Interested candidates should send an email message describing their interest in the position, along with an attached resume and the names, titles, and phone numbers of two references, to: info@plato-philosophy.org, by 5 pm PST August 31, 2019. 

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED!

JOB POSTING: Executive Director

PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization), founded in 2010, is a non-profit organization that advocates and supports introducing philosophy to precollege students through programs, resource-sharing, and the development of a national network of those working in precollege philosophy.

Mission Statement: PLATO promotes philosophy classes for all K-12 students, including those in classrooms least likely to have access to academic enrichment programs. Bringing together the education and philosophy communities, PLATO celebrates diversity within the philosophy classroom and endorses a wide variety of philosophical approaches and methods.

Job Description

PLATO seeks its first Executive Director to help develop, coordinate, and administer PLATO’s programs and strategic planning. The Executive Director will work closely with the members of PLATO’s Executive Committee to accomplish the organization’s day-to-day work. Initially, this will be a quarter-time job, with the expectation that the Executive Director will work from his or her location approximately 10 hours each week. Compensation is $15,000 per year.

Job Responsibilities

Leadership and Programs

• Work with the Executive Committee to ensure the quality of all PLATO programs and communications; recommend and create timelines, resources, and other organizational measures needed to achieve PLATO’s strategic goals.
• Work with the Executive Committee to engage PLATO volunteers, board members, committee members, supporters, partnering organizations, and funders.
• Work with the Executive Committee to assess and evaluate program components to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other constituents.
• Work with the Executive Committee to engage in ongoing strategic planning for the organization.

Administration

• Support all board committees, attending committee meetings as needed.
• Keep an annual calendar and monitor and track the timelines for all programs.
• Manage other administrative organizational details.

Development and Communications

• Work with the Executive and Development Committees to increase revenue-generating and fundraising activities to support and expand existing programs.
• Work with the Executive Committee and the Development Coordinator to ensure effective management of PLATO communications.
• Deepen and refine all aspects of communications—from PLATO’s online presence to external relations –with the goal of developing enhanced visibility.
• Work with the Executive Committee to communicate to stakeholders the successes of PLATO programs.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to PLATO’s mission
• At least two years of experience in the field of precollege philosophy
• Experience in program management
• Ability to work independently and apply a broad knowledge of program and administrative practices and strategies
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and time management skills
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work well collaboratively
• Excellent computer skills
• B.A. or advanced degree

The post Job Opening at PLATO: Executive Director appeared first on PLATO.

The PLATO Toolkit offers free lesson plans to K-12 teachers on our website (https://www.plato-philosophy.org/teachertoolkit) The competition seeks submissions to add to our collection of tools and lesson plans. The top 5 lesson plans will receive $100 prize and will be featured on our website and via social media. All authors will be given credit for their lesson plans when they are featured on our website. If you already have lesson plans you use, why not share them? Or if you have some ideas in your head, why not write them down for others to use? Everyone wins when we share our knowledge.

Competition Details:

• The top 5 lesson plans will receive $100 prize award each
• Limit one award per person.
• One person can submit as many tools as one likes.
• Lesson plans must be submitted through the link on the PLATO website (here: https://www.plato-philosophy.org/toolkit-submission/)

Deadline:

• Submissions must be received by September 15, 2019
•  Winners will be announced no later than October 31, 2019

Toolkit Submission Review & Website Posting:

• Authors will be given credit in the byline at the top of the lesson plan.
• Submissions may be edited before being posted on the website.
• Submissions will be evaluated by the Toolkit Committee. Not all submissions will be accepted.
• Accepted lesson plans may be posted shortly after acceptance (and before winners are announced)
• Submissions are judged based on quality, creativity, relevance, the ease of use, and the complexity of topic. They must be submitted in the appropriate format for the website, using the online form

The post PLATO Toolkit Competition appeared first on PLATO.

Merlin CCC offers philosophy experiences in Helena, Montana for community members of all ages. This organization believes that philosophy can enrich all lives. Learn more about them by reading the interview below and by check out their website: https://merlinccc.org/

PLATO: Can you describe how Merlin’s Philosophy in the Community project was started?

Merlin CCC: Our ‘Philosophy in the Community’ project was inspired by experiences had over the years with both my late father and various of my philosophy professors – all of whom approached the discipline of philosophy as an activity intricately connected to and embedded in community. The first activities that we ever offered under this umbrella were our philosophy walks. These hold a special place in my heart and are, to date, still my favorite activities. Part of this affection is nostalgia-driven; being outdoors and wandering into the great wide open is where I first discovered philosophy. The other component has to do with what happens in nature; nature inspires, sparks curiosity, demands humility, and has a relentless and magical way of inviting deep thoughts. Nature and philosophy go hand in hand. And even if the adventure is a solo one, in so far as there is a communing of sorts, there is always a community element…always an opportunity for reflection, contemplation, and connection. From there, and continuing to build on the community aspect, we started offering philosophy think & drinks (always a fav!) and philosophy symposiums, both of which have a very different structure and feel, but are equally “thinky,” diverse, and community-driven. Over time, more activities have been added to the kettle, including: philosophy workshops and outings, philosophy drive-in’s and read-in’s, philosophy fellowship programs, and various philosophy community endeavors and collaborative ventures.

PLATO: What helped you grow the idea into a successful program?

Merlin CCC: As Pollyannaish as it may sound, the project (and our organization in general) became a reality due simply to believing deeply enough in the idea and then just digging in and doing it. It was very “Field of Dream”-ish. And, it started out as a surreal, in fashion as the movie – one person standing out in a field kicking up dust…until that one became two, then three, and soon a community. I think the fact that our project and organization has grown the way it has is, I think, a testament to the power of philosophy more than anything. That philosophy can transform and enrich our lives and foster community in the ways that it does is so beautiful.

PLATO: What was one of your favorite Philosophy in the Community moments?

Merlin CCC: One of my favorite memories from our ‘Philosophy in the Community’ project happened at a philosophy walk. I recall the moment distinctly. It was our first philosophy walk and my mom (in an act of solidarity) flew down from Alaska to partake in the hike. I had requested in my advertising of the walk that people show up roughly 10 minutes prior to start time (to stretch out, get geared up, etc.). The walk was supposed to start at 10am and it was 9:55am and the only people there were me and my mom. I looked at her and began to say, “Well, it looks like it’s just you and me.” But then a man appeared out of what seemed like nowhere, with hands on hips, emphatically shouting (and, I kid you not!): “Man in need of philosophy!” My entire being smiled – partly in joy and relief, and partly because it reaffirmed something I had felt to be true for so long: that we all need philosophy.

PLATO: What do your Philosophy in the Community programs look like?

Merlin CCC: It is hard to describe entirely what our programs are like — in part because they are still evolving.  That said, you can get a sense of some of our programs by watching these two videos — the first of which provides an overview of our philosophy walks and second of which talks about our approach to philosophy, in general.

• Philosophy Walk: https://merlinccc.org/media-library/philosophy-walk-hctv-exploring-big-ideas-big-sky/
• Interview about Philosophy in the Community Programming: https://merlinccc.org/merlin-press/philosophy-in-the-community-hctv-may-2018/

PLATO: What are the goals of your Philosophy in the Community programs?

Merlin CCC: Our activities and services are designed for people of all backgrounds and ages (from children to elders) and are geared to:

• spark and encourage the exchange of ideas & the fun of doing
  philosophy
• promote critical, creative thought & reflection
• cultivate the faculty & virtue of “philosophical sensitivity”
• nurture and contribute to a sense of imagination and wonder
• reconnect people with nature by way of doing philosophy in
  inspiring places
• facilitate the application of philosophy to matters of everyday
  living
• inspire leadership & meaningful action, and
• build, foster & strengthen the community and environment

While our project primarily serves the community in which we are based (Helena, MT), beneficiaries often extend into surrounding cities and counties. We also have an on-line resource center that houses recordings and photos from our activities and, as of February of this year, we also started regularly offering philosophy think & drinks in Missoula, MT and have established some great relationships with individuals interested in bringing some of our project activities into their communities.

PLATO: Why do you think philosophical engagements like the ones Merlin CCC offers are important?

Merlin CCC: The “why?” of our project has to do with our belief in the value and relevance of philosophy and its ability to improve our everyday lives. It also has to do with access. We believe that philosophy is (and should be) a resource for everyone – regardless of background or age – and that it is not meant to be closed away in some book, but to be lived. Maybe this is connected to what I mentioned earlier…that each of us, in our own ways, needs philosophy. That, a field of dreams can bear fruit. I know this sounds strange…but I truly believe it. Philosophy is very compelling. Its questions are the questions of life. And, at our core, we are all philosophical beings. Sometimes we just need an invitation to remind ourselves of that and a set of tools to till the soil.

Merlin CCC has many resources available on their website. Check these out to inspire your own philosophy programs!

• Philosophy Walks
• Philosophy Think and Drinks
• Philosophy Symposiums & Round Tables
• Philosophy Drive-In’s
• Philosophy Read-In’s
• Philosophy Workshops & Outings
• Philosophy Community Ventures
• Philosophy Fellowship Programs

PLATO would like to thank Marisa Diaz-Waian (Founder & Executive Director of Merlin CCC) for taking the time to contribute to this blog post.

Merlin CCC programs are supported in part with grant funding from the PLATO organization.

The post Successful Philosophy in the Community Program in Montana appeared first on PLATO.

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PLATO: Can you describe the P4C program at CSUB?

P4C at CSUB: Since Winter 2016, the Philosophy Department at California State University Bakersfield has been developing a Philosophy for Children (P4C) program and offering P4C conversations at public libraries and elementary schools. The CSUB P4C program has multiple components:

•  A lower division course, CAFS/PHIL 2620 Philosophy for Children, introduces CSUB students to philosophical inquiry and diverse P4C methodologies.
• This lower division course prepares students for an experiential and service learning course, CAFS/PHIL 3620 P4C Practicum, where students design a curriculum and facilitate weekly P4C sessions with children in local elementary schools.
• Interested students have the option of enrolling in an internship course, PHIL 4620, and setting up a P4C program in a public library or after-school program under faculty supervision.

PLATO: Why did CSUB decide to have a “P4C on campus” event?

P4C at CSUB: The P4C on Campus project has three foundational reasons for existence:

1.  The first is to utilize the university library, besides other public libraries, as an open and free community-building site.
2. The second is to inspire children to pursue higher education by giving them an opportunity to visit a university campus and take part in a collegiate activity.
3. Finally, the third, is to provide college students, who take the lower division Philosophy for Children course (CAFS / PHIL 2620 Philosophy for Children), an opportunity to practice the skills they learn.

PLATO: How did you go about planning the inaugural “P4C on Campus” event last year?

P4C at CSUB: I contacted a local elementary school and had a meeting with the Principal. We decided together on which grade may be the best candidate for this event and discussed possible dates. I also met with the Walter Stiern Library Dean to determine the best venue and times for the event. We then worked with campus partners to make sure the program was fully supported by the campus:

•  Campus Outreach connected us with CSUB student ambassadors, who welcomed and gave campus tours to the children;
• Kegley Institute of Ethics paid for the venue;
• PHIL and CAFS Departments, A&H Dean, Center for Career Education as well as Provost gave us funds for paying for the venue and procuring instructional materials for the event as well as “P4C at CSUB” t-shirts for the children. The children wore the t-shirts during the event, and we were told that they continued wearing these t-shirts on their “college day”s throughout the school year—days devoted to researching about colleges and degrees.
• CAFS / PHIL 2620 students chose the books they wanted to use for the event and shared their ideas for activities and discussion questions with their classmates through practice-mock sessions before the event.

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PLATO: Who does the “P4C on Campus” even fit within the goals of the P4C program at CSUB?

P4C at CSUB: The aims of our P4C program are two-fold. On the one hand, we hope to widen an interest in and appreciation of philosophical thinking and conversation both in the public at large and in university students leaning towards instructional occupations. On the other hand, believing in the power of open philosophical inquiry to inspire and foster democratic and respectful dialogue as well as a sense of community, we hope to offer spaces of communication and inquiry of “big ideas” to young persons that reinforce their curiosity and openness to inquiry. By hosting children at the open, welcoming, and quite majestic Dezember Room of the university library, we both honor the role of libraries in our intellectual and communal life and give children the opportunity to emulate being university students for a few hours.

PLATO: Can you give us a sense of what this event look like on campus?

P4C at CSUB: The inaugural P4C on Campus event for this program took place in Fall 2018. We hosted one hundred and sixty students from the fifth-grade classes of Ramon Garza Elementary on November 6th, 2018, for three hours, offering them P4C conversations at the Walter Stiern Library’s Dezember Room and campus tours as well as P4C T-shirts and CSUB promotional materials.

The children sat in circles in groups of 15 on the carpeted floor with the CSUB student facilitators. Each group read and discussed a book: the books the students chose for the event were by Houndsley and Katina by Howe, Big Orange Splot by Pinkwater, The Fishing Lesson by Boell, and The Last Stop on Market Street by De La Pena. The teachers and a few parents from the elementary school were also in attendance and expressed their appreciation of the event, the books chosen, and the conversations among the children. We requested the children to fill out questionnaires after the event. One of the children wrote on the questionnaire that “I learned that college is more exciting than I thought and when I graduate high school I will go to CSUB” and another commented that “A happy thought I had was that I can go to college one day.”

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PLATO would like to thank Senem Saner, PhD from the Philosophy Department at California State University Bakersfield for taking the time to contribute to this blog post. P4C on Campus is a program supported in part with grant funding from the PLATO organization.

The post Philosophy for Children Program at California State University Bakersfield appeared first on PLATO.

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Mayoral Proclamation Ceremony at Longmont City Council Meeting

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Philosophical Songwriting Workshop

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Outdoor Philosophy Discussion on Fake News

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Art, Senses and the Mind Art Activity

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Grey Havens Philosophy Staff, Volunteers and Supporters

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Grey Havens Philosophy ran the Longmont Thinks! Month was in April 2019 and will be followed by Summer of the Mind which officially begins on May 23.

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PLATO: Can you describe how the Longmont Thinks! Initiative was started?

Grey Havens Philosophy: In 2018, we invited two Longmont City Council members to a philosophy discussion with Grey Havens YA, one of our discussion groups for grades 6-12. One council member in particular, Marcia Martin, was impressed by the quality of thinking from our young adults and excited to become more involved in our organization. She invited Mayor Brian Bagley to attend a meeting in January 2019. He was equally impressed. Ms. Martin suggested that we request a mayoral proclamation related to our work. Mr. Bagley and the City Manager agreed. On March 19, Mayor Bagley proclaimed the month of April as Longmont Thinks! Month. The idea was to make as many opportunities for philosophical conversation available to as many people as possible in as many public spaces as possible. We partnered with ten different businesses and agencies, including the City of Longmont, the philosophy department at Colorado University-Boulder, and the Philosophy Outreach Program of Colorado.
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PLATO: What did Longmont Thinks! Philosophy month involve?

Grey Havens Philosophy: We had a series of preview activities in March to get the community excited about the Month of Philosophy in our town, such as:

• Inter-generational philosophical songwriting workshop
• Think & drink discussions at a local tasting room
• Inter-generational discussion at the senior center
• Inter-generational philosophy art jam

PLATO: What a great spectrum of offerings for the community. What were some program offerings from the Philosophy Month in April

Grey Havens Philosophy: There were so many great philosophy programs, but here are some of the highlights:

• Outdoor Philosophy Discussion on “Fake News”: Twenty-two people of at least five generations gathered in St. Stephen’s Plaza in downtown Longmont to discuss truth and responsibility in media. The discussion ranged from evaluating news sources to the meaning of “truth” to the difference between art and propaganda and, finally, to which kinds of cultural artifacts should be preserved. Our partner in this program was the Longmont Downtown Development Authority.
• Art, Senses, and the Mind for ages 3-7: This activity asked participates to reflect and discuss the following questions: If you make art inside a box then seal the box forever so no one can see, is it still art? Can art be functional? What if we see the same colors but call them by different names? How would we know what the other person sees? We made a mess and talked about some big ideas at Art, Senses, and the Mind at Firehouse Art Center. Our favorite comment came from a four-year-old participant who said that we need public art because “it makes the world more real.”
• “How to Have a Philosophical Conversation with Your Child” Workshop: Parents went beyond the information in our poster and brochure program as we shared with them what we have learned in five years of doing philosophy with children and teens. Our partner for this program was Longmont Recreation Services.
• An Inter-generational Exploration of Meaning: Twenty philosophers from age 11 to 80+ gathered at the Longmont Senior Center to talk about how their worldviews were shaped by the fears and hopes of their childhoods, what they hope the future will look like, and how we might get there.

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PLATO: Does your organization plan on offering more philosophy programs for your community in the near future?

Grey Havens Philosophy: Yes! We are very excited about our philosophy summer program that is called: “Summer of the Mind.” Program offerings begin on May 23 and the full schedule will be released by May 18 (click here for event updates). Here is one offering we are really excited about:

• Books and Big Ideas Storytime on the Meaning of Family (ages 3-6) as part of Longmont Museum’s Discovery Days program.

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PLATO would like to thank Kelly Cowling for taking the time to contribute to this blog post. Grey Havens Philosophy programs are supported in part with grant funding from the PLATO organization.

The post Longmont, Colorado Celebrates a Month of Philosophy appeared first on PLATO.

The 2019 PLATO Conference is getting ready to blast off! Come for an amazing conference, and experience the many opportunities for recreation in Orlando/Winter Park.

The area offers activities that everyone can enjoy. From Ecotourism to the Kennedy Space Center; world-class theme parks, performing arts, museums and a vibrant restaurant scene. It’s also just an hour from the hip and historic New Smyrna Beach. 

For more information see:

• https://www.visitorlando.com/things-to-do/
• https://winterpark.org/visitors-guide

We hope you will submit a proposal and look forward to seeing you!

~The PLATO 2019 Conference Committee

The post 2019 PLATO Conference: Join us in Florida appeared first on PLATO.

The deadline for applying for a 2018 award is January 31, 2018.

All applications are blind peer-reviewed. All applications must be submitted  and funding decisions will be announced in the spring.

About the Fund:

PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization), founded in 2010 as a national resource and support organization, is dedicated to the belief that everyone can benefit from doing philosophy. Philosophical inquiry improves analytical reasoning and pushes us to pose clear questions and challenge our own and others’ assumptions. As philosophers know, philosophy enhances the ability to think deeply about our lives and to understand why we hold the beliefs we do.

The benefits of broadening philosophy’s reach beyond the academy are manifold, as 2017 winners of PPF funding report:

[blockquote]Philosophy is a means to help people live healthier, happier and more deeply satisfying lives, to promote and encourage critical and creative thought, to cultivate leadership and action, and to foster, strengthen, and enrich communities,” say the Helena, Montana organizers of Philosophy in the Community. “Valued and relevant, philosophy is conceived of as a truly fun, exhilarating, and rewarding activity in itself – something that should be lived.[/blockquote]

Students in a Washington DC high school who created a student-led, after-school philosophy club did so because they think doing philosophy together will make a difference in their lives and inspire others. Philosophy, they believe, will help students learn who they are and how they want to be in the world.

Programs Funded in 2017:

To bring philosophy to people not likely to engage with it – K-12 students, adults, seniors, people in prisons, shelters, and refugee centers, etc. — and into settings such as libraries, museums, and public lecture halls, PPF funded six diverse programs in 2017:

• Linguistic Inquiry with Bilingual Children – New York, NY
  • Integrating philosophy into the English Language Arts curriculum of mainstream elementary dual language classrooms.

• Philosophy in the Community – Helena, Montana
  • Sponsoring philosophy-based community activities such as philosophy walks, philosophy symposiums, philosophy drive-ins, philosophy workshops, philosophy community socials, and philosophy forums and roundtables.  

• UCSC Philosophy Outreach – Santa Cruz, CA
  • Serving two disparate communities: the Santa Cruz City Jail, Code 4 unit (a self-contained unit of 25 inmates that stresses anti-recidivism and self-improvement) and two public elementary schools in which third through fifth grade students do philosophy with volunteers from UCSC’s Center for Public Philosophy. 

• Beautiful Minds – Washington DC
  • After-school student-led high school club where students come together to discuss issues of the day, think deeply and critically about subjects important to them, learn about the different schools of philosophy, and share their philosophical perspectives. 

• Young Philosophers of New York, NY
  • Series of after-school philosophy workshops (“What’s The Big Idea?” and “The Keys to the City”) for older elementary and middle schools students in diverse neighborhoods.

• Annual Philosophy Summer Camp – Lexington, Kentucky
  • Free, week-long summer camp run by the University of Kentucky’s Graduate Student Association for 30 young students (half of whom come from underrepresented neighborhoods) who respond to readings, stories, keep journals, learn about philosophical terms, logic, and social justice, and examine the relationship between philosophical theory and activism.

Funding for PPF, a volunteer organization, comes from its almost 50 members, as well as from a $25,000 challenge grant from the Squire Family Foundation.

The post Applying to the PLATO Philosophy Fund appeared first on PLATO.

in collaboration with The Mexican Federation of Philosophy for Children and the Centers Tepepan and Thinkers

[infobox color=”#6392bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”calendar”] June 15-17th, 2018 in Puebla, Mexico [/infobox]

Call for Papers Deadline November 30, 2017

[button href=”http://www.plato-philosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/NAACI-2018-CFP.pdf” style=”flat” size=”small” color=”#6392bf” icon=”file-text-o” textcolor=”#000000″]Download Call for Papers (English)[/button] [button href=”http://www.plato-philosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Educación-para-un-mundo-en-crisis.pdf” style=”flat” size=”small” color=”#6392bf” textcolor=”#000000″ icon=”file-text-o”]Download Call for Papers (Spanish)[/button]

NAACI calls for papers that explore the ways in which we can invite children and young people to begin to think of themselves in ever broader perspectives, whether that be environmental, social, economic, global, or even temporal, so as to hopefully be more grounded and hence inspired to take up the challenges that we presently face.

Such explorations might include more traditional environmental philosophical approaches that focuses on biocentric and ecocentric concerns, species diversity, pollution, climate change, etc., and which generally invite us to think about our natural environment in ways which are inspired by, and problematized by our relationships with nature. The world, of course, is also one of human creations: societies, culture, political and economic models. Such issues as inequality, poverty and greed are all urgent problems that cry out for ways in which they can be made more relevant to those who are might otherwise be blind to them. As well, if increasing our temporal perspective in the sense of viewing one’s present actions from ever more future-oriented viewpoints is critical for ethical reasoning, then “reasoning our way into the future” would also be a highly relevant topic.

Attempts to tackle any of these sorts of questions would serve as fruitful guides for our collaborative inquiry in this NACCI meeting.

Paper Presentation Requirements:

• Abstracts (no longer than 500 words) are to be submitted no later than November 30, 2017.
• Final full length papers are due March 30, 2018, and will be posted on the NAACI website in the hope that most attendees will have read the papers before arriving, and hence, that most sessions can run, at least partially, as a Community of Philosophical Inquiry.
• All Spanish papers are to be sent to garzacamino@gmail.com
• All English papers are to be send to sgardner@capilanou.ca

All papers will be blind reviewed by three separate reviewers. Letters of invitation will be sent to authors once quality and general fit has been established, no later than December 31.

Conference Format:

Please note that we will be sure to have simultaneous translation throughout the conference.

Suggested types of presentations:

• Multiple author paper: three (or more authors) to prepare a paper for presentation for ½ – ¾ hour – followed by ¾ – 1 hour community of inquiry. NOTE: THIS FORMAT IS ENCOURAGED!
• Tag team: paper authored primarily by one person for presentation (20 minutes), followed by a respondent who helps to articulate the questions that follow from the presented paper (10 minutes), followed by ½ hour community of inquiry.
• Single paper: presentation 15 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of discussion.
• It is hoped that the first two types of presentation will nurture communities of inquiry in the preparation of papers thus echoing what this association is all about.
• Contributing to several “Multiple Author papers” or “Tag Teams” is perfectly acceptable.

Conference Location:

The conference will take place in the “Museo Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos,” in Puebla, Mexico.

The city of Puebla de los Angeles was the first city in Central Mexico founded by the Spanish conquerors in 1531, strategically situated midway between the port of Veracruz and Mexico City, was the second most important city during the colonial period. It is located about 100 kilometers West of Mexico City, at the foot of one of the largest volcanoes in Mexico, the Popocatepetl. The new aesthetic concepts resulting from the fusion of European and American styles are peculiar to Puebla, where you can admire the Mexican Baroque and the Indigenous Baroque in its numerous buildings. The city was inscribed to the World Heritage List in 1987.

Transportation from Airport:

The buses to Puebla depart from the International airport in Mexico City every hour. The ride is about 1hour and a half. Details with regard to the easiest way to get to Puebla, accommodations, etc., will be posted on the NAACI website.

The post Philosophy for Children Conference, hosted by NAACI, to be held June 2018 in Mexico appeared first on PLATO.

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The SoCal Philosophy Academy for high school students will be hosted at California Lutheran University and run by Dr. Brian J. Collins, Assistant Professor of Philosophy.

PLATO: What is the SoCal Philosophy Academy about?

Brian: The academy is intended to introduce high school students to the discipline and practice of philosophy as well as some perennial and contemporary philosophical issues and questions. The camp will meet daily from 9 am to 12:30 pm (lunch is provided) on the campus of California Lutheran University. All participants will be provided with a copy of this year’s text, The Philosophy Shop.

PLATO: Who is involved in running the SoCal Philosophy Academy?

Brian: This year I am the only organizer and teacher, but there will be undergraduate students from our Philosophy Club who will participate and help out. Since it is our first year, we have capped the academy to 15 students and have focused our outreach on Thousand Oaks High School and Newbury Park High School. In the future, with the help of additional funding and partners, we hope to grow the academy to serve more students at local high schools.

PLATO: What will a day a philosophy academy look like for high school students?

Brian: This year we will be using The Philosophy Shop as our central text to help provide students with a general introduction into the practice of philosophy and central issues. We plan to change the curriculum every year so that students can return each year for a new experience. We picked The Philosophy Shop because it raises philosophical questions and controversies through the use of stories, scenarios, poems and activities. This year we will be exploring questions in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, epistemology, and ethics through Socratic questioning and discussion.

PLATO: Why did you decide to offer a philosophy academy for high school students?

Brian: Before graduate school I taught middle school for three years, so upon entering graduate school I was already interested in teaching pre-college age students. While I was at the University of Iowa I developed and taught an Introduction to Philosophy class for high school students with my advisor, Richard Fumerton. At the same time, two of my friends Kris Phillips and Greg Stoutenburg founded the Iowa Lyceum (a philosophy summer camp for high school students–check out PLATO’s blog post about this here). I was fortunate enough to be an instructor at the lyceum for two years and wanted to do something similar at California Lutheran University. I am interested in integrating philosophy into the community in many different ways, and this academy is just the start!

PLATO: Why do you think it is important to introduce philosophy to high school students?

Brian: There are many reasons why I think it is important to introduce philosophy to young people, so here are just three:

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• I believe the practice of philosophical investigation is extremely well suited for the development of critical thinking and communication skills. These skills are broadly applicable which makes the study of philosophy highly practical!

• I have found that people of all ages (especially children and young adults) find philosophy extremely interesting. I believe any intellectual activity that people find intrinsically interesting, motivating, and which creates wonder, ought to be encouraged, as this intellectual curiosity can easily transfer over to other intellectual investigations and can promote a love for life long learning and exploration.

• In addition to being interesting, I believe that many philosophical questions are important because of their fundamental nature. These questions are important to ask and investigate in order to construct any coherent belief structure that relies on their answers. Such questions include: Do we have free will? What, if anything, can we know? What things are valuable? How should we act? What makes life meaningful?

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PLATO: How do interested people register for the SoCal philosophy academy?

Brian: Any high school student can apply–it is not necessary that students have previous experience with philosophy, though students with previous experience are invited to participate as well. Interested students can apply by emailing me an application to briancollins@callutheran.edu, the following information:

• Name
• High School & entering grade level
• Paragraph (200 words or less) explaining interest in participating in the academy

In the next year we plan to develop a website for the academy to help facilitate registration in the future.

PLATO: Are you in need of volunteers of other support for this year’s academy?

Brian: We are all set for this year, but we welcome any philosopher, high school teacher or undergraduate student interested in participating this year to contact me and let me know. I would be more than happy to have them. Currently the academy is supported by generous grants from the California Lutheran University Community Leaders Association, the Philosophy Department, and the College of Arts and Sciences. In the future, as we grow, we will looking to secure additional funding.

PLATO would like to thank Brian Collins for taking the time to contribute to this blog post and for offering a philosophy academy for high school students in Southern California.

The post Learn about the upcoming Southern California Philosophy Academy for High School Students! appeared first on PLATO.

Since 2010, Thomas Wartenberg has led several Summer Seminars for School Teachers on Existentialism sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

[button href=”http://www.plato-philosophy.org/neh-summer-seminar-teachers-existentialism/” style=”flat” size=”medium” color=”#508bbf” textcolor=”#000000″]Click Here to Learn about how to apply for the 2017 Summer Seminar for Teachers[/button]

[icon icon=”comments-o” size=”large” color=”#0066bf”] PLATO: Why did you decide to offer philosophy training for middle and high school teachers?

Tom: Although I have been involved in pre-college philosophy for 20 years, before 2010 my efforts had centered on elementary schools and, in particular, using college students to facilitate philosophy discussions based on picture books. Because of my involvement with PLATO, I started thinking about expanding my involvement with pre-college philosophy. I realized that my efforts could have much more impact if they were centered on teachers, as each teacher influences a large number of students each year. After hearing from the teachers themselves at our PLATO conferences, I recognized that teachers desired assistance in approaching the philosophical texts they wanted to expose their students to. There appeared to me to be a real need to support middle and high school teachers in their efforts to teach students philosophy.

[icon icon=”comments-o” size=”large” color=”#0066bf”] PLATO: Why did you pick Existentialism as the focus of your teacher-training classes?

Tom: I decided to make Existentialism the subject of the seminar for a number of reasons.  First, I remembered that Existentialism was the first school of philosophy that had interested me as a teenager.  It was while teaching Camus’ novel The Stranger one summer that I remembered that my first introduction to Existentialism had been his Reflections on the Guillotine, which I had read in junior high as part of my preparation for a debate about capital punishment.  (Like Camus, I was arguing against it.)  That book stirred my interest in philosophy, which I pursued on my own by reading Sartre and others in Walter Kaufman’s classic anthology Existentialism:  From Dostoyevsky to Sartre.

I also realized that many high school students were being exposed to Existentialism, which they reported to me in my college course on the subject.  But I also discovered that their understanding of the school of thought was neither deep nor particularly accurate.  And while the dramatic writings of the Existentialists are quite accessible, the philosophical texts they wrote are often very difficult to understand.  I thought I could provide high school teachers with a background that would enable them to teach the texts they were teaching more effectively.

[icon icon=”comments-o” size=”large” color=”#0066bf”] PLATO: What was your experience of running these classes for teachers?

Tom: When I met with the 16 teachers in my first seminar in 2010 – most of them high school teachers but some middle school teachers and even one from elementary school – I didn’t know what to expect.  What I discovered was revelatory. The teachers were the most serious and dedicated students I had ever taught.  They realized that they were being given a great opportunity and they did everything they could to take advantage of it.  I didn’t have to encourage them to read the assignments; they came to class each day brimming with enthusiasm and full of questions they had about what they had read.  It was a very welcome change from the routine of teaching college students, many of whom weren’t really sure why they were in class.

I also discovered that the opportunity provided by the seminar had a very beneficial impact on the teachers.  I hadn’t realized how stressful the job of teaching was these days.  As a privileged college professor, I found the idea of teaching five or six classes a day and going home to face grading a hundred student papers unfathomable.  This daily grind wears teachers down.  The opportunity to talk with other smart, like-minded individuals about ideas rather than schedules truly energized them.

[icon icon=”comments-o” size=”large” color=”#0066bf”] PLATO: Why do you think philosophy seminars catered specifically to school teachers are important?

Tom: Especially at a time when philosophy departments across the country are being down-sized or even eliminated, we need to think about how to bring more students into our classrooms.  The NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes for School Teachers are an excellent way to do this.  Each fall, when I meet with other directors of these classes, I am surprised to find myself the only philosopher offering one.  I hope my brief blog will encourage others to do so as well.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is now threatened by politicians who vow to eliminate it completely.  I find this completely baffling.  A program like the one I am a part of is one of the best ways to spend our tax dollars in a way that benefits a wide range of people, not just teachers but also their students.  This program is not limited to teachers in public schools.  Many of the teachers I have taught were from private and parochial schools.  Let’s hope that the politicians in Washington who are trying to eliminate such wonderful programs do not succeed.  The NEH Program of Summer Seminars and Institutes for School Teachers is truly valuable and needs to be supported.

PLATO would like to thank Thomas Wartenberg for taking the time to contribute to this post.

About the Author: Thomas Wartenberg is the current President of PLATO and the Director of Teaching Children Philosophy.  His most recent book is Mel Bochner:  Illustrating Philosophy.

The post Reflections on Philosophy Classes for School Teachers appeared first on PLATO.