What better way to get kids thinking than to think about thinking! This week, we started our new philosophy program at DGS. We love to get kids pondering the big questions in life, but philosophy is more than just that. Philosophy encourages creative, critical, caring, compassionate, and collaborative thinkers. And the first lesson? Let's disagree! No matter what the question is, if we all agree on the same answer, the discussion, and thus the thinking, stops. But if someone disagrees with an answer, or there are multiple opinions, then we get to dive in deep, and get to wrestle with ideas! That is where the magic happens. In most classrooms these days, students are trained to learn one answer, to only speak up if their idea is "right", and to avoid being wrong at all costs. But that also eliminates creative thinking, problem solving, and academic risk taking - all skills needed to build intellect. In philosophy, everyone is encouraged to speak their mind, and EXPECT (even hope) others to disagree - because that is when things get interesting.
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