Daily Thinking Questions
A new question published here 12.15pm every weekday. Can be used to stimulate dialogue among pupils, staff and families at your school (video example). Most questions are designed for younger children but can be used or adapted for older children. Every Friday there’s an additional question aimed at children age 7+. The latest 18 questions are displayed.
All questions thought up by me and colleagues (it’s possible we’ve been influenced by someone else’s similar question).
The use of philosophical questions in early years and primary education was pioneered in the U.S. by Matthew Lipman and Ann Sharp (see various publications from the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children in the 1970s and 80s, catalogued at http://montclair.libguides.com/c.php?g=489180&p=3344127)
‘Would You Rather’ concept inspired by John Burningham: Would You Rather… (Picture Lions 1984) (see also my blog post about this book)
‘Good idea / bad idea’ concept inspired by “Let’s Pretend” activity, from Sara Stanley: Creating Enquiring Minds (Bloomsbury 2014)
Questions that get children thinking and talking.
Ensure consistency and impact for high-quality pupil dialogue.
Starting with simple/fun questions in Early Years helps children develop the skills to consider deeper ('more philosophical') questions over time.
Celebrating a useful and fun resource.
A great way to start the day in Early Years - developing early language and reasoning as well as engaging families in their child’s learning.