100 ideas for Secondary Teachers: Teaching Philosophy and Ethics

How do you teach a subject that has no 'right' answers?

Philosophical and ethical concepts can be overwhelming to students who have not encountered them before, and complex arguments can be difficult to navigate.

John L. Taylor's brand new book will help you to engage your class and have them reading, writing, talking and thinking philosophically.

Starting with introductory ideas such as 'a guided tour of philosophy land', the book moves on to: ideas for stimulating and managing student discussions and debates; guidance for effective research; and methods to support students with their essays, presentations and projects. There are also tips for getting the best out of quieter students, and ideas for taking philosophy beyond the classroom. Hashtags and websites providing resources to enliven your classes are included throughout the book.

 “With traditional and new philosophical puzzles, clever tips on teaching and technique, and a panoply of references to electronic and other resources, John Taylor has written an excellent 'how-to' guide on getting students hooked on philosophy, grounded in years of classroom experience. Full of gems that will inspire and inform.” –  Michael Lacewing, Founder of A Level Philosophy 

Part 1: Starting points/ Teach Philosophically/ The power of pod casts/ Model thinking for your students/ Dual purpose lessons

Part 2: Stimulating inquiry/ Philosophical games/ Make philosophy real/ Experimenting with thought/ Everyday ethics/ Brain games

Part 3: Talking philosophy/ From discussion to debate/ Teaching oral presentation skills

Part 4: Reading and researching/ Argument identification/ Easy citations and bibliographies/ The two-stage research rocket

Part 5: Philosophical argument/ Concept mapping/ Can you move the universe?

Par 6: Writing philosophy/ ACE essays/ SEAL those paragraphs/ Teaching academic register/ Thinking about the reader/

Part 7: Philosophy projects/ The power of projects/

Part 8: Beyond the philosophy classroom/ Visiting speakers/ Philosophy cafe/ Philosophical drop-in 

John L. Taylor

John L. Taylor is Head of Philosophy and Director of Critical Skills at Rugby School, UK. Before taking up his post at Rugby he tutored in the Philosophy of Science at Oxford University. Since 1999 he has directed the "Perspectives on Science" (PoS) project. Dr Taylor is also a Chief Examiner for the Extended Project.