Does philosophy for thinking improve pupil outcomes in KS1?

Details

Date published: 2018
Research Categories: Early Years, Key Stage 1, Wider Curriculum

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to measure the success of philosophy in the KS1 curriculum on children’s ability to ask questions, discuss and reason ideas and to communicate more clearly. Not long in to the project, it became clear that the more pertinent question to be answered was around how philosophy can be effectively introduced to the KS1 curriculum as the benefits of philosophy are already well documented. philosophy was rolled out in a staggered start: introduced in the staff room; exposing children during Early Morning Work; embedding into curriculum units.

Feedback from teachers early on suggested that the EMW sessions were effective and children were thinking a lot about the questions they were asking. When embedded in the curriculum, children found it hard to disengage their questions and ideas from the curriculum content – wanting to give correct responses, rather than talking freely about the stimulus. The results suggest that for philosophy to have most impact, the stimulus needs to be as abstract as possible to allow free thinking and the most philosophical responses/ thoughts to be explored. Links can still be made to the curriculum, but this must take second place to the possibilities to engage philosophical thinking. Generating philosophical questions at this age proved very difficult for the majority of children; therefore the focus at this age should be on
discussion rather than questioning.

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