SueYoungson EPBST & Tracey Millar Marshlands Primary School Philosophy for Children Developing Language for Learning through P4C 4th February 2009 Sue.

SueYoungson EPBST & Tracey Millar Marshlands Primary School

Philosophy for Children

Developing Language for Learning through P4C

4th February 2009

Sue Youngson & Tracey Millar


Overview of the workshop

• Quick overview of what P4C is.

• Context of Marshlands School

• Why P4C

• How we implemented P4C

• What benefits are to Marshlands

What it is not

• A workshop on how to implement P4C in your school


The Origins of Philosophy for Children

•Developed by Professor Matthew Lipman & Ann Sharp

Why?


TheoryTheory•Socrates – “I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance”

•Vygotsky – “What the child can do in co-operation today, he can do alone tomorrow”

•Dewey – “An education that emphasises community, communication and intelligent enquiry, and a reconstructive attitude can best serve the citizens of an ever-changing world”


Aims of Philosophy for Children:

•Developing cognitive ability and emotional intelligence

•Helping children become more reasonable thinkers and problem solvers

•Promoting such dispositions and qualities as curiosity, creativity and wisdom


The Development of Thinking Skills

Higher order thinking skills

Middle order thinking skills

Lower order thinking skills


The structure of an EnquiryThe structure of an Enquiry

Preparation Presentation Thinking time Conversation Formulation Airing Selection First words Building Last words


The teacher’s/facilitators role is to:The teacher’s/facilitators role is to:

- Choose a suitable stimulus- Establish group conventions- Extend pupil’s thinking

Steer the discussion by asking ‘Socratic' questions – see sheet/next slide

or

Purely as a facilitator


Success Criteria and EvaluationSuccess Criteria and Evaluation Ask good questions to provide a focus for the enquiry? Give reasons or evidence to support arguments and

judgements? Clarify concepts through making connections, distinctions

and comparisons? Generate ideas and alternative viewpoints through

imaginative thinking? Test for truth by gathering information, evaluating

evidence, examples and counter examples? Expand ideas by sustaining and extending lines of thought

and argument? Summarise by abstracting key points of general rules from

a number of idea or instances? Evaluate their own discussion/contribution/thinking


Background to Marshlands Primary school

-In an area of deprivation – in the most 10% deprived areas in the Country – was classed as a ‘hard to shift school’ until 2008.

-Improving school – (OFSTED 2008)

-Majority of children achieve or exceed targets compared to FFT type D data.

-Considered a ‘successful and effective school’ (LEA 2008).



Why do P4C at Marshlands Primary School?

-Speaking & listening had been identified by the school as an area for development initially as part of the ISP.

-The headteacher had heard about the benefits of P4C for speaking & listening

- Children have low levels of attainment in speaking and listening on entry and while interventions such as Teaching Children Talking were effective it was felt that a whole school wave 1 initiative might be valuable.


Evaluation Objective Lesson 3

Connect (WALT)

Activate/ Demonstrate Teacher input/ activities (indicate adult support)

Learning outcomes/ Assessment Achieved

easily Did not achieve Teacher input (+ questions)

Ask children to work in groups of 2/ 3 to come up with one good way of being a good speaker or a good listener Put up key vocabulary – I think / believe I n my opinion I agree.. I disagree.. because… Can you explain… Can you clarif y and tell children we are going to introduce some words we use in discussion texts - Discussion text - Presents arguments and inf ormation f rom diff erent viewpoints possibly perhaps Since On one hand On the other hand I could argue that I t could be argued that therefore Discuss the word argue just means give diff erent points of view. I ndependent Work – whole class session

Either show children question to be debated or give them chance to pick one of them f rom a f ew generated in the fi rst session. Think about the question presented Debate the question

Consolidate (Plenary)

Debrief – what did we do well? What do we need to improve?

Vocabulary

Assess speaking and listening skills and use of new language

Develop language of

discussion through P4C

WALT discuss using good vocabulary and good speaking and listening skills Steps to Success Children to develop

I CT I WB

Resources V A K I P G C

Cross curricular links EN1 3a 3b 3c 3d SC1 1a

I EPs


So how was language developed in year 5 in Marshlands Primary School?

• All children developed confidence in speaking

• Most notably vulnerable girls & SEN boys

• Able to extend gifted & talented

• Able to use in other context – in & out of class

• Impact on behaviour through a common language

• Developed causal language – i.e. because

• Developed ability ask appropriate questions across subjects

• More analytical about talk


Why we felt language in year 5 developed?

P4C allows:-•Reflection Time – time to compose thoughts before speaking, think, pair, share.•Week by week consolidation & extension of vocabulary allowing over- learning of vocabulary for SEN & extension for G&T•Peer modelling & support•Teaches skills for effective communication.

•Ensures all children speak developing confidence in the quieter or more vulnerable children.•Ensures children develop listening skills particularly in more dominant children

•Teaches the correct terminology for debate•Gave children chance to develop thinking skills

•Such as, questioning, self-reflection, higher order skills such as synthesis (developing arguments), and evaluation


Other benefits

•Encouraged children to listen and value other peoples opinion•Enabled children to develop more independence in their thinking•Developed democracy and decision making skills•Gave the children the language to challenge other children's in a constructive manner•Children were seen to transfer speaking, listening and thinking, skills to other lessons and situation


What next?

• Rolled out to the junior classes and year 2 after further consultation with the teachers.

• Then looked at adapting it initially for year 1 and then for foundation


Adaptations

Year 1

• Whole class for stimulus sharing

• Chn split up into groups

• Each group worked on a P4C skill for 15 mins then moved around to different skill.

Foundation

•Children split up into groups of approx 6 and they did 5 minutes on each skill.


P4C - Lesson Plan Date 18/09/08 Year Group 1 Teacher Mrs Donna Woad Objective – The children will understand P4C sessions as thinking lessons - The children to begin to know symbols & words for P4c

- The children begin to understand some community rules

Whole class Read book – Philosophy Bear and the Big Sky recap idea of philosophy as a way of thinking Explain rules to whole class

- To keep our bodies calm and still - To keep listening and thinking - To use a clear voice to all in the group

Use Philosophy Bear to explain to chn that asking questions is an extremely important part or thinking and wondering. Teacher group – Present stimulus – recap on story Can chn ask any questions asked by Pinkerton or Phili bear (see sheet) What questions are most interesting? Can we answer every question in the world? Can you think of a question you know the answer to? Will it always be the same answer every time? Will everybody have the same answer? Use X and symbol cards where necessary

Group 1 – P4C skill – making connections Bisociation game Chn pick out 2 pictures and their partner thinks of things that link them together.

Key P4C skill - turn taking Group 2 – Drawing partners pg115 Both sit facing the same way, listen to the music and gently draw a picture on their partners back to the music

T/A led – sense of community – Stand up/ sit down game All children have to stand up and say a number and see if they can do it without more than one child standing up together Or Same as – as in circle time, nominated person says a category eg who has buttons on and chn move sits but can only move 1 at a time.


Ofsted and P4COfsted and P4C

Ofsted view P4C favourably – see hand out


QuestionsQuestions

SueYoungson EPBST & Tracey Millar Marshlands Primary School Philosophy for Children Developing Language for Learning through P4C 4th February 2009 Sue.

Documents

context of marshlands

school wave

school ofsted

listening children

evaluation slide

effective school lea

wisdom slide

facilitator slide