OrangePhilosophy

I didn't watch the video yet, but it seems like a good idea. I sometimes bring up the idea that philosophy should be taught in high school, but the idea usually gets met with a disinterested shrug.[often, b/c, like me, they don't want to teach in high school...which is besides the point...or, maybe not]. There was an 'epistemics' class taught once in my high school, which unfortunately I didn't take, but I heard was pretty good. I'd be interested to know if anyone else out there took a philosophy class in high school (and, what it was like). I'm also curious if in any states philosophy is considered a standard part of the curriculum, at least as an elective offering. I heard before that in France all high school students take philosophy classes. I was wondering, first, whether this is true, second, whether the classes are any good, third, what the courses are like, and, fourth, if and what other countries have philosophy classes as a standard part of pre-secondary education.

I took a critical thinking course in 7th grade. It was standard critical thinking but just not as detailed as a college level course would be. It was like an hour a week for a semester, so it didn't have a lot of content. We did Aristotelian syllogisms, informal fallacies, and I think even some game theory relating to the stock market. That might have been a baby economics class by the same guy, though. I can't remember. I just remember his pants. One pair was bright red, and another was bright green.

Oh, there was that class I took in 6th grade when he philosophy professor came to our school. He even looked like Socrates. I haven't seen it offered in university philosophy departments, though. I think they called it karate. There was something about his belt being black...

The head of my HS science dept (decent suburban public HS in PA, not a magnet or anything) got an MA in philosophy and decided to teach it. He taught an elective intro which was done topically with attention to major figures in the history of philosophy, and focused to a certain extent on topics more likely to garner students' attention, like ethics, religion, existentialism, and sex/sexuality. He was a bit of a Straussian, but a good teacher overall. He also offered individually directed readings courses in political philosophy and philosophy of religion on his own time before and after school, reaching up to 5% of each graduating class. Now that's dedication!

Before I begin I should note that I am on the executive for Philosophy in Schools in my country (New Zealand) so I have something of a vested interest in the subject.

As far as I know France does have philosophy as part of the standard curriculum, however it is a very firmly history focused course.

In Australia curriculum does exist for teaching philosophy and it is taught (Optionally) in some schools.

In New Zealand we are looking at writing curriculum documents for classes at the 16 & 17 year old level. We are however a little overawed by the process (About 120 hours of teach time each year) and concerned about what the impact will be on us (the universities) in other words if we get some students with 240 hours of philosophy under their belt, and some without any how do we teach these two groups...

Currently a fair number of schools have us (Mostly grad students, though some of us lecture as well) coming in to do elective philosophy sessions (I do these at one of the better schools, 1 hour and a half a week) The students are very bright and keen, to be honest teaching them has for the most part been a pleasure.

If anyone has any questions I would be happy to help

Cheers David

As far as the U.S. goes, I guess the only realistic way philosophy can flourish in public schools--given budget problems and secular issues--would be to teach more critical thinking alongside 7-9th grade math and to have some standard philosophy readings to be done in high school english. I mean, I thought Julius Caesar and Macbeth were great and all, but what has Shakespeare done for you lately? I wonder what sort of philosophical texts would work, though.

What do you all teach in New Zealand, David?

David,
Thanks for the great reply. Do you or your organization have a webpage that has some more information about your programs (actual and planned)? It sounds like a very interesting development. I wonder if you could also tell us what you teach the 16 and 17 year-olds, and how it all comes off. Also, of the things you tried, which had the most success, or, more minimally, what the adolescents were most receptive to.

Ryan, that sounds exceptionally good. I guess the question then is whether you think it would be good if what your teacher did was to become standardized as elective offerings, and why.

I stumbled across this discussion, so I'm not sure if anyone's still checking it. But I'm a high school teacher in Colorado, and I teach a semester-long intro to philosophy course. I'm looking for curriculum for next year right now (which is how I found this blog), so if you have any ideas, suggestions, or resources, I'd love to hear about it. I used a decent, but not great, book for a few weeks of philosophy at the beginning of a comparative religion class in the past. I'm considering using "Sophie's World" to try to get the students something they can read, but it's not perfect. It's been a while since I've taken a philosophy course (I minored in it at Duke about 6 years ago), so I'm interested in learning more about how to teach philosophy in an engaging and effective way. Univ of CO has a great philosophy outreach program specifically for high schools, and they've come into my class before. Their webpage is http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/outreach.html
Please contact me if you have any helpful info or suggestions for a high school philosophy teacher!

Believe it or not, Philosophy for Dummies by Tom Morris is actually pretty good. I've looked through it, and I'd use it if I taught philosophy at the high school level. It might even be fine for an intro college course, though the embarassment factor because of the series it's in might prevent me from doing that.

I teach philosophy in Overland Park, KS in a public high school. Compare notes?

I find this discussion very interesting and I hope there is more of it from now on. I don't man to rail against public education, but it seems to me that the pursuit of truth, and wisdom are not the main course on the plates of most public educators. What you hear expressed from our halls of public education echoes a greater concern for students to become MARKETABLE. The emphasis is on preparing students to, hopefully, go to college and get a degree that will place them into industry or Government. When I was an Admissions Counseling a number of years ago it seems that all I ever heard from potential students (especially the ones with high G.P.A.s) was "Can I make good money with this degree?" I often answered by telling them to start their own business if you wnt to make good money. What does the average college graduate really earn once they get out as servants to industry or the Government? Typically, it's not that much, and a whole lot less than the ones who run their own businesses. Add this to the undeniable fact that there is really no long term security in the post-modern marketplace. Philosophy in the public schools? Do we start laughing now, or should we cry? I applaud those of you who do teach philosophy in the public high schools, but I'm afraid you're all in the minority. Our culture is by and large non-reflective, and far too conquered by the gods of consumerism. I have taught college level philosophy courses and I am appaled at the students who tell you how much they hate the subject. I have endured the same anti-intellectualism in the history classes I have taught as well. Can somebody explain to me how it is that so many students are taught to hate learning? There is redemption every once in a while when a student will finally GET IT, and tell you how much they enjoy the learning process. I hate to be a cynic, but I think that our students today are reared by parents who are only concerned that their children make them proud. If a child hates philosophy, it's usually because they've had little to no exposure to it, but often I fear it's because there was no respect for the life of the mind demonstrated in the home.