Deep Thought – 5 philosophical questions to get your class thinking
If you’re interested in getting your pupils thinking a little more deeply about the things they take for granted, try holding a class discussion using these thought-provoking posers, courtesy of Dutch children’s author, Fabien van der Ham… Why is time so important? Does a story need to have a start? Who decides what is normal? […]
- by Callum Fauser
- Editor of Teach Secondary magazine
If you’re interested in getting your pupils thinking a little more deeply about the things they take for granted, try holding a class discussion using these thought-provoking posers, courtesy of Dutch children’s author, Fabien van der Ham…
Why is time so important?
Does a story need to have a start?
Who decides what is normal?
If you don’t know you are happy, are you really happy then?
What never changes?
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These questions and 45 others are available as a pack of playing cards originally published in Dutch as ‘Praatrikkels’, and now issued in English under the title Tickle Talks. Each card contains a deceptively simple question that deals with a weighty topic, such as truth, identity, time, freedom and identity, with an accompanying illustration intended to get children thinking. On the back of each card are a series of follow-up questions, such as ‘How is that possible‘, ‘Can you give an example?’ and ‘Does that apply for everything‘?
The cards’ creator, Fabien van der Ham, is a regular guest speaker at schools throughout the Netherlands and a keen proponent of the benefits of philosophising among younger learners.
Tickle Talks can be ordered from www.tickletalks.com, priced at £7.20 per pack. The site also includes a downloadable sheet of further probing questions for use with the cards, and a guide to philosophising with children for parents and teachers.
