denny Study & Teaching books

www.euronews.com Fostering reasoning skills in young people can improve learning outcomes and one way of doing this is by teaching philosophy. Children are naturally curious and constantly asking "why?" Studying philosophy helps them not only explore answers to these sorts of questions, but develops critical thinking. *Hawaii: Young minds, old questions* Waikiki School in Honolulu has strived for a mindful approach to educaton for the last 20 years. In contrast to many other schools, here children as young as five study philosophy, or at least are encouraged to ask philosophical questions. Thomas Jackson, from Philosophy for Children, in Hawaii, said: "In kindergarten, we are filled with wonder and our wonder bubbles out in these extraordinary questions. As you follow most students through the school, that wonder diminishes. By the time they get to 3rd grade, 4th grade, they're already shutting down, they're responding to the expectations of the system and what the teacher wants." The Philosophy for Children Hawaii Centre helps the teachers here retain their wonder and their curiosity. The point is not to acquire specific facts or opinions, but to develop critical thinking skills. Courtney Carpenter, a teacher at the school, said: "Since they went to philosophy class, they've been taught that you can think of questions and you can come up with answers for the questions and there's no wrong answer. Then what happens is they get empowered and when they come into a classroom ...