Students come up with stunningly good questions.
Sometimes those questions take over the class.
I just experienced this first hand during a discussion on Plato’s Crito and Martin Luther King’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail (one of the required documents in the redesigned AP government course.) Continue reading
It seems paradoxical but it’s not.
Children’s stories capture our imagination, make us wonder, and reveal the inherent mysteries of life in the simplest and most profound ways.
They can also motivate teachers and students of all grade levels and subjects to ask Big Questions.
You’ve already seen how the Araboolies of Liberty Street by Sam Swope can be used to teach the Civil Rights Movement and the 1st Amendment and how Swimmy by Leo Lionni can be used to teach the meaning of bravery in the Abolitionist Movement.
But there’s so much more.
The University of Washington Center for Philosophy of Children has a treasure trove of over 100 children’s stories along with innovative ideas on how to use these stories to introduce Big Questions in the classroom. Most of the stories can be adapted seamlessly to fit the middle and high school audience.
Consider these stories and the Big Questions they inspire:
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Is the proper role of government to help citizens or to encourage citizens to help themselves?
The Big Box by Toni Morrison
Who gets to decide who is free? or What does it mean to have freedom?
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Are historical events determined to happen or can humans change the course of history through their choices?
You might think you can’t use children’s stories, especially in a high school class! It’s too basic and simplistic. The kids will think you are insulting their intelligence.
Dispense with this thinking! Each time I’ve introduced a children’s story, I have found most of my students alert, intrigued and ready to think. This is because I’m drawing upon something familiar and creating a safe space for them to think. It’s the perfect entry point for asking Big Questions.
The best part is that you can come back to the children’s story repeatedly as you work your way through different units, all the while reinforcing the importance of the original Big Questions the story inspired. This strategy would be particularly valuable in an English class with a novel.
What children’s story do YOU use (or could you use) in your classroom?
Next Post: Where can I find Big Questions? Ask a Philosopher
Though Socrates made asking questions seem deceptively simple, it’s actually a complex process. Here are a few criteria to creating the kinds of deep questions that lead to incredible conversations.
Why would people work hard if there were no rewards or consequences?
Can one ever truly be happy?
All my life I’ve been fascinated with questions. The fascination intensified in college as a political science and philosophy major when I read about Socrates who, as history tells us, made a living walking around asking people questions. His questions were penetrating, inspired multiple perspectives of understanding and often left his conversation partners scratching their heads in confusion. Rather than assume he knew the truth, Socrates humbly revealed the ignorance of others, and paid the ultimate penalty.With Socrates as a model, questioning became a lifelong addiction and teaching became the ideal treatment for this addiction. In the classroom my core energies are centered around how to use questions to increase a student’s capacity to wonder, handle complicated issues and tolerate diverse views. I consider these outcomes to be hallmarks of a great education.
Continue reading
Socrates Questions 