Pilot workshop
The Young Philosophers pilot workshop was conducted in May of 2022 in a fourth grade classroom at Santiago Hills Elementary School in Irvine. The first set of lesson plans with her 32 students in five one-hour-long sessions, which were then improved using the feedback from pre- and post-workshop questionnaires completed by both the students and teacher. The workshop drastically enhanced these students' confidence and abilities to explore challenging questions, express their views with reasoned logic, and welcome diverse perspectives and ideas from their peers.
the results
The students who participated in this program were able to discover the tools for exploring big challenging open-ended questions with respect, open-mindedness, and logical reasoning. Through activities and discussion surrounding art, film, and music, these students' learned the value of actively listening to one another and genuinely considering differing opinions. These students' curiosity and confidence flourished over the course of the workshops, and they emerged as more open-minded, compassionate, thoughtful individuals.
What students had to say:
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I feel comfortable with sharing my ideas with my respectful classmates, so they know what and how I'm thinking.
Ten-year-old participant
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I kept an open mind and changed my opinions. I learned so much from this lesson.
Ten-year-old participant
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If someone disagreed with me, then I could think about my claim. I could ask myself, "Why did I choose this side?"
Eleven-year-old participant