Hi everyone,
The new school year here in the UK is fast approaching, and we have some brand-new resources to share with you!
Why teach philosophy now?
Teaching philosophy to children is one of the most effective, engaging and cheapest ways of developing children’s learning skills.
Many schools will be looking for ways to rebuild their children’s learning skills following the disruption of the last couple of years. Teaching philosophy to children is a fantastic way of developing these skills which can support their learning in all subjects. Delphi Philosophy has been put together in such a way that children make progress in their listening, questioning, reasoning and explaining skills – just by engaging with the stories and joining in the activities! We have a substantial assessment system in place which informs the structure of our stories and schemes of work, meaning we can observe and measure the progress children make. What’s more, learning to teach philosophy to children helps develop the teacher’s skills so that all your discussions and questioning, in whatever subject, has a greater impact. We know it works – we’ve been doing it for years!
There’s never been a better time to get started – and we have new enquiries and resources ready for you.
Best Teacher Ever
Best Teacher Ever is our brand new, multi-part enquiry about learning. The purpose of this story and enquiry is to help children consider what learning means, and what is the best way we can learn new things. It was created to help children develop their metacognition, and better understand how teaching and learning really works. The story follows Delphi as she encounters her very first teachers. She is very excited at first, certain that she will find learning easy, whatever her friend Plato might think about it. Over the three main parts of the story she has lessons from three very different teachers - who just happen to be three famous teachers from the history of philosophy! Based on the ideas of Socrates, Plato, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, this lively and engaging story will help children understand what really makes good teaching and learning.
The Dream – available now for Delphi members
Delphi the Dreamer, our next full-length story and scheme of work, is almost here! After beginning work on this almost three years ago, we are currently in the final stages of putting this together for release during 2021 and 2022. This scheme of work follows the same format and structure as Delphi the Philosopher but is targeted at slightly older children (9-14) or those more experienced in doing philosophy. While Delphi the Philosopher focuses primarily on ethics, Delphi the Dreamer focuses on metaphysics - particularly questions of being, reality and identity. It also continues the skills progression established in the first scheme of work, challenging children to further develop their listening, questioning, reasoning and explaining skills. This scheme will suit primary aged children who have already completed Delphi the Philosopher, or older children who are ready to start their journey into philosophy with some even bigger questions!
'The Dream' is the first chapter of Delphi the Dreamer, and is available to trial now exclusively for our members! This rollercoaster ride of a story was written to be an exciting introduction, or reintroduction, to philosophy for children. It's packed with surprises and mysteries, as Delphi comes face to face with the Demon and encounters some of the biggest questions of all. We put together this story to be as memorable, as impactful and as useful as we could - the ideal way to get children developing their learning skills and becoming philosophers!
Access all our resources
With these new resources being added, becoming a Delphi Philosophy member has become better value than ever. For just £30 for an annual subscription, a membership will give you immediate access to:
The full scheme of work for Delphi the Philosopher, our full scheme of work for primary age children, including the full set of resources and lesson plans
Access to all our Enquiry Packs, including the brand-new Best Teacher Ever enquiry
The full set of printable resources for Delphi’s Guide to Athens – over a hundred pages of stories, information, drawings, photos and big questions for use across the curriculum
The Delphi Philosophy Teacher’s Guide, containing extensive advice and information on teaching and assessing philosophy with children
First access to trial versions of new enquiries – including immediate access to ‘The Dream’ from Delphi the Dreamer
Access to the Agora Forum, where you can ask questions and share ideas with other members
First access to the full set of resources for Delphi the Dreamer – our new scheme of work for 9-13 year olds, which will continue to be released soon!
We have plenty more for you to explore too! Don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel to watch Delphi the Philosopher in full, or download it to read yourself on Kindle.
As two full time primary school teachers in the UK, we know how challenging the recent years have been. Let’s hope things settle down soon and we can get back to some philosophical adventures together. Every little bit of support we receive means the world to us.
All the best for the next chapter!
Dave and Rosie
Delphi Philosophy