My colleague Steve Williams gives great advice about getting children to think philosophically; he suggests that we ask them often, What is interesting or important?
For example:
What did you think was interesting or important in that story?
What do you think is interesting or important about this painting?
What do you think was interesting or important in what people have said so far?
This simple facilitation move not only shows pupils that you are interested in what they think, it also encourages them to listen to others.
For example, if you read them Frog and Toad – Dragons and Giants (from Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel, 1972) and then ask what they thought was interesting or important, they’ll say things like
Jake: They wanted to be brave.
Amaya: They said they were brave, but they hid in the cupboard!
Lila: They were scared really.
You can then ask them follow-on questions such as
Jake, you said they wanted to be brave – why did they want to be brave?
Is it good to be brave?
Should we always be brave?
