Public panel discussion event on 11 July to debate the question “Why teach ethics in schools?” on the last day of The Future of Philosophy in Schools Conference. Photo: University of Notre Dame Australia.
Experts from around the world flew to Perth to attend a major conference on “The Future of Philosophy in Schools” from 9 to 11 July.
Organised by the Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Association (FAPSA), the three-day conference was held at the University of Notre Dame Fremantle Campus.
The conference brought together 43 presenters from Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
The attendees included academics, teachers, practitioners and policymakers who discussed the role of philosophy in 21st-century education settings.
These experts agreed that the teaching of philosophy should be embedded in primary school curriculums and facilitated by the class teacher.
More than 100 people attended a public panel discussion on 11 July, which opened the floor to debate the question “Why teach ethics in schools?”.
Dr Laura D’Olimpio during the public panel discussion on 11 July. Photo: University of Notre Dame Australia.
The event was dominated by the question of responsibility for the teaching of ethics at the primary school level and questions were directed to an expert panel.
The panel featured Professor Michael Hand from the University of Birmingham, FAPSA Australasia Chair and UNDA Senior Lecturer in Philosophy Dr Laura D’Olimpio, and UNDA Institute for Ethics and Society Professor Sandra Lynch.
The panel also included Baylor University (Texas) Professor of Philosophy John Haldane, and Constable Care Child Safety Foundation Chief Executive David Gribble.
“Philosophy for Children is a movement that started in the US in the 1970s in order to encourage children to think for themselves with a view to becoming reasonable and democratic citizens,” Dr D’Olimpio said.
“Advocates of including the study of philosophy and ethics on the school curriculum believe students need to develop critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinking skills to better prepare them for life in a global and technological world.”
Dr D’Olimpio explained that Australia has the position to embrace philosophy and ethics in the National Curriculum to meet the “general capabilities of ‘critical and creative thinking”, as well as “ethical understanding”.
“The study of philosophy and ethics better equips people for political and ethical life.
“It supports focused discussion of ethical issues that are not otherwise explicitly addressed across the curriculum, and plays a pivotal role in developing children’s ethical understanding, higher-order thinking and discursive reasoning,” she said.
Prof Sandra Lynch has her say during the discussion on 11 July. Photo: University of Notre Dame Australia.
Prof Sandra Lynch pointed that “it is important that teachers are trained, provided with the skills of facilitating discussions and interrogating ideas”.
“Ethics should not be just for those who choose to go to ethics classes but it should be for all children and therefore should be embedded across the entire curriculum.
“There is evidence that the teaching of ethics has resulted in increasing self-confidence, conflict resolution, increased socialisation and wellbeing, as well as improved critical reasoning skills,” Prof Lynch concluded.
The first day of the conference on 9 July was an “In Action” day at Hale School where conference delegates witnessed expert practitioners facilitating philosophy sessions with primary and secondary school students.
This was followed by a teachers’ professional development workshop.
The next two days comprised presentations and workshops on philosophy and ethics in pre-tertiary educational spaces with themes focussed on moral education, teacher training, and the development of students’ metacognitive thinking skills.