ultimately already have. And after confirming that a primary text is available and submitting a piece, authors will also go through an editorial review step to make sure their piece fits our unique format.

For those who would like to write for the Library, you can read more about the submission process on our website here and review our formatting guide .

Q: Is there a point where you plan on charging individuals and institutions for using the Library to support the website and the editorial work that goes into creating it?

Wes and Paul: The Philosophy Teaching Library is an open educational resource, and all of our agreements with our authors make this clear, so no, we do not plan on charging for access. That of course leaves open the question of how the financial side of things will work out, and we are currently seeking funding through a number of different avenues that will help us continue to build the library in perpetuity. At this stage, we received a grant from the American Philosophical Association to support our web design and the creation of a logo, and we look forward to identifying future sources of funding. 

Q: I see a couple of pieces that I might want to use in my classes right away, but I also want to hear about future readings that are posted on your website. How do I stay connected?

Wes and Paul: There are a few options for following the Library. If you want to get new releases straight to your inbox, you can sign up for our twice-yearly newsletter on our Subscribe page . You can also follow us at a variety of places on social media, including Facebook , Instagram , X , LinkedIn , and Bluesky .

Wes Siscoe is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University. He is also Editor-in-Chief and a Founder of the Philosophy Teaching Library . His research has appeared in Mind, Noûs, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Philosophical Studies, Philosophers’ Imprint, and the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, amongst other venues, and his work has been supported by a number of fellowships, grants, and awards, totaling over $100,000 in external funding. His work on public philosophy has been featured at the Prindle Post, and he is also a pedagogy contributor at the Blog of the APA, the Daily Nous, PEA Soup, the Philosopher’s Cocoon. His research revolves around several themes – rationality, language, and virtue – and their importance for accounts of human excellence and achievement.

• Paul Blaschko

Paul Blaschko is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where he teaches courses he’s designed on big questions and the philosophy of work . He recently co-authored a book published by Penguin Press about how philosophy can help us live better lives, and his new book on work and the good life will be published by Princeton University Press in 2025. Blaschko directs a program in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters devoted to exploring how the humanities can help us find meaning in work, and regularly consults with professors across the country about how to create better, more innovative philosophy courses. Embarrassingly, perhaps, he also does quite a bit of philosophy of TikTok .

• Editor: Smrutipriya Pattnaik
• educationalresource
• PhilosophyTeachingLibrary

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