Overview
Can philosophical inquiry help shape our approach to teaching literacy in America's schools? Could English class introduce the meaningful joys of philosophical inquiry? Is teaching young adults about philosophy in today's standard-driven educational environment possible?
Introducing philosophy in the English classroom can enrich our teaching of literacy to students of all ages -- but especially so for young adults in the throes of identity formation. The Unit Plans, Resources, and References provided here proclaim: it is possible to introduce philosophy to young people in English Classrooms -- and especially possible using critically acclaimed Young Adult Literature. Young adult literature provides the perfect context for philosophical inquiry and discussion, and writing. In the tradition of Socrates, and on the shoulders of modern philosophy with children practitioners Matthews, Lipman, Haynes and Worley, this website encourages Language Arts teachers to enrich their classrooms with philosophy and young adult literature.
Philosophy For Young Adults
Studying English Education Graduate student at Colorado State University from 2010 to 2013, I took note of the instructional practices, essential questions, constructed responses, and assessments that could serve to introduce young adults to philosophical ideas and questions while also addressing Colorado's Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing and Communicating. I worked to design and implement units incorporating philosophical inquiry that had the formative and cumulative assessments that could encourage critical thinking and provide data to prove that students were indeed reaching targeted learning outcomes in Common Core State Standards, especially writing and communicating. Philosophy for Young Adult sub-pages illuminate the four-step process of doing philosophy in English class using Young Adult Literature: Philosophical Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry, Philosophical Discussion, and Philosophical Writing.
Literature For Young Adults
For adolescents grades 6-12, philosophical literacy can enrich the study of literature. Young adult literature is perfect to engage young people in reading and doing philosophy. Stephen Chobsky's Perks of Being a Wallflower, Susanne Collins' The Hunger Games, and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game -- each recently made into a major motion picture -- are pregnant with ethical questions of character, duty, dignity and community. (I'm not the only one who saw philosophical themes in Ender's Game). The Literature for Young Adults page discusses why young adult literature is perfect for philosophy with young people. This page also helps students choose reading-level philosophy-friendly texts.
Philosophy-enriched Unit Plan #1 for Grades 6-12 Language Arts
This Choice-Book Unit, when implemented in a English 10 Loveland High School classroom in the Spring of 2013, yielded quantitative advances in writing scores and qualitative improvements in character, morale, and community. Drawing from Peter Smagorinsky for instructional planning by design, and Kylene Beers, Kelly Gallagher and Sarah Wessling for meaningful reading and writing activities in the context of State Standards, this original unit incorporates the wisdom of modern Philosophy for Children educators and theorists (Lipman, Worley, Hannam, Copeland). This unit focuses on the essential questions of character and purpose.
Philosophy-enriched Unit Plan #2 for Grade 12 Language Arts
Little formal work has been done reading the modern classic canon of Young Adult literature with an eye for philosophical inquiry. Using M.T. Anderson's critically acclaimed Feed, this five-week unit focuses on the essential question of happiness, and how our notions of happiness intersect with the use (and abuse) of 21st-century technological communication. As a fitting summative assessment, students complete an interactive web-quest that meets standards in writing and oral communication. This unit hints at the possibility of a wide array of multimodal teaching materials that could enrich teaching young adult literature with philosophical inquiry.
Resources and Links
Teachers need not have any formal training in philosophy to be successful introducing philosophical reading, inquiry, discussion, and writing. The resources provided here can deepen teacher involvement with doing philosophy with children and adolescents. Most available resources are gauged towards grades K-6. Fewer resources exist for doing philosophy with adolescents in grades 6-12 who may be struggling readers or might not be college-bound. I hope to begin to fill this gap by encouraging educators to draw from these resources and links in a way that will enrich their study of philosophy-provoking choice literature.
References
The References page contains citations for the most helpful theory and research for doing philosophy with youth. The page also links to key Colorado Department of Education documents that set the learning standards in Colorado (and most of America).
About the Author
If you have any questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions, or if you'd like to share-and-tell your favorite young adult literature, or your experience doing philosophy with young people, please contact the author directly at [email protected].
Introducing philosophy in the English classroom can enrich our teaching of literacy to students of all ages -- but especially so for young adults in the throes of identity formation. The Unit Plans, Resources, and References provided here proclaim: it is possible to introduce philosophy to young people in English Classrooms -- and especially possible using critically acclaimed Young Adult Literature. Young adult literature provides the perfect context for philosophical inquiry and discussion, and writing. In the tradition of Socrates, and on the shoulders of modern philosophy with children practitioners Matthews, Lipman, Haynes and Worley, this website encourages Language Arts teachers to enrich their classrooms with philosophy and young adult literature.
Philosophy For Young Adults
Studying English Education Graduate student at Colorado State University from 2010 to 2013, I took note of the instructional practices, essential questions, constructed responses, and assessments that could serve to introduce young adults to philosophical ideas and questions while also addressing Colorado's Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing and Communicating. I worked to design and implement units incorporating philosophical inquiry that had the formative and cumulative assessments that could encourage critical thinking and provide data to prove that students were indeed reaching targeted learning outcomes in Common Core State Standards, especially writing and communicating. Philosophy for Young Adult sub-pages illuminate the four-step process of doing philosophy in English class using Young Adult Literature: Philosophical Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry, Philosophical Discussion, and Philosophical Writing.
Literature For Young Adults
For adolescents grades 6-12, philosophical literacy can enrich the study of literature. Young adult literature is perfect to engage young people in reading and doing philosophy. Stephen Chobsky's Perks of Being a Wallflower, Susanne Collins' The Hunger Games, and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game -- each recently made into a major motion picture -- are pregnant with ethical questions of character, duty, dignity and community. (I'm not the only one who saw philosophical themes in Ender's Game). The Literature for Young Adults page discusses why young adult literature is perfect for philosophy with young people. This page also helps students choose reading-level philosophy-friendly texts.
Philosophy-enriched Unit Plan #1 for Grades 6-12 Language Arts
This Choice-Book Unit, when implemented in a English 10 Loveland High School classroom in the Spring of 2013, yielded quantitative advances in writing scores and qualitative improvements in character, morale, and community. Drawing from Peter Smagorinsky for instructional planning by design, and Kylene Beers, Kelly Gallagher and Sarah Wessling for meaningful reading and writing activities in the context of State Standards, this original unit incorporates the wisdom of modern Philosophy for Children educators and theorists (Lipman, Worley, Hannam, Copeland). This unit focuses on the essential questions of character and purpose.
Philosophy-enriched Unit Plan #2 for Grade 12 Language Arts
Little formal work has been done reading the modern classic canon of Young Adult literature with an eye for philosophical inquiry. Using M.T. Anderson's critically acclaimed Feed, this five-week unit focuses on the essential question of happiness, and how our notions of happiness intersect with the use (and abuse) of 21st-century technological communication. As a fitting summative assessment, students complete an interactive web-quest that meets standards in writing and oral communication. This unit hints at the possibility of a wide array of multimodal teaching materials that could enrich teaching young adult literature with philosophical inquiry.
Resources and Links
Teachers need not have any formal training in philosophy to be successful introducing philosophical reading, inquiry, discussion, and writing. The resources provided here can deepen teacher involvement with doing philosophy with children and adolescents. Most available resources are gauged towards grades K-6. Fewer resources exist for doing philosophy with adolescents in grades 6-12 who may be struggling readers or might not be college-bound. I hope to begin to fill this gap by encouraging educators to draw from these resources and links in a way that will enrich their study of philosophy-provoking choice literature.
References
The References page contains citations for the most helpful theory and research for doing philosophy with youth. The page also links to key Colorado Department of Education documents that set the learning standards in Colorado (and most of America).
About the Author
If you have any questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions, or if you'd like to share-and-tell your favorite young adult literature, or your experience doing philosophy with young people, please contact the author directly at [email protected].