Philosophy teaches us to:
- Strenthen analytic reasoning skills
- Sharpen writing, listening, and problem-solving abilities
- Question our assumptions
- Critically evaluate information and beliefs
- Appreciate complexity
- Develop confidence and skill in expressing our views
- Understand that there are many ways to see the world.
In classrooms that engage in “communities of philosophical inquiry,” teachers and students inquire together. Students generate their own questions about issues relevant to their lives and learn to give good reasons for their beliefs. Every student’s voice is valued and all views are taken seriously. Students come to realize that they are engaged in a conversation that has been going on for thousands of years.
Students find these discussions challenging and compelling because philosophical questions do not have settled answers, removing the pressure to find that “one right answer” students so often face in school. No one has all the answers – and sometimes, reaching an answer isn’t as important as asking the questions.
Not every young student will become a professional philosopher. But all students should have the opportunity to cultivate philosophical habits of mind, which nurture lifelong learning and encourage us to become more thoughtful friends, neighbors, and citizens, better able to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
— Fourth grade student
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