Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) has been awarded the 2023 Award for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs, sponsored by the American Philosophical Association and the Philosophy Documentation Center.  The award recognizes organizations that undertake new initiatives in philosophy with excellence and success. Announcing the award to PLATO, the American Philosophical Association wrote, “This program is truly indicative of the … PLATO Wins National Award for Excellence and Innovation

Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) announced its 2023 grant awards this week to fund a wide array of programs for all ages on diverse topics.  PLATO first developed its grants program in 2016 with the goal of funding innovative ethics and philosophy programs around the country for students of all ages and backgrounds.  In the past, PLATO … <strong>Grants Announced for Philosophy Programs Around the US</strong>

This month the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) is expanding its elementary school philosophers-in-residence program to three high schools, in Boston, Philadelphia, and Seattle. This expansion is possible thanks to a $60,000 grant from The Whiting Foundation.  PLATO is a growing national organization that nurtures young people’s curiosity, critical thinking, and desire to explore big questions through philosophy and ethics … Philosophy comes to high schools around the US

Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) is now accepting grant applications for innovative philosophy and ethics programs across the United States.  PLATO grants have funded programs for every age, from kindergarten to senior citizens, in red, blue, and purple states all over America. They include community nature walks in Montana, a summer philosophy camp in Kentucky, elementary school philosophy … PLATO is now accepting grant applications

Headlines these days are often about naming and renaming public buildings, and conflicts over school policies that contradict what parents want. If you’re a high school student interested in hashing out issues like these with older people who may feel differently, here’s your chance. Philosophy Teaching and Learning Association (PLATO) and the University of Washington … Intergenerational ethics discussion for UW retirees and Seattle-area high school students

Why do we care about some animals but not others? Is it right to think natural resources are here for humans to use? And why do scientific “facts” sometimes change over time? The Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) is offering three free, online courses for middle-schoolers aged 11-14 to discuss these and many other … Ethics and philosophy for middle school students, free online from PLATO

Spring registration is now open for our online classes for students ages 8-16. These interactive classes, run by experienced philosophy instructors, explore some of life’s big questions, including topics such as friendship and loneliness, the treatment of animals, boredom and creativity, the environment, identity, and happiness. We use books, videos, games, and thought experiments to … Spring Zoom Classes for Young People

On February 17, 2022, in collaboration with the American Philosophical Association (APA), PLATO co-hosted a panel discussion on Splendor of Gender? Gen Z’s Perspectives on Changing the Meaning of Gender. The panel featured sixhigh school students from around the country, all of whom are members of PLATO’s Student Advisory Council: Charles de BelloyCharlie is a … Splendor of Gender? Gen Z’s Perspectives on Changing the Meaning of Gender

It was a multifaceted experience, rich enough to incur a serious debriefing on the participant’s part.  The balance between one’s exposure to professional philosophers/professors and  PLATO’s own work was a rich experience that inspired one’s professional development and helped in a very personal manner: to come to a better appreciation of philosophy in a historically … Biennial Seminar for Educators at the AAPT Conference

Public Philosophy, Education, and Social Justice Webinar Join us on Thursday, February 10th, 2022 at 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific for a webinar Public Philosophy, Education, and Social Justice, co-sponsored in collaboration by PLATO, the Public Philosophy Network (PPN), and the Kegley Institute of Ethics. The fourth in a series of PLATO webinars, this event will feature an … Public Philosophy, Education, and Social Justice Webinar

In 2016, recognizing the importance of greater access to philosophy for all adults, youth, and children, as well as the scarcity of funds available for philosophy programs, PLATO developed a funding program. Since that time, PLATO has funded a wide range of innovative philosophy programs with the aim of broadening philosophy’s reach around the United States. … PLATO’s Funding Program

We are happy to announce that PLATO is merging with the Center for Philosophy for Children. As of January 1, 2022, the newly merged organization will be known as PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization), an independent nonprofit registered in Washington State. It will now have the capacity to expand the work in which both organizations have … Merger Announcement

Join us on Monday, October 25, 2021 at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT for a virtual event: High School Philosophy Teaching. Register for the event at: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItfuqrpzosHNDZlo3XcGI4wtz3wkFZk6ah PLATO is excited to present a panel discussion with five high school teachers from across the United States about successfully incorporating philosophy in high schools. Participants will … Virtual Event: High School Philosophy Teaching

Call for Proposals Philosophy Across the Generations APA Eastern Division Meeting January 5—January 8, 2022 Montreal, Canada The Philosophy Teaching and Learning Organization (PLATO) seeks panelists for a session on engaging with philosophy across the generations, at the AAPT-APA Teaching Hub at the 2022 APA Eastern Division meeting, January 5—January 8, 2022, in Montreal Canada. … Call for Proposals – APA Eastern Division Meeting

Join us on June 15, 2021 at 7 pm EST/ 4 pm PST for a virtual event: Why Kids Are Good for Philosophy. Register for the event at: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEud-iqqDotH9xnPrM8BHZQkblzjW7sBN2e We often talk about why philosophy is good for kids, but why are kids good for philosophy?  PLATO is proud to host a virtual panel discussion … Virtual Event: Why Kids Are Good for Philosophy

Join us on May 4th at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT to meet the authors of the Big Ideas for Young Thinkers Book Series. Register for the event here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIuceCopj8qHtdM7Q0sL9P-BaxPaMXyeHhy The Big Ideas for Young Thinkers book series focuses on innovative ideas for teaching philosophy to pre-college students. This webinar brings together Dr. Claire Katz, Dr. Erik Kenyon, … Meet the Authors of the Big Ideas for Young Thinkers Book Series

Little Voices, Big Ideas podcast, on New Orleans Public Radio, explores the rich and often surprising content of children’s books—and ways to have meaningful conversations about big ideas in little books with the children in our lives. Hosted by Sarah DeBacher with contributions from humanities professors: Dr. Helen Taylor, Dr. Thomas Wartenberg (PLATO Board Member), … Little Voices, Big Ideas podcast

The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children at Montclair State University (IAPC) is proud to announce three new, important resources for engaging in thoughtful dialogue with children and teens. One is the revival of Thinking in Stories: Reviewing Philosophy in Children’s Literature as an active weblog (https://www.montclair.edu/iapc/thinking-in-stories/). Each post in the weblog summarizes a popular … New Resources from the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children at Montclair State University

Call for abstracts for: Philosophy for Children Forebears edited by Maughn Rollins Gregory and Megan Jane Laverty From the editors of the Philosophy for Children Founders series with Routledge (https://www.routledge.com/Philosophy-for-Children-Founders/book-series/P4CF). In addition to re-evaluating pioneers of the contemporary philosophy for/with children movement, we intend the series to look back to precursors of the movement, to … Call for Abstracts: Philosophy for Children Forebears

Please join us at the Teaching Hub, which will run from Thursday, January 7, through Saturday, January 9, at the 2021 Eastern Division meeting. The Teaching Hub is a series of interactive workshops and open conversations designed specifically for philosophers and created to celebrate teaching within the context of the APA divisional meetings. Jointly organized … The Teaching Hub at the Eastern APA Division Meeting

Dear PLATO Community: Together we grieve the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, Tony McDade, and so many others before them. I hope the resulting protests for racial justice make us critically examine the systems we are part of that are built on and sustained by institutional oppression – specifically, anti-Black … Black lives always matter

Dear PLATO members and Conference community, The past few weeks have been confusing and challenging for all of us. Everyday the impact of COVID-19 is felt in new and different ways. More than ever we are being reminded to slow down, do our part, and take care of each other, as the world weathers this … 2020 PLATO Conference in San Diego is Postponed

Dear PLATO Community   I am honored to serve as PLATO’s first Executive Director, and excited to introduce myself to all of you.   As a PLATO volunteer since 2015, I have most recently been a board member and the chair of the Research and Advocacy Committee. Through my involvement with PLATO, I’ve come to … Introducing PLATO’s Executive Director, Debi Talukdar

We are also happy to announce that we are extending the PLATO Toolkit Competition. So, keep sending in your lesson plans for a chance to win the $100 cash prize! Share your wealth of knowledge with our community! Congratulations to Ghoncheh Azadeh (University of California, Santa Cruz) for being the first winner of the PLATO … PLATO Toolkit Competition Extended

PLATO is Hiring! Interested candidates should send an email message describing their interest in the position, along with an attached resume and the names, titles, and phone numbers of two references, to: info@plato-philosophy.org, by 5 pm PST August 31, 2019.  APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED! JOB POSTING: Executive Director   PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization), … Job Opening at PLATO: Executive Director

Share your philosophical expertise with the community! The PLATO Toolkit offers free lesson plans to K-12 teachers on our website (https://www.plato-philosophy.org/teachertoolkit) The competition seeks submissions to add to our collection of tools and lesson plans. The top 5 lesson plans will receive $100 prize and will be featured on our website and via social media. … PLATO Toolkit Competition

Learn about the great community philosophy programs offered by Merlin CCC in Montana! Merlin CCC offers philosophy experiences in Helena, Montana for community members of all ages. This organization believes that philosophy can enrich all lives. Learn more about them by reading the interview below and by check out their website: https://merlinccc.org/ PLATO: Can you … Successful Philosophy in the Community Program in Montana

[slider] [next-slide] [next-slide] [/slider] [infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”comments”] Learn about how California State University Bakersfield developed a successful Philosophy for Children (P4C) program on campus![/infobox] [accordion multiopen=”true”] [toggle title=”Starting the Program” state=”closed”] PLATO: Can you describe the P4C program at CSUB?   P4C at CSUB: Since Winter 2016, the Philosophy Department at California State University … Philosophy for Children Program at California State University Bakersfield

[infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”comments”] Learn about the environmental philosophy summer camp happening in Northern Texas for children ages 6-10.[/infobox] The Environmental Explorers Philosophy Summer Camp will be held June 3-7 [accordion multiopen=”true”] [toggle title=”Project Inspiration” state=”closed”] PLATO: Can you describe where the idea of running a philosophy summer camp for children came from?   Environmental … New Philosophy Summer Camp for Children Focusing on the Environment

[infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”comments”] Learn about Grey Havens Philosophy’s Longmont Thinks! Initiatives that inspired a month long celebration of philosophy within the town of Longmont, Colorado[/infobox] [slider] Mayoral Proclamation Ceremony at Longmont City Council Meeting [next-slide] Philosophical Songwriting Workshop [next-slide] Outdoor Philosophy Discussion on Fake News [next-slide] Art, Senses and the Mind Art Activity [next-slide] … Longmont, Colorado Celebrates a Month of Philosophy

[button href=”https://www.plato-philosophy.org/plato-conferences/” style=”flat” size=”medium” color=”#5b90bf” texthovercolor=”#0066bf” icon=”info-circle”]Conference Details[/button]     The 2019 PLATO Conference is getting ready to blast off! Come for an amazing conference, and experience the many opportunities for recreation in Orlando/Winter Park. The area offers activities that everyone can enjoy. From Ecotourism to the Kennedy Space Center; world-class theme parks, performing arts, museums and a vibrant restaurant scene. It’s also just an … 2019 PLATO Conference: Join us in Florida

Applications are now being accepted for the PLATO Philosophy Fund (PPF), supporting a wide range of innovative philosophy programs around the country. The deadline for applying for a 2018 award is January 31, 2018. All applications are blind peer-reviewed. All applications must be submitted  and funding decisions will be announced in the spring. About the … Applying to the PLATO Philosophy Fund

NAACI Conference on “Education in a world in crisis: How philosophy for/by children might respond” in collaboration with The Mexican Federation of Philosophy for Children and the Centers Tepepan and Thinkers   [infobox color=”#6392bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”calendar”] June 15-17th, 2018 in Puebla, Mexico [/infobox] Call for Papers Deadline November 30, 2017   [button href=”https://www.plato-philosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/NAACI-2018-CFP.pdf” style=”flat” size=”small” … Philosophy for Children Conference, hosted by NAACI, to be held June 2018 in Mexico

[infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”comments”]From June 19-23, 2017 California Lutheran University will host the first SoCal Philosophy Academy for high school students in Thousand Oaks, CA.[/infobox] [slider] [next-slide] [/slider] The SoCal Philosophy Academy for high school students will be hosted at California Lutheran University and run by Dr. Brian J. Collins, Assistant Professor of Philosophy.   … Learn about the upcoming Southern California Philosophy Academy for High School Students!

An Interview with PLATO President, Thomas Wartenberg   Since 2010, Thomas Wartenberg has led several Summer Seminars for School Teachers on Existentialism sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. [button href=”https://www.plato-philosophy.org/neh-summer-seminar-teachers-existentialism/” style=”flat” size=”medium” color=”#508bbf” textcolor=”#000000″]Click Here to Learn about how to apply for the 2017 Summer Seminar for Teachers[/button] [icon icon=”comments-o” size=”large” color=”#0066bf”] PLATO: … Reflections on Philosophy Classes for School Teachers

[slider] [next-slide] [next-slide] [/slider] Fully Funded 3 Week Summer Training Opportunity in Philosophy for ALL K-12 Teachers Apply to the NEH Summer Seminar on Existentialism which will be held at Mount Holyoke College in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. NEH Summer Seminar on Existentialism: July 16- August 4, 2017 Deadline for Applications: March 1, … NEH Summer Seminar for Teachers on Existentialism

February 2, 2017   PLATO (The Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization) is committed to supporting the efforts of educators worldwide to bring philosophy to pre-college and university settings. The organization recognizes and values the efforts that educators from around the globe are making to develop critical and creative thinking in young people.     We … Statement from the Board of Directors

    Attention High School Teachers: Learn how to bring Philosophy into your classrooms. Apply to the UConn Summer Institute in Philosophy which will be held at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.   [marker color=”#b2c2e8″]The UConn Summer Institute in Philosophy: July 24-28, 2017[/marker]     [divider style=”single” border=”medium” color=”#0367bf”] [icon icon=”user” size=”large” color=”#0066bf”]     … Summer Philosophy Workshop for High School Teachers

[infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”comments”] We are following up on our story about the Iowa Lyceum Program by highlighting another successful Lyceum Program in Utah! Take tips from the experts, and consider creating your own Lyceum Program at a local university to help grow the pre-college philosophy movement! [/infobox] [slider] [next-slide] [next-slide] [/slider] Learn about the … Join the Pre-College Philosophy Movement: Start a Lyceum Program!

[infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”calendar”] Learn about the Long Island Philosophy Conference for High School Students that will be held on November 12, 2016 at the Stony Brook School in New York.   Read more by checking out the American Philosophical Association’s (APA) recent article about the event here: http://blog.apaonline.org/2016/11/29/a-high-school-philosophy-conference/[/infobox] [slider] [next-slide] [next-slide] [/slider] Did you … A Philosophy Conference for High School Students!

[infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”comments”] What is a Lyceum Program and how does it engage pre-college students in philosophy? Read below to learn about more about Lyceum Programs and even how to start your own! [/infobox] [slider] [next-slide] Final Day Philosophical Presentations by Students [next-slide] [/slider] Learn about the established and successful Iowa Lyceum Program, which … Iowa Lyceum Program: A Model for Pre-College Philosophy Programming

[infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”comments”] This interview with the PLATO Vice President, Michael Burroughs, was curated and originally published by our colleagues at Engaged Philosophy. See the original interview here.[/infobox] [slider] [next-slide] [next-slide] [/slider] Learn how Michael Burroughs, the Associate Director of the Rock Ethics Institute at Pennsylvania State University, engages preschool-age children in philosophy, ethics … Ethics Education Program for Pre-School Students in Pennsylvania

[infobox color=”#6394bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”comments”]From June 20-24, 2016 Texas A&M University hosted its first ever philosophy camp on its main campus in College Station, TX. It was run by Claire Katz, professor of philosophy at Texas A&M, along with several of her colleagues at Texas A&M, faculty from Sam Houston State University, and former and current … Pre-College Philosophy Summer Camp at Texas A&M

Call for Submissions Questions publishes philosophical work by and for young people. We welcome many types of submissions: Stories Essays Poems Photographs and drawings, In addition, we welcome articles related to doing philosophy with young people, reviews of books and materials useful for doing the same, lesson plans (include description or transcripts of student responses), … Questions: Philosophy for Young People

Announcing a call for proposals from the Canadian Philosophy Association’s “Philosophy in the Schools Project” session at the Annual Conference of the Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Canada: Congress 2016.  The conference is to be held May 28-June 3 at the edge of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in beautiful Calgary, Alberta, Canada. … Call for Proposals, "Philosophy in Schools Project," 5/28-6/3/2016, Calgary, Canada

Questions publishes philosophical work by and for young people. We welcome many types of submissions: Stories Essays Poems Photographs and drawings In addition, we welcome articles related to doing philosophy with young people, reviews of books and materials useful for doing the same, lesson plans (include description or transcripts of student responses), thought experiments to … Call for Submissions for Questions: Philosophy for Young People

The application deadline is March 18th, 2016. Click on the image below to download the full application:  

   

The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) will host the 12th biennial conference of the North American Association for Community of Inquiry (NAACI) Friday evening, June 17, through Monday afternoon, June 20, 2016 on the campus of Montclair State University. Click on the image below to link to the full call for … 2016 Conference for the North American Association for the Community of Inquiry (NAACI)

The PLATO High School Essay Contest awards will be given to the best philosophical essays written by high school students, in response to the year’s contest essay question. Awards: First place – $250 Second place – $150 Third place – $100 All winning essays will be published in PLATO’s journal Questions: Philosophy for Young People. … 2016 High School Essay Contest

Philosophical Children from UW Philosophy for Children on Vimeo.

The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) calls for papers that explore the engagement of cultural and linguistic diversities in philosophical inquiry with young people, for the IAPC Symposium at the 112th Annual Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division, January 6-9, 2016 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Washington D.C.  … Call for Papers for the IAPC Symposium at APA East

This video features interviews with Philosophers, High School Students and Teachers discussing the impact that doing philosophy has had, and can have on pre-college students.  

Monday, June 29 Bagels and fruit, coffee and tea available at 8:30 am Keynote Address by Jonathan Kozol 9:00 – 10:30 am Walker Ames Room, Kane Hall The Big Questions Are Already There in the Hearts of Children The Role of Philosophy in the Classrooms of Our Public Schools in an Age when Standardized Instruction … 2015 PLATO Conference Program with abstracts and bios

Announcement: We have our winners for the 2014/15 essay contest. Congratulations and thanks to all who participated! The winning essays will published in PLATO’s journal Questions: Philosophy for Young People. First place Syra Mehdi Noble and Greenough School, Dedham, MA “Aristotle’s Theory of Friendship Tested” Second place Julia Walton Academy of Notre Dame du Namur … Winners of the 2014/15 High School Essay Contest

The 2015 Summer Residential Workshop will be held in Mendham, NJ from August 1st – 8th. If you have interest or experience in using the Philosophy for Children curriculum and / or would like to increase your skill in facilitating a Philosophical Community of Inquiry, this workshop is for you. The workshop is run by members of … IAPC Summer Residential Workshop on the Philosophy for Children Curriculum

Our own Jana Mohr-Lone will be running a webinar (online seminar) on how to teach Markus Zusak​’s “The Book Thief” on Tuesday March 17th. If you’re interested in attending or want more info follow the link: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ea5lrwjna7d69c2c&llr=kb46kgcab

Devra Lehmann, Spinoza: Outcast Thinker (South Hampton, NH: Namelos, 2014). By Christopher Freiler, Hinsdale Central HS, Hinsdale, IL   Baruch Spinoza may be the most underrated philosopher in the western tradition. Yet the past half-century has witnessed a revival of interest in his works and his life. One explanation for the Spinoza renaissance may be … Book Review: Spinoza: Outcast Thinker (2014)

The 2015 Richard B. Lippin Lectureship in Ethics will be held at the Rock Ethics Institute (The Pennsylvania State University) on April 24, 2015. The keynote speaker/lecturer is Dr. Sue Knight, a philosopher who has introduced a philosophical ethics curriculum (http://www.primaryethics.com.au) in a wide range of public schools in New South Wales, Australia. Please download this … Sue Knight will give the Lippin Lectureship in Ethics at the Rock Ethics Institute (Penn St. University), April 24, 2015

The NHSEB is looking for cases that highlight a clear moral issue. Deadline for submission: December 1, 2014 Grand prize: $1000 !!!  For more information please visit: http://nhseb.unc.edu/nhseb-2015/case-competition/

Best Formal Papers on Pre-College Ethics – First Prize $750, Second Prize $500 The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (www.appe.indiana.edu), with the support of the Squire Family Foundation, sponsors a competition to advance the work of those interested in pre-college ethics. The Association will present an award for the top two papers submitted on … Upcoming Deadline: Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Award for Best Papers on Teaching Pre-College Ethics

PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization) is a non-profit organization that advocates and supports introducing philosophy to pre-college students through programs, resource-sharing and the development of a national network of those working in pre-college philosophy. Job Description PLATO seeks an experienced fundraising professional to help develop, coordinate, and administer a comprehensive fundraising plan, in collaboration with the … JOB POSTING: Development Coordinator

The American Philosophical Association Committee on Pre-College Instruction in Philosophy has organized the following session for the APA Eastern Division meeting in Philadelphia in December. Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014: 9 – 11 a.m. Let’s Stop Kidding Around: Pre-College Philosophy and Diversity in the Profession Chair: Deborah Tollefsen, University of Memphis Speakers: Michael Burroughs (Rock Institute, … APA East session on "Pre-College Philosophy and Diversity in the Profession"

2014-15 PLATO ESSAY CONTEST Announcement: We have our winners for the 2014/15 essay contest. Congratulations and thanks to all who participated! First place Syra Mehdi Noble and Greenough School, Dedham, MA “Aristotle’s Theory of Friendship Tested” Second place Julia Walton Academy of Notre Dame du Namur Villanova, PA “In the Place Beyond Utility and Pleasure” … 2014-15 PLATO Essay Contest

Michael Burroughs recently shared an article about the work he and some graduate students have been doing the Rock Ethics Institute in Pennsylvania. Please follow the link for the article: http://news.psu.edu/story/327590/2014/09/24/society-and-culture/rock-ethics-institute-plans-include-k-12-outreach  

When Diana Senechal first contacted me about the philosophy journal her students had put together, CONTRARIWISE, I must admit an image jumped to mind of stereotypical responses to essay prompts, collected and bound from the end-of-year assignments. What else would a high school philosophy journal be? How could one adapt what is usually highly technical, rigorous, … CONTRARIWISE: Pious and Especially Playful Learning in the Creation of a Journal

CALL FOR EXTENDED ABSTRACTS You are warmly invited to submit abstracts for The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophy for Children, edited by Maughn Gregory, Joanna Haynes and Karin Murris. For nearly 50 years the theory and practice of Philosophy for Children have developed over time and in diverse contexts and global settings, while responding to, and interacting with … Call for Abstracts for International Handbook of Philosophy for Children

PLATO board member Michael Burroughs recently served as a guest curator for the Public Philosophy Journal on the theme of pre-college philosophy. He writes about doing philosophy with children as an area of publicly engaged philosophy: http://publicphilosophyjournal.org/2014/07/philosophy-beyond-the-academy/    

This month, Chicago Public high school teacher (and PLATO board member), Steve Goldberg will be running a teaching workshop at the University of Chicago’s campus. In collaboration with the UChicago Civic Knowledge Project: The Winning Words Initiative: The Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) claims that the “reasons most often given for engaging young children … Teacher's Workshop: Philosophy and Young People (Chicago, Saturdays, July 12-26)

In many pre-college curricula, informal and formal logic does not exist as its own course, even though thinking logically is crucial to much academic work. As students progress through their primary and secondary educations, they will be expected more and more to support their opinions with well-supported arguments. While schools may find it difficult to … James Davis: Logic in the Classroom, Four Activities

Jesse Walsh has been the Director of Philosophy at Saint Martin de Porres Academy in New Haven, CT (a private middle school for underserved youth) for the past four years. Prior to that, she founded a Philosophy Outreach Program at a Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester, MA. Both groups have enjoyed incredible success and … "Philosophy Detention" and the "Identity Crisis" Activity, by Jesse Walsh

This is a video of the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on Pre-College Instruction in Philosophy session from the 2014 Pacific APA. It’s called “Raising a Philosophical Child” and features a number of speakers.

EQUITY AND INQUIRY PLATO CONFERENCE 2015 The Third Biennial PLATO Conference will be held at the University of Washington, Seattle, on June 29 and 30, 2015. The conference is funded in part by the Squire Family Foundation, the Teagle Foundation and the University of Washington.   Registration To register for the conference: Please download the … Equity and Inquiry – Third Biennial PLATO Conference June 2015

John Torrey is a 2nd-year PhD student at the University of Memphis in Philosophy.  His interests include Philosophy of Education, Social and Political Philosophy, Ethics, and African-American Philosophy.  He currently serves as the Student Coordinator for Philosophical Horizons, the outreach program of the Philosophy Department of the University of Memphis.  He can be reached at … John Torrey: Philosophical Horizons

The IAPC Announces a Special Symposium:  “Philosophy of Childhood: Exploring the Boundaries,” chaired by Dr. David Kennedy at the 2014 American Philosophical Association Eastern Division Annual Meeting, December 27-30 at the Downtown Marriott in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Follow this link to the full Call for Papers: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1Rl8UxKvtAdWEhjcUtQSmZQTE0/edit.  Please direct questions and submissions to Dr. Kennedy at … The IAPC Announces a Special Symposium: “Philosophy of Childhood: Exploring the Boundaries” at Eastern APA

The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children will hold its annual Summer Seminar at St. Marguerite’s Retreat House, Mendham, NJ, August 2-9, 2014. To register or request more information, contact Joe Oyler: oylerj@mail.montclair.edu. This Seminar is geared toward both novice and experienced graduate students, teachers, professors and others from around the world who … IAPC Summer Seminar, August 2-9, Mendham NJ

This is the second part of Frank Breslin’s essay on teaching the humanities. Click here for part 1. But to return to our story – “Okay, now that we’ve solved those questions [muffled laughter], let’s move on to some difficult ones. What happens when one group is absolutely certain that it possesses the truth and … Frank Breslin: Teaching the Greeks, part 2

Frank Breslin: Thoughts on teaching the humanities I recently retired after 40 years of teaching in the New Jersey public school system, where I taught English, Latin, German, and social studies. Before that, in the late 1960’s, I was a caseworker with welfare recipients in the inner city of Philadelphia, and prior to that I … Frank Breslin: Teaching the Greeks Part 1

Benjamin Lukey Honolulu Ever since Thomas Jackson introduced P4C to Hawai‘i in the mid-1980’s, one of the defining characteristics of p4c Hawai‘i has been its commitment to working with classroom teachers in Hawai‘i’s public schools. It has been part of our mission to find every way possible to support these teachers, both in their classrooms … Ben Lukey: The Role of a Philosopher in Residence for P4C

Square Pegs, Round Holes, and Philosophy in Schools By Jessica Jean Davis The manner in which philosophy can be introduced and practiced in K-12 students seems to be largely determined — as may be everything else — by context. Under the jurisdiction of high-stakes testing and assessment, philosophers in U.S. K-12 schools today have no … Jessica Davis: Square Pegs in Round Holes

We recently interviewed Rick Coste, a writer, podcaster, and philosopher living in New England.  His weekly podcast Philosophy Walk is hosted at the official site PhilosophyWalk.com.  The podcast currently has a listener base in over 80 countries.  A sister site PhilosophyWalkTV.com was launched in the summer of 2013 and is geared towards a younger audience … Interview with Rick Coste, Creater of Philosophywalk

In  my earlier post, I mentioned assigning a dialogue as an alternative to a formal essay. Here is an example of each format on the topic of personal identity: Personal identity essay 2 from S Goldberg’s class personal identity sample paper from S.Goldberg’s class

The Australasian Journal for Philosophy in Schools (AJPS) is the official journal of The Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Associations (FAPSA). The focus of the journal is research into philosophy with school-aged children. What was once called Philosophy with Children has developed into a sub-discipline of philosophy with its own history, traditions and pedagogy and … New journal focused on philosophy in schools

Mark Balawender, PLATO’s communication coordinator and grad student at Michigan State recently interviewed Elena Spitzer, a graduate student at Wisconsin about her project, the tumblr website, A Philosopher at Work:               1) Mark: This project is really interesting, and it looks like you’re getting lots of participation. Can you … Elena Spitzer: Pictures of a Philosopher At Work (as drawn by non-philosophers)

Existentialism Seminar An NEH Summer Seminar for School Teachers: Thomas E. Wartenberg, Director Seminar Description Existentialism, though an important philosophical movement in the twentieth century, remains influential to this day. This seminar will acquaint school teachers with the basic philosophical ideas of Existentialist philosophy by introducing them to the writings of such thinkers as Søren … NEH Summer Philosophy Seminar for Teachers!

Any topic an instructor introduces in class is worth taking seriously, and this includes religion. My goal is neither to convert the unbeliever nor destroy the faith of the believer, rather to situate myself in the middle of a dialogue and coax those who think of themselves as on a side to engage the other … Chris Freiler: Approaching Religion in Philosophy

Are you a concerned K-12 teacher who would like to enrich your school with philosophy?  Are you a philosopher or student of philosophy who would like to see more philosophy at the K-12 levels?  Then please be sure to RSVP for our big Winning Words Initiative conference on Nov. 2nd!   The Winning Words Initiative is … Announcement: Winning Words Initiative Conference, Chicago, Saturday, November 2

2014 NAACI CONFERENCE The Community of Philosophical Inquiry and its diverse applications Laval University, Québec City, Québec, Canada June 25-27, 2014 The conference will focus on the unique pedagogical model developed by Philosophy for Children (P4C) founders Matthew Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp at Montclair State University. P4C is based on philosophical dialogue within a … 2014 NAACI Conference June 25-27 Québec, Canada

The Winning Words Initiative: A Midwest Regional Resource Network for Pre-Collegiate Philosophy Saturday, November 2nd, 2013, from 9-4:30 pm (with a break for lunch), at the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall, in the Reynolds Club, 1131 E. 57th St., Chicago, IL, 60637 Please join leading philosophers and educators from across the U.S. for a day … University of Chicago K-12 Philosophy Conference November 2!

Open Minds: Find Your Own Answers Growing up, I was always incredibly curious about the world around me. But I never thought of this curiosity as philosophy. It just seemed like a natural part of life. Ask questions. Find out what’s true, what matters, and how to live a life of real value. To me, … Outreach: Open Minds by Brian Woods

 I’ve been teaching philosophy, an honors elective taken mainly by seniors, for the past twenty-six years at a suburban high school outside Chicago. The class is organized topically around a set of perennial questions in ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind. I encourage conversation and debate in my classroom, but I also ask … Reflections on Doing Philosophy in High School by Steve Goldberg

I became interested and involved in P4C while teaching philosophy to high school and college students. It worried me that many of the young people in my classes had never been encouraged to construct their own arguments, debate opposing viewpoints, or disagree with their instructors. I got my hands on literature from Matthew Lipman and … Thinking About Philosophy Books for Kids: Amy Leask

We are launching a new blog on the PLATO website this month. It will offer a variety of post from teachers, philosophers, graduate students and others involved in PLATO, presenting their ideas for lessons plans, evaluation and assessment tools, thoughts about teaching philosophy to young people, examples of projects and activities, etc. Upcoming Posts Include: … Welcome to the New PLATO blog!

PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN has a long tradition of scholarship that should be more widely known. Articles have not always been easy to access and some long-standing journals are now discontinued. The P4C Cooperative thought it would be interesting and useful to select articles from the last thirty years and organise them around significant themes, hoping … If . . . then – An Online Compilation of K-12 Philosophy Scholarship

Teaching Philosophy – Volume 36, Number 3 – 2013   Jana Mohr Lone; Mitchell Green, guest editors Philosophy in High Schools – Guest Editors’ Introduction to a Special Issue of Teaching Philosophy James R. Davis Socrates in Homeroom – A Case Study for Integrating Philosophy across a High School Curriculum How should we teach philosophy … New journal issue on teaching philosophy in high school!

Philosophy resources for educators LEARN NC and UNC’s Department of Philosophy’s Philosophy Outreach Program have developed this collection of philosophical resources for educators, which includes tools and lessons to help teachers incorporate philosophical resources into classroom instruction. Resources includes a “Philosophy 101” guide for educators, links to exceptional web resources and lesson plans online, and a collection of … Philosophical Resources for Educators from LEARN NC & UNC

Announcement: We have our winners! Winners, 2014 PLATO Essay Contest: First place:  Jared Corbett – Oak Park River Forest High School, Oak Park IL “Probabilistic Chains” Second place:  Sydney To – Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA “Freedom in Degrees” Third place:  James Drueckhammer – The Stony Brook School, Stony Brook NY “Free Will” … PLATO High School Essay Contest

PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization) Announces it 2014-15 K-12 Philosophy Teaching Awards   Nominations for the 2014-15 PLATO K-12 Philosophy Teaching Awards are now open. Summary: PLATO has established three awards to be given annually to K-12 classroom teachers in the U.S. for excellence in teaching philosophy in elementary, middle or high school: (1)  … PLATO Awards for Teachers

Introduction to Philosophy High School Curriculum Developed by the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University, with funding from the Squire Family Foundation This user-friendly curriculum, developed and tested at the Center for Talented Youth, covers all the major topics in philosophy, and is suitable for a high school or advanced middle school class. Each self-contained … New High School Philosophy Curriculum

There is now an email list affiliated with PLATO. This is an open discussion list for exchange among those with interests in the development and practice of pre-college philosophy, with particular emphasis on developing this field in the United States. To join the list, subscribe at: http://lists.futurenode.com/mailman/listinfo/plato-apa_lists.futurenode.com/

The spring 2010 issue of Imagine magazine from Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth is dedicated to exploring pre-college philosophy: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/imagine/20100304_SFF