In Philosophy for Children (P4C), having a discussion plan means having a few questions up your sleeve in case the dialogue stalls, or if everyone is just agreeing.
For example, in a P4C enquiry about seasonal food (see earlier post), your discussion plan could include the following provocations:
Should everyone eat seasonally?
What about in winter? (Not much fruit grows in the UK in winter.)
What about if you really like tropical fruit such as pineapple?
What if the non-seasonal food is cheaper than the seasonal food?
Should everyone have access to fresh fruit and vegetables all year? Is frozen or tinned ok?
Is it ok to use valuable resources to transport food thousands of miles?
Remember, though, to include plenty of thinking time, and only use these questions if the children aren’t moving on the dialogue themselves.
