Our 2017 newsletter is online and can be downloaded in PDF format here:
NZAPT 2017 Newsletter

A Socratic Dialogue
By BRENT SILBY

Download the PDF version for reading in page-by-page format

Background

Over recent years there has been a growing movement pushing for the inclusion of Philosophy in schools.[1]

As a subject, Philosophy is broad. It can be separated into many sub-disciplines such as Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mind, Ethics, and Philosophy of Science, to name a few. These sub-disciplines reduce back to three broad pillars of Philosophy: Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Axiology.

Regardless of where one’s philosophical interest sits, the essential skill set remains the same. This is the ability to reason. Philosophers produce rationally convincing arguments and critically assess the arguments of others.

In this fictional dialogue Socrates meets with Allison Fells, the Principal of Western Heights School, to discuss the inclusion of Philosophy in the school curriculum. Socrates has been running a successful Philosophy club at school and believes that students would benefit through the extension of the club into the regular school curriculum. Socrates argues that Philosophy equips students with the skill set needed to live the good life.

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http://fapsa.org.au/conference/

2016 FAPSA Conference

FAPSAP4CNZ hosts the 2016 Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Conference

“Philosophy Throughout the School Years”

18th and 19th of April, 2016
Te Wharewaka o Poneke, Wellington, New Zealand

The conference will be followed by an “Action Day” at a local school on April 20th, for communities of inquiry with children and adults

Call for presentations (version 2 – new deadline)

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION AU$250, ACTION DAY AU$25

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT REGISTRATION OPTIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE BY JULY 30, 2015.

CONTACT: V.KOVACH@AUCKLAND.AC.NZ

Our 2015 conference is being hosted at Auckland Girl’s Grammar, 24 – 25 September.

Click here for conference registration details.

The 2015 newsletter is now online.
Please click here to view…

The 2014 NZAPT conference was held in Wellington at the end of September. Teachers from around the country attended the conference to discuss teaching/assessment strategies, share resources, and plan future steps for bringing Philosophy to more schools.

The Powerpoint presentation by Jay Sloss is available for download.

NZAPT 2014 ppt (right-click, save-as)

Download the most recent ZIP file containing NCEA Achievement Standard assessment activities.

NCEA ZIP (right-click, save-as)

Jay Sloss recently presented at the NZAP conference, hosted at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. His presentation material can be downloaded here.

• Philosophy in Schools III (word doc)
• Powerpoint

Philosophy Standards In Schools Sought
Tuesday June 3 2014
There are calls for the Ministry of Education to introduce new standards in Philosophy for high school students.
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Hiring probe highlights failure of Asia’s business schools to teach ethics
Jeremy Leong says China hiring saga highlights lack of ethics training. (19 February, 2014) Ethics is, after all, concerned with ascertaining what is good for the individual and how one should live accordingly. The failure of these young men and women (many of whom are probably business school graduates) to exercise their moral prerogative raises questions as to how they view ethics and how ethics is taught by business schools in Asia.