Philosophy’s position in the NZ Secondary School System

1. Philosophy’s position in the NZ Secondary School System NZ Association For Philosophy Teachers SocCon 2013 Thanks to The Woods Bequest Richard.Tweedie@hagley.school.nz

2. The Trifecta 1st Philosophy of Education 2nd Philosophy as a non-isolatable domain underlying all Learning Areas 3rd Philosophy as a Social Science/Humanities discipline

3. Revised NZ Curriculum (2007) Pedagogy Philosophy

4. Ideological Visions Confident, connected, actively involved and lifelong learners Go forth to new heights in achievement and labour

5. 1st PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Philosophy Pedagogy

7. 2nd: Refined NZ Curriculum Philosophy as a trans-disciplinary non-isolable domain Stephen E. Toulmin (1972) Human Understanding

8. Philosophy helps to imbue the public mind with a certain number of philosophical and moral notions to be regarded as a minimum equipment, and which are calculated to reinforce respect for human personality. UNESCO (1946) UNESCO, Philosophy a School of Freedom, Paris, UNESCO Publishing 2007. UNESCO, Teaching Philosophy in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, UNESCO Publishing 2009

10. Intra-disciplinary Nature of Philosophy • integrates and transcends other disciplines - enhances cognitive efficiency • Interdependent structuring of discussion for young people whose existential relationships to the self and to others are in constant flux – cultivates reasonableness • establishes a space within a school context where ‘broadening the horizons of reason’ to the limits of thought and understanding can be a regular part of the curriculum; extreme indoor education – enables rationalautonomy • allows a non-sectarian inquiry and exploration of ethics without social control or indoctrination. Students examine a number of perspectives and develop skills to navigate moral life – develops values

11. Scientific speculation is a philosophical activity and as such precedes theory and practice. Similarly for all other disciplines. Student Essay Example: Quantum Physics How to think about Quantum Wave-Function Collapse Quantum Physics remains an area of intense speculation for physicists, because of the uncertainty of how a quantum element in a superposition (in two states at once) will ‘collapse’ into being in only one state when measured. This has resulted in some strange postulations of how the universe works when the quantum interact with the macroscopic world. In this essay, I will evaluate three of the main hypotheses that attempt to explain the collapse of the superposition using the ‘SEARCH’ formula. The ‘SEARCH’ formula is a method used to evaluate evidence supporting multiple hypotheses and determine which is the most probable. The SEARCH formula consists of four main steps: NB: also illustrates how the Humanities can be essential for STEM

12. A rigorous humanities subject

13. "We're hiring a living breathing person, not a qualification. Someone who is thinking about who and what they are, why they are justifying taking up space on earth - we're hiring people's values and attitudes. If I found a [job] applicant with philosophy skills I would grab them.” Kim Campbell, Chief Executive EMA - Employers and Manufacturers Association (October, 2012)

14. 3rd Learning Objectives – Curriculum Guide

15. Why study philosophy? • Seek wisdom and insight • Make ethical decisions • Think critically • Argue logically • Build personal confidence

16. Predicting Patterns in Nature ?

17. Testing Hypotheses Hypothesis 1 • Alternate colours (red, black, red, black) Hypothesis 2 • Number cards alternating with face cards Hypothesis 3 • Alternate suits (diamond, club, diamond, club) Hypothesis 4 –Mother Nature’s Choice • Alternate lower and higher cards (low, high, low, high) Conformation Bias, Falsification Ben Goldacre. Battling Bad Science, TED Talks

18. Thank You