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The If Machine: Philosophical Enquiry in the Classroom
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Review
'A very well-organised and thought-out book…One of the most Striking things about this book is it's intellectually rigour, it's grounding in the work of real philosophers and it's implicit belief that children will respond to big and important ideas.' --Times Educational Supplement, 28th Jan 2011
'This is a timely and valuable contribution: a capacity to think critically is the key component of any education, and Worley is an inventive enhancer of children's ability to think for themselves. --A.C.Grayling, Professor of Philosophy, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
'Plato in primary school? Existentialism, moral responsibility and determinism as topics for key stage 2 exploration? Is this book suggesting that primary children can tackle these big ideas? Has Peter Worley ever been inside a school? The answers are yes, yes, yes and yes. Worley is seriously presenting this material for use in schools…This is, I think, a pretty comprehensive package. Many of the stimulus stories derive from classical origins, but these are mixed with the contemporary tale of Billy Bash the school bully and the futuristic Ceebies stories, which use an increasingly humanoid robot to explore what it means to be human. In all cases, the quality of the stimulus material is high and the task questions are engaging and demanding. Without the context of the stories, many of the questions, such as "Do you think the mind is the same thing as the brain?" or "Is it possible to think of nothing?" would be out of reach for primary pupils. But within context, they are exciting opportunities for exploration and I can imagine primary children getting very involved with them. --Martin Spice, TES Magazine
'This is a timely and valuable contribution: a capacity to think critically is the key component of any education, and Worley is an inventive enhancer of children's ability to think for themselves. --A.C.Grayling, Professor of Philosophy, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
'Plato in primary school? Existentialism, moral responsibility and determinism as topics for key stage 2 exploration? Is this book suggesting that primary children can tackle these big ideas? Has Peter Worley ever been inside a school? The answers are yes, yes, yes and yes. Worley is seriously presenting this material for use in schools…This is, I think, a pretty comprehensive package. Many of the stimulus stories derive from classical origins, but these are mixed with the contemporary tale of Billy Bash the school bully and the futuristic Ceebies stories, which use an increasingly humanoid robot to explore what it means to be human. In all cases, the quality of the stimulus material is high and the task questions are engaging and demanding. Without the context of the stories, many of the questions, such as "Do you think the mind is the same thing as the brain?" or "Is it possible to think of nothing?" would be out of reach for primary pupils. But within context, they are exciting opportunities for exploration and I can imagine primary children getting very involved with them. --Martin Spice, TES Magazine
'This is a timely and valuable contribution: a capacity to think critically is the key component of any education, and Worley is an inventive enhancer of children's ability to think for themselves. --A.C.Grayling, Professor of Philosophy, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
'Plato in primary school? Existentialism, moral responsibility and determinism as topics for key stage 2 exploration? Is this book suggesting that primary children can tackle these big ideas? Has Peter Worley ever been inside a school? The answers are yes, yes, yes and yes. Worley is seriously presenting this material for use in schools…This is, I think, a pretty comprehensive package. Many of the stimulus stories derive from classical origins, but these are mixed with the contemporary tale of Billy Bash the school bully and the futuristic Ceebies stories, which use an increasingly humanoid robot to explore what it means to be human. In all cases, the quality of the stimulus material is high and the task questions are engaging and demanding. Without the context of the stories, many of the questions, such as "Do you think the mind is the same thing as the brain?" or "Is it possible to think of nothing?" would be out of reach for primary pupils. But within context, they are exciting opportunities for exploration and I can imagine primary children getting very involved with them. --Martin Spice, TES Magazine
'This is a timely and valuable contribution: a capacity to think critically is the key component of any education, and Worley is an inventive enhancer of children's ability to think for themselves. --A.C.Grayling, Professor of Philosophy, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
'Plato in primary school? Existentialism, moral responsibility and determinism as topics for key stage 2 exploration? Is this book suggesting that primary children can tackle these big ideas? Has Peter Worley ever been inside a school? The answers are yes, yes, yes and yes. Worley is seriously presenting this material for use in schools…This is, I think, a pretty comprehensive package. Many of the stimulus stories derive from classical origins, but these are mixed with the contemporary tale of Billy Bash the school bully and the futuristic Ceebies stories, which use an increasingly humanoid robot to explore what it means to be human. In all cases, the quality of the stimulus material is high and the task questions are engaging and demanding. Without the context of the stories, many of the questions, such as "Do you think the mind is the same thing as the brain?" or "Is it possible to think of nothing?" would be out of reach for primary pupils. But within context, they are exciting opportunities for exploration and I can imagine primary children getting very involved with them. --Martin Spice, TES Magazine
Product Description
This is a practical resource packed with 'philosophical thought experiments' - imaginary situations designed to test an idea or intuition though profound thinking. Can computers think? What makes something human? How big is infinity? From Sartre to Searle, this practical book is rooted in accepted philosophical theory, and introduced at a level suitable for children. Each chapter offers an imaginary situation, followed by a series of questions to encourage children to question key philosophical ideas such as values and ethics, gender and identity, existence and beauty. All the thought experiments have been tried-and-tested in the primary classroom, and a handy star system is included to indicate the difficulty level of each one, enabling quick ability differentiation. With a comprehensive introduction, key sections on the philosophy behind the experiments, this book also includes an online teacher's resource to guide them through using the stories to best effect in the classroom. Invaluable as a resource for P4C trained teachers, this book is also perfect for primary teachers with no previous grounding in philosophy who want to introduce higher order and critical thinking in their classroom.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After buying this book I planned to flick through it on the train home but ended up glued to it all the way home!
It is jam-packed with ideas and methods to get children thinking, including teaching strategies which can be used by any teacher in any lesson.
The layout is clear and easy to follow and there are a number of tried and tested lesson plans to use in the classroom, each accompanied with a useful difficulty rating, age suitability, themes, and an explanation of the underlying philosophical ideas, as well as some suggestions of answers children could give (or have given in the past!) and how to respond to them.
I have already recommended this book to many friends and colleagues, and tried out several of the sessions with a year 5 class, who really enjoyed them!
A must-have resource for anyone who wants to teach children to think and reason for themselves!
It is jam-packed with ideas and methods to get children thinking, including teaching strategies which can be used by any teacher in any lesson.
The layout is clear and easy to follow and there are a number of tried and tested lesson plans to use in the classroom, each accompanied with a useful difficulty rating, age suitability, themes, and an explanation of the underlying philosophical ideas, as well as some suggestions of answers children could give (or have given in the past!) and how to respond to them.
I have already recommended this book to many friends and colleagues, and tried out several of the sessions with a year 5 class, who really enjoyed them!
A must-have resource for anyone who wants to teach children to think and reason for themselves!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you would like to have class discussions that run for a whole lesson and get children developing their critical thinking, there is no better guidebook than this. The best thing about it is that it is packed with practical activities to use in lessons, together with advice on how to exploit them. One particular highlight is the sequence of 'Ceebie' stories, which provide very rich material for stimulating enquiries. The children are first gripped by the story and then by the conflicts and issues that it throws up. The philosophy behind philosophical enquiry is dealt with here as well, but always in the context of real situations. Having worked with the author, I know that everything in this book has been honed over several years, and has been tested by a number of people. Although the book is innovative it is not experimental; it is a record of success - and an invaluable resource.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book is written for primary age children but is does itself an injustice by restricting its readership to primary age. As a secondary RME teacher I can say without hesitation that there is plenty in this book for secondary classes. The methodology section is both interesting ad re-assuring at the same time. It gives some different takes on teaching thinking skills but it also describes techniques used by RME teachers for many years so it is re-assuring to know that our teaching of thinking skills is a recognised skill. The philosophical exercises are excellent and although some are clearly for primary age it does not take a lot of imagination to transpose these to secondary age. A very useful addition to any staff development library.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
"the If machine"
My daughter who is a primary school teacher and to whom I gave the book as a present, says that this is an excellent guide, which has great potential for teaching philosophy in the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ashenden
Great resource for developing independent thinking
I bought this for my Year 5 class and I have to say it has proved a worthy purchase. The philosophical questions are though provoking and grasp the children's imagination. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bagpuss
Not Just an Excellent Resource Book for the Classroom!
I purchased 'the if machine' several months ago, and just a few days before an important interview. I had scanned through the book, something I usually do, to get a sense of the... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mark C B
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