Month: June 2022

Create An Internet Independent Study Project Landing Page and Branch Pages In Response To An Inquiry Question (high school level)

Posted on by John MacDonald
– “The task is not to see what has never been seen before, but to think what has never been thought before about what you see everyday.” — Erwin Schrödinger (1887 – 1961)
  1. Sample Inquiry Question: “If Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet predicting the soon end of the age, why the major emphasis on personal and societal growth and transformation?”

2. Sample Product:

Click on laughing Jesus below to enter the project!

free image source https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/was-jesus-funny/

Create A Checklist For Your Project. Here is a sample checklist:

source: free for teachers from https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/201606520800038791/

Create an assessment evaluation rubric to analyze your thinking. Here is a sample:

source: free from Impact, The Journal of the Chartered College of Teaching: https://impact.chartered.college/article/framework-for-defining-assessing-creative-thinking/table-1-a-general-rubric-for-assessing-brainstorming-for-creative-thinking/

ENJOY! Welcome to my web said the spider to the fly, lol

Treat Your Kids Like the Little Philosophers They Are

Posted on by John MacDonald

Great new article suggesting to treat kids like philosophers:

https://time.com/6177632/parenting-kids-how-to-raise/

Here’s an excerpt:

I hope the kids continue to have those sorts of conversations. I want them to think deeply about the world, to ponder big ideas, like truth, justice, and God. But the research suggests that those conversations are likely to trail off as they age. Little kids (age 3-8) often raise philosophical questions on their own (“Why does the world exist?” “What is it like to be dead?” “Am I dreaming my entire life?”). They’re puzzled by the world—and they’re trying to puzzle it out.

But as they age, kids start to worry about what others think of them. They don’t want to seem silly or risk being wrong. And they notice that the adults in their lives don’t discuss questions like, “Why does the world exist?” or “Am I dreaming my entire life?” Over time, they lose some of their curiosity and courage as thinkers.

I think that’s a shame. The world could use more deep and discerning thinkers. We’re flooded with disinformation, and too many people are too easily duped by it. Our society values hot takes and tweets more than sustained thought.

The good news is: we can push back on that. If we support our kids’ philosophical adventures, they’re more likely to continue them. In fact, we can raise philosophers.

CHECK IT OUT!