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The philosophy shop (Winter 08/09)

The Philosophy Shop: Turning Philosophy Skills into a Career

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Summary

In this article, Emma Worley, director of new educational service provider The Philosophy Shop, talks about how philosophy graduates are being offered the chance to apply their skills in a philosophy-oriented career.

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Introduction

Philosophy students will tell you that exposure to the intellectual challenges of Plato, Hume and Kant is a highlight of their educational experience – for the rest of their lives, in many cases.

Philosophy is shaking off its image of being an ivory tower subject and is increasingly a destination for many young people going to University: in 2007 just under 2,000 UK graduates entered the workplace with such a degree, over double the 2001 figure.

But there's no denying that it can be a challenge to map their hard-won analytical and reasoning skills to the world of work, at least initially.

Is this beginning to change? There is growing evidence it is. Not only are philosophers being sought in the mainstream market as 'general graduates' – philosophers are being sought specifically for their philosophy training, by organisations including the NHS among others. For instance, more and more people are needed to comment on moral issues in healthcare, such as abortion or euthanasia: philosophers study these topics in depth. Meanwhile, ethics in business and corporate social responsibility are similarly areas large corporations are grappling with and they are turning to philosophy graduates and postgraduates to help them.

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Philosophy in schools: developing critical reasoning skills

There is also a lot of interest in the value of philosophy as a tool for improving thinking skills in general, a key skill employers are demanding as the economy shifts to being more knowledge-based. The new 'Critical Reasoning' A-level option is proving very popular – and it is, in essence, philosophical method without the history of ideas. There is also an increasing demand for educational consultant philosophers, engaging with children and teaching philosophy in schools. Michael Hand and Carrie Winstanley’s Philosophy in Schools, published this year, has several academics and education experts calling for philosophy to be taught in schools – not just as a way for children to learn to communicate more with each other and grow in confidence, but as an academic subject with thinking and reasoning skills at its core.

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? - Philosophy being taught at Eliot Bank Primary School

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The benefits of this kind of consultation can include a boost in reasoning skills, with pupils saying they are learning how to approach problems more creatively; how to think more deeply; how to develop a train of thought and appreciate another point of view. This can take the form of becoming familiar with important adult themes which makes for more responsible and enquiring socially-minded and politically-engaged individuals in the long run, as well as (a major plus point) a possible 'way back in' for difficult and low-achieving students. These pupils can grow in confidence when they realise that the primary resource for the group is not regurgitated fact but their own independent opinions.

Are these claims too strong? There are external and independent proof points, thankfully. Last year UNESCO published a study looking at the benefits of teaching philosophy at pre-school and primary levels, concluding, "[We] consider the teaching of philosophy to be necessary and something to be reckoned with." Meanwhile, a 2007 study by Dundee University (2007) suggested that confronting core philosophical debates as the nature of existence, ethics and knowledge can raise children's IQ by up to 6.5 points and improve emotional intelligence. The research also found that philosophy in schools promotes certain speaking and listening skills, as well as sustained reasoning skills over time.

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The Philosophy Shop training

My company, The Philosophy Shop, provides training for qualified philosophers (graduates and postgraduates) on how to deliver philosophy-based skills to young children, and we think we are part of this trend. We have seen a marked increase in demand for our services and we are extending our training programme, as well as increasing the regional uptake of our services across the UK, as teachers and parents start recognising the powerful impact exposure to philosophical thinking brings to primary school age children.

Thus Eugene Romain, a teacher at Grinling Gibbon’s School in South London notes:

Children grow in confidence when they realise that the primary resource for the group is not regurgitated fact, but rather their own independent opinions. Their delight and absorption in coming to use their analytic skills is obvious, and their quick adaptation to the individuality and originality that real thinking requires is impossible to miss

Eugene also thinks children widen their sense of the scope of thinking, adding “it is notable how comfortable they become with the ambiguous, the open-ended and the unknown [as a result]."

So what can a freshly-minted philosophy graduate expect to have to learn in order to successfully deliver philosophical insights to a classroom?

In our case, we offer a special introductory programme which is based on a five-day training course combined with classroom training. The first two days includes games and starter activities, how to structure a philosophy session for juniors, advice on how to facilitate a philosophy session effectively and linking philosophy and the history of ideas to the children’s insights. We also look at basic teaching skills like how to keep control in the classroom, communication skills and use of body language, how to ask the right sort of questions to get responses, planning, prep and of course how to work best with the teachers in the school (where a practical session also takes place). The follow-on three days extends all this by working on skills to help philosophers devise sessions with teachers and align the work with the national curriculum, as well as learning how to work with younger children. Note that classroom experience is a must to do this well and that in order to become a consultant you will be observed and have your work approved. We also have advanced courses for our experienced consultants.

The philosophy being talked about here, it's worth bearing in mind, is formal guidance not simply an in-depth discussion. Children are not just encouraged to say what they are thinking or express their feelings; they are encouraged to explain why they are thinking it and to justify that why, an approach backed by education expert Michael Hand (Can Children be Taught Philosophy?, 2008).

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Educational consultant philosophers

Some educational consultant philosophers who have been putting their skills into practice include a current London University MPhil student, Robert Torrington. “While studying, I knew that philosophy had to have some practical application, it had to have an effect on people,” he says. “Philosophy is too often thought of as a dead subject, purely art or too abstract. But with what The Philosophy Shop offers, that is no longer the case - it's allowed me to take my degree and use it in a way I know benefits others and myself in a uniquely philosophical way.”

The level of support for people just starting out is everything you could ask for, too, including teaching methods and advice about approaching schools to a wealth of tried and tested resources. I am now part of a philosophical community that encourages the vocational nature of philosophy in all areas, with the organisation working with adult reading groups, community workshops, all-round making its members feel like they’re really doing philosophy!

Miriam Cohen, Philosophy MPhil and a former tutor at UCL, agrees. “It is very exciting to be teaching philosophy in primary schools,” she thinks. “Having taught at undergraduate and graduate level for many years I find thinking about how the skills used in philosophy can be applied and used by children to help them engage in ideas and have clearer thoughts both very challenging and very rewarding. The Philosophy Shop courses are an excellent way to start the process of teaching in primary schools. Watching the moments when a child understands something and begins to get excited about a question is very special.”

I have taught Philosophy for 14 years at university and I still got a lot out of the course and it was just what I was looking for. It is great to benefit from the experience of this organisation and to understand how it fits into the curriculum.

So the message is – if you are a recent philosophy graduate, could sharing the excitement you had when you first dealt with Plato, Hume and Kant with today's youngsters be the best way forward for you? If so, we would love to hear from you.

For more information about the ‘Philosophy in Primary Schools’ programme, its services across the UK and how to participate in its UK-wide training for qualified philosophers, please visit http://www.thephilosophyshop.co.uk

References

Philosophy in Schools , edited by Michael Hand and Carrie Winstanley. Continuum 2008. Copywright Hand, Winstanley and Contributors.

"Can Children Be Taught Philosophy" in Philosophy in Schools, Michael Hand. Continuum 2008. Copywright Hand, Winstanley and Contributors.

Dundee University 2007. Trickey and Topping research results. Accesible at: http://www.clacksweb.org.uk

Unesco study 2008: http://www.unesco.org/shs/philosophy