Following my community philosophy facilitator training I thought I'd set up a lunchtime group (fuelled by cake) to explore all of this a bit further.
I did try to come up with a witty acronym (CuPcake) - not that witty actually - then spent some time wondering if it is a club, society or group, which was equally unproductive...
Still, all this is evidence that I have actually been thinking, which bodes well for a philosophy group! Here are the details of the next meeting:
Cake and Philosophy Club
Friday 3rd May 2013, 1230-1330
Fabrication
The Light, Leeds
The aim of this group is to explore the practice of community philosophy, improving our critical thinking skills and gaining new ideas for facilitation along the way. It is open to anyone who would like to deepen their own thinking and that of others, have some fun and make some new contacts.
This session will explore the concept of community philosophy and try out a community enquiry.
Cake will be provided to fuel our thinking. Please feel free to bring a drink along with you (there are plenty of coffee shops nearby).
If you'd like to come along and find out what this stuff is all about, please contact me via Twitter - @KaySocLearn or email cakephilosophyleeds@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you there. If you want to find out more about community philosophy in the meantime, my previous blog should fill you in.
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Sunday, 20 January 2013
It's just thinking
I've been thinking a lot recently about my time at university. When I look back it is mainly to remember the social side rather than the formal learning. It's sad to say I probably learnt more from the social stuff than the academic - how to budget, how to live with other people, being independent (not how to hold my drink - still haven't mastered that!)
I studied English lit, which I thought I would enjoy more than I did. I remember sitting in seminars in cramped lecturers' offices with 7 or 8 others, feeling panic because I didn't have a clue what to say about books like Tristram Shandy or some obscure poetry. Since then I have put this down to a lack of confidence or feeling intimidated by brighter or more voluble students. But lately I have started to wonder if, actually, I hadn't really developed critical thinking skills. I didn't question things much; particularly the meaning of words. My thinking felt 'frozen'.
I recently came across a practice which develops exactly these kind of critical thinking skills in both adults and children - and helps to 'unfreeze' people's thinking. Community Philosophy is a growing practice, aimed at engaging groups with philosophical thought and action. The use of the word 'philosophy' scared me a bit, until I realised, In the words of facilitator Graeme Tiffany, 'it's just thinking'.
The practice interests me in lots of ways, but perhaps the best thing in my view is that individuals and groups create their own questions. Sessions often start with the introduction of a stimulus; a photo, newspaper article, poem, activity - anything really. In responding to the stimulus, groups come up with their own question which they then discuss.
What's philosophical about this? Well, discussion tends to centre around concepts - so that a question around 'community' may lead to debate around society, identity, respect, even love. There is something very empowering about deconstructing the terms we hear bandied about and lazily used in everyday language ('shirkers', anyone?). Try exploring and questioning the concept of 'health' and you will see exactly how complex an accepted concept can be! Community philosophy is a positive activity however, so doesn't leave a group feeling threatened by this exploration - as well as deconstructing, groups build new concepts with real meaning and value. Sessions end with a period of reflection, to discuss - where do we go next? Thinking can lead to action, and of course the very process is action in itself.
The sense of community is important in CP. In many discussions you have the sense that people have a 'story in their pocket' - that they are waiting to make their point and will do so, even if the conversation has moved on. However, the emphasis here is on 'building' the discussion - participants are encouraged to build on each others' points, and often it doesn't make sense to go back.
There's lots more I could say about Community Philosophy but I will leave it to the experts at Sapere who provide lots of useful information about it on-line (see link below). In the meantime I will be setting up a couple of groups to try it in practice, with the hope that helping others to think critically will mean a few less 'frozen' thinkers, panicking in their equivalent of a seminar on Tristram Shandy.
*New date for Community Philosophy and Cake club*
Friday 3rd May, 12.30pm. Meeting Room inside Fabrication, The Light, Leeds
Please email me to book a place:
cakephilosophyleeds@gmail.com
Some CP links:
http://www.sapere.org.uk
www.philosophyinpubs.org.
www.philosophyforlife.org
www.graemetiffany.co.uk
I studied English lit, which I thought I would enjoy more than I did. I remember sitting in seminars in cramped lecturers' offices with 7 or 8 others, feeling panic because I didn't have a clue what to say about books like Tristram Shandy or some obscure poetry. Since then I have put this down to a lack of confidence or feeling intimidated by brighter or more voluble students. But lately I have started to wonder if, actually, I hadn't really developed critical thinking skills. I didn't question things much; particularly the meaning of words. My thinking felt 'frozen'.
I recently came across a practice which develops exactly these kind of critical thinking skills in both adults and children - and helps to 'unfreeze' people's thinking. Community Philosophy is a growing practice, aimed at engaging groups with philosophical thought and action. The use of the word 'philosophy' scared me a bit, until I realised, In the words of facilitator Graeme Tiffany, 'it's just thinking'.
The practice interests me in lots of ways, but perhaps the best thing in my view is that individuals and groups create their own questions. Sessions often start with the introduction of a stimulus; a photo, newspaper article, poem, activity - anything really. In responding to the stimulus, groups come up with their own question which they then discuss.
What's philosophical about this? Well, discussion tends to centre around concepts - so that a question around 'community' may lead to debate around society, identity, respect, even love. There is something very empowering about deconstructing the terms we hear bandied about and lazily used in everyday language ('shirkers', anyone?). Try exploring and questioning the concept of 'health' and you will see exactly how complex an accepted concept can be! Community philosophy is a positive activity however, so doesn't leave a group feeling threatened by this exploration - as well as deconstructing, groups build new concepts with real meaning and value. Sessions end with a period of reflection, to discuss - where do we go next? Thinking can lead to action, and of course the very process is action in itself.
The sense of community is important in CP. In many discussions you have the sense that people have a 'story in their pocket' - that they are waiting to make their point and will do so, even if the conversation has moved on. However, the emphasis here is on 'building' the discussion - participants are encouraged to build on each others' points, and often it doesn't make sense to go back.
There's lots more I could say about Community Philosophy but I will leave it to the experts at Sapere who provide lots of useful information about it on-line (see link below). In the meantime I will be setting up a couple of groups to try it in practice, with the hope that helping others to think critically will mean a few less 'frozen' thinkers, panicking in their equivalent of a seminar on Tristram Shandy.
*New date for Community Philosophy and Cake club*
Friday 3rd May, 12.30pm. Meeting Room inside Fabrication, The Light, Leeds
Please email me to book a place:
cakephilosophyleeds@gmail.com
Some CP links:
http://www.sapere.org.uk
www.philosophyinpubs.org.
www.philosophyforlife.org
www.graemetiffany.co.uk
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Theory into practice
I am currently working towards a teaching qualification - and as a result, much of my present thinking involves essays, theorists, deadlines and the thrill (if that is the right word!) of teaching observations. Much of my learning also takes place through social media, and thanks to its power (and the sharing done by wonderful teacher-educators such as Louise Mycroft and Steve Wheeler) I have come across the powerful quote below:
“Most learning is not the result of instruction. It is rather the result of unhampered participation in a meaningful setting”. Ivan Illich
This concept resonates with me on a number of levels, so via this blog I want to examine the ideas further in relation to my own teaching practice.
‘Unhampered participation’
What exactly does Illich mean here by participation? I interpret it as the process of interacting and sharing in a learning environment. Working with a group of learners who all participate actively is a nirvana for teachers, but notoriously hard to achieve. Yet equality in participation is vital to ensure that every learner feels valued and contributes to their full capacity. Nancy Kline’s ‘Thinking Rounds’, during which each participant is asked a question and given unconditional attention during their thinking, is one way to achieve 'unhampered participation'. It relieves the pressure to contribute faced by some learners ('passing' on a question is fine) and also encourages better attention:
'Even in a hierarchy people can be equal as thinkers. Knowing you will have your turn improves the quality of your listening'.
Of course, there are numerous reasons why learners don’t participate in learning, and no amount of 'thinking rounds' will help this. Perhaps it is worth remembering at this point that some of these factors will be outside the control of the teacher. Barriers to learning, such as poor experience of education previously; issues around confidence and wider cultural issues may all affect the extent to which learners participate. Some individuals have a tendency to introversion, or may simply need time to digest ideas and reflect individually. Perhaps then, participation does not necessarily come from being vocal – sharing ideas, asking or answering questions - but is more about being actively engaged with the learning. Efforts could be made to give learners the opportunity to participate in ways that suit them; perhaps by setting up on-line space for them to share their thoughts after the formal learning has finished, encouraging learners to write reflective journals and share these with others; allowing a group to decide themselves how they want to participate in tasks and activities. The PGCE course that I study on at Northern College does this brilliantly.
'A meaningful setting'
I found this statement interesting and again it reminded me of one of Nancy Kline’s principles around place. Kline's view is that setting and location are not particularly important; but that what is important is to be in a space that says to people 'you matter'. I am fortunate enough to study at Northern College
As teachers we are often limited in our choice of setting but we can still work within the physical space we have to reflect our purpose and values. Simple techniques like how we arrange the seating, whether or not we agree ‘ground rules’ about how learners interact with each other and the setting can help to create meaning and shared values.
So what does all of this thinking mean for my practice? It has reminded me about the importance of taking into account individual needs and addressing any barriers to learning that affect how people participate and engage. Where I can, I will influence the learning environment I have to ensure that the setting is inclusive and reflects the nature of what is being learnt.
Thanks to Louise Mycroft, Steve Wheeler, Nancy Kline and of course the late Ivan Illich for inspiring my thinking.
Illich, Ivan (1970), Deschooling Society
Kline, Nancy (1999) Time to Think
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Welcome to my blog!
I've been thinking about blogging for a while. Writing has always been something I've done, through diaries, poems and letters mainly; or sometimes in times of crisis I've just sat down to 'write it out'. So a blog feels like quite a natural thing for me to do; but it has taken me nearly a year to actually start doing it. There are lots of reasons for this; the usual excuses (time) - issues about overstepping personal and professional boundaries (Phil Jewitt's great blog explains this issue better than I can) - and also an uncertainty about what exactly to theme my blog around.
The last point was the real stumbling block, and it has taken me a while to think this through. The answer came to me the other day when I was reading through my late Nan's memoirs - a collection of stories about her life that she put together shortly before her death in 2005.
My Nan, Elsie Maude Withers (or Kit as she was better known) was born in Islington in 1913. Kit was one of 13 children, an unimaginably large family to an only child like myself, although not uncommon at the time. Kit loved school and she loved learning – but had to leave as soon as she turned 14. That was the reality of schooling for an east-end child in those days. Her favourite subject at school was English, and her favourite school memory was playing Portia in the Merchant of Venice. Kit treasured that play, and I lost count of the number of times she told me how much she would have loved to study Shakespeare.
After leaving school Kit never returned to studying and I wonder why- was it to do with culture, opportunity, confidence? All of these are possible issues although I will never know for sure because sadly I didn’t think to ask her.
She believed in the value of learning though, and was single-minded in her desire for me to go to college and university.
When I think about lifelong learning, I think about Kit and the opportunities that I have been privileged enough to experience. I also think about how much of what we learn is informal; from characters like Kit that hold families together and share their wisdom and experience. Although she never had the chance to do much formal learning, she taught me more than anyone I know.
This blog, then, is dedicated to Kit and the joy of lifelong learning, in all its forms.
The last point was the real stumbling block, and it has taken me a while to think this through. The answer came to me the other day when I was reading through my late Nan's memoirs - a collection of stories about her life that she put together shortly before her death in 2005.
My Nan, Elsie Maude Withers (or Kit as she was better known) was born in Islington in 1913. Kit was one of 13 children, an unimaginably large family to an only child like myself, although not uncommon at the time. Kit loved school and she loved learning – but had to leave as soon as she turned 14. That was the reality of schooling for an east-end child in those days. Her favourite subject at school was English, and her favourite school memory was playing Portia in the Merchant of Venice. Kit treasured that play, and I lost count of the number of times she told me how much she would have loved to study Shakespeare.
After leaving school Kit never returned to studying and I wonder why- was it to do with culture, opportunity, confidence? All of these are possible issues although I will never know for sure because sadly I didn’t think to ask her.
She believed in the value of learning though, and was single-minded in her desire for me to go to college and university.
When I think about lifelong learning, I think about Kit and the opportunities that I have been privileged enough to experience. I also think about how much of what we learn is informal; from characters like Kit that hold families together and share their wisdom and experience. Although she never had the chance to do much formal learning, she taught me more than anyone I know.
This blog, then, is dedicated to Kit and the joy of lifelong learning, in all its forms.
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