The If Machine: Philosophical Enquiry in the Classroom

Each session in this practical book offers an imaginary situation, followed by a series of questions to encourage children to challenge key philosophical ideas such as values and ethics, gender and identity, and existence and beauty. All the enquiries have been tried and tested, and a handy star system is included to indicate the difficulty level of each one. With a comprehensive introduction and key sections on the philosophy behind the experiments, this book also includes an online teacher's resource to guide practitioners through using the sessions to best effect in the classroom.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements \ Preface \ Table of Sessions \ 1. How to Do Philosophical Enquiry in the Classroom \ Introduction \ The If Machine \ Philosophical Enquiries in the Classroom \ Teaching Strategies \ 2. The PhiE Sessions \ The Chair \ The Meaning of Ant Life \ Can You Step in the Same River Twice? \ Republic Island \ The Ring of Gyges \ The Prince and the Pig \ The Ship of Theseus \ The Happy Prisoner \ Goldfinger \ The Frog and the Scorpion \ The Little Old Shop of Curiosities \ The Shadow of the Pyramid \ Billy Bash \ Thinking About Nothing \ Yous on Another Planet \ The Ceebie Stories \ The Ceebie Stories: Friends \ The Ceebie Stories: The Tony Test \ The Ceebie Stories: The Robbery \ The Ceebie Stories: The Android \ The Ceebie Stories: The Lie \ The Ceebie Stories: The Rebuild \ The Ceebie Stories: Finally Human? \ To the Edge of Forever \ Where Are You? \ Get Stuffed: Fun with Metaphysics \ Glossary \ Bibliography \ Useful Websites

About the Author :
Peter Worley teaches philosophy in schools every week. He is a Resident Philosopher at 6 state primary schools in London and he is the founder and CEO of The Philosophy Foundation (www.philosophy-foundation.org), a charity that specialises in philosophy in primary and secondary schools, based in the UK. Peter has over 20 years' experience in teaching and regularly gives talks and presentations about philosophy in schools. He is a Fellow of the RSA and is a Visiting Research Associate at King's College London. Tamar Levi is an author and illustrator based in London, UK and has her own website: www.TamarLevi.com. Tamar is also researching a PhD in English and Creative Writing at Roehampton University, UK.

Review :
This is a timely and valuable contribution: a capacity to think critically is the key component of any education, and Worley is an inventive enhancer of children's ability to think for themselves. ...a lucid and well-thought through resource that should have children entertained and educated at the same time. Philosophy with my Year 6 class was a revelation. Children who had never felt confident enough to speak up came out with such insightful comments that others had no choice but to start to take them seriously. Every school should have philosophy as part of the curriculum. If you had any doubts about whether you could do this, this book gives you the confidence to be able to go out and do it. 'A very well-organised and thought-out book...One of the most striking things about this book is its intellectual rigour, its grounding in the work of real philosophers and its implicit belief that children will respond to big and important ideas.' 'Plato in primary school? Existentialism, moral responsibility and determinism as topics for key stage 2 exploration? Is this book suggesting that primary children can tackle these big ideas? Has Peter Worley ever been inside a school? The answers are yes, yes, yes and yes. Worley is seriously presenting this material for use in schools...This is, I think, a pretty comprehensive package. Many of the stimulus stories derive from classical origins, but these are mixed with the contemporary tale of Billy Bash the school bully and the futuristic Ceebies stories, which use an increasingly humanoid robot to explore what it means to be human. In all cases, the quality of the stimulus material is high and the task questions are engaging and demanding. Without the context of the stories, many of the questions, such as "Do you think the mind is the same thing as the brain?" or "Is it possible to think of nothing?" would be out of reach for primary pupils. But within context, they are exciting opportunities for exploration and I can imagine primary children getting very involved with them.'   'Peter is skilled at making a potentially complex subject as accessible as it could be... Each session is clearly laid out, graded for difficulty as well as age-suitability, and accompanied with information about the relevant philosophical question.'