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The Philosophy Teaching and Learning guidelines below were developed in partnership with the Ministry of Education. They can be viewed online at: http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences/Philosophy

Philosophy

What is philosophy?

Philosophy is about acquiring wisdom through free inquiry. It explores fundamental questions about the world and our place in it, such as:

• How do I know what is real?
• How should I live, and who should decide?
• How much should I reveal about myself (on Facebook
  for example)?
• How should tapu and noa influence my behaviour?
• What makes a fair society?

Rationale

Why study philosophy?

Pursue wisdom and knowledge

In philosophy, wisdom and knowledge are pursued through imaginative speculation coupled with sustained reflection. Philosophy pushes students to use reason and logical argument to explore the limits of their understanding. It develops students’ ability to question and to form rational, plausible arguments in a wide variety of contexts.

Make ethical decisions

The study of philosophy provides a framework for ethical decision-making. Students examine both theories of ethics and the reasons why one might act morally when it might be more fun or more profitable not to.

Think critically

Philosophy is engaging. At a time when students are developing their own views, they enjoy the use of philosophical discourse to analyse and critique big ideas. The reasoned exchange of ideas in the classroom fosters tolerance of and respect for others.

Argue logically

Philosophy teaches precise use of language and careful reasoning in both oral and written communications. Students learn to substantiate clear, logical arguments with academic rigour. They develop skills in research, analysis, extended writing, and speaking. Philosophy both benefits from and enables a deeper understanding of other learning areas and subjects.

Build personal potential

The capacity to think through issues and the consequences of one’s own or others’ actions with clarity is essential to personal growth and beneficial to developing career opportunities.

Philosophy prepares students to participate as critical, active, informed, and responsible citizens.

Key concepts

The key concepts or big ideas in philosophy

The study of philosophy gives students opportunities to revisit concepts in a variety of contexts and to apply their understandings in their lives.

Truth, wisdom, and beauty

Are the pursuit and perception of these subjective?

Value and goodness

What has intrinsic worth, and what is good?

Questioning, reasoning, and logic

How do I know if an argument makes sense? What can I learn from it?

Creative thought

What is, and what might be?

Freedom and responsibility

How should we live? Who should decide? Can we decide?

Philosophical reflections

Are there other points of view? What are they?

What is it to be a human?

What is distinctive about and possible for humans?

Experience and reality

What is the relationship between how things seem to us and the nature of reality?

Learning objectives

The New Zealand Curriculum does not state specific achievement objectives for philosophy at levels 6–8. Learning objectives have been developed to describe the intended outcomes for this subject.

Strands

The learning objectives for philosophy are structured using four strands:

· Inquiry

· Reasoning

· Philosophical Perspectives

· Applied Philosophy.

Progression

The following learning objectives indicate the progression in learning that teachers might expect to see across curriculum levels 6–8. As they move from level to level, students develop their grasp of key concepts and methods of inquiry, arguing from different philosophical perspectives. They will become more sophisticated and work more independently in applying these skills.

Methods of inquiry include clarifying terms, making distinctions, raising objections, exploring assumptions, and evaluating from the perspectives of others.

· At level 6, the focus is to introduce methods of philosophical inquiry through exploring important questions.

· At level 7, the focus is to expand methods of philosophical inquiry through exploring a range of questions.

· At level 8, the focus is to refine a range of methods in philosophical inquiry by exploring questions in greater depth.

Learning objectives

Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to:

Strand	Level 6	Level 7	Level 8
Inquiry	Identify and describe philosophical ideas.	Identify, describe, and explain philosophical ideas.	Compare and analyse philosophical ideas.
Reasoning	Identify and describe reasoned arguments.	Develop and evaluate reasoned arguments.	Develop, evaluate, and analyse reasoned arguments.
Philosophical Perspectives	Identify and describe ideas in philosophical perspectives.	Develop and explain ideas in philosophical perspectives.	Analyse and evaluate ideas in philosophical perspectives.
Applied Philosophy	Identify and describe how philosophical inquiry can be applied to a range of questions and issues.	Describe and explain how philosophical inquiry can be applied to a range of questions and issues.	Analyse and evaluate how philosophical inquiry can be applied to a range of questions and issues.

Level 6

Indicators

Indicators are adjuncts to the objectives – their purpose is to provide greater clarity in terms of expected depth and scope by providing examples of the kinds of behaviours and capabilities that a teacher might expect to observe in a student who is achieving at the appropriate level. Teachers can add further indicators if they wish.

Students can use the indicators as a guide when assessing their own progress; teachers can use them as a guide when reporting to parents, wh?nau, or the next teacher.

Context elaborations

Context elaborations are possible contexts for learning, with an indication of how they might be used in relation to the learning objectives concerned.

Learning objective 6.1: Inquiry

Indicators

· Recognises philosophical questions.

· Selects philosophical ideas from a range of sources.

· Debates philosophical ideas in relevant contexts.

· Justifies positions on philosophical ideas.

Possible context elaborations

· Class or group discussions of a list of questions, for example: Are we really free? Can you love animals and eat them? Who owns the All Blacks?

· Use current event news items and identify philosophical ideas arising from them, for example: Is it acceptable for parents to use physical force to discipline their children? Should the age of drinking alcohol be lowered? Should New Zealand take more immigrants? How much of our behaviour and thoughts are determined by our close friends and family?

· How much are our behaviour and thoughts determined by our close friends and family?

· Adopt a position and provide rational evidence to support it.

Learning objective 6.2: Reasoning

Indicators

· Identifies the conclusion of an argument.

· Describes the evidence put forward in the premises to support the conclusion.

· Describes the extent to which the evidence supports the conclusion.

Possible context elaborations

· The student selects a conclusion from a jumbled syllogism.

· The student considers an argument and then answers the question: What is the speaker or writer trying to persuade you of?

· Following on from the context elaboration (above), the student answers the following questions:

o What reasons are given to persuade you?

o Are any of the points made irrelevant to the presentation of the argument? What are they?

· The teacher provides an argument or arguments with parts left out and asks: ‘What do you need to add to make sense of this argument?’

· The teacher provides an example or examples of an invalid argument and asks: ‘What might you have to do to correct this argument?’ Examples can be viewed on the Molloy College website.

Learning objective 6.3: Philosophical Perspectives

Indicators

· Distinguishes the ideas from philosophical perspectives.

· Relates ideas from various philosophical perspectives.

· Illustrates ideas from various philosophical perspectives.

Possible context elaborations

· Is life just one long party?

· What is the best way to achieve happiness?

· Should I obey my parents?

· What happens to me after I die?

· How much violence in sport is acceptable?

· Is the same level of violence acceptable outside of sport?

· Make a diorama of Plato’s Cave.

Learning objective 6.4: Applied Philosophy

Indicators

· Points out the basic assumptions in a range of issues.

· States the implications in a range of issues.

· Illustrates the implications in a range of issues.

Possible context elaborations

· Do you tell your friend they have a terrible hairstyle or bad breath?

· How can you be sure about what you see?

· Does seeing give us the truth?

· Why should I be a vegetarian?

· How much should I reveal on a social networking website?

· Does being a vegetarian reduce my carbon footprint?

· Will I make more friends by being on a social networking site?

Assessment for qualifications

Currently, philosophy is being assessed using a range of standards from a variety of domains, including but not limited to the examples provided in this guide. More information is available on the NZ APT website.

Examples are given for assessment of full-year courses, using a combination of unit and achievement standards at curriculum levels 6, 7, and 8. These standards have been sourced from social studies, art history, classical studies, English, mathematics, religious studies, and science. When the achievement standards have been finalised, this guide will link to them.

Note: The following achievement and unit standards are all NCEA level 1 and internally assessed.

Standards	Domain/description	Can be applied to
AS90218 (4 credits)	Social studies Explain differing values positions.	Ethics/political philosophy
AS90217 (6 credits)	Social studies Conduct a social studies inquiry to communicate conceptual understandings about society.	Philosophy of education
US5797 (4 credits)	Art history Examine objects that may be considered as art.	Aesthetics
US9750 (4 credits)	Understanding religion Outline the contribution of major historical figures to world religions.	Eastern philosophy/ philosophy of religion
US5946 (3 credits)	Generic computing Use computer technology to create and deliver a presentation from given content.	Topic of choice

The study of philosophy includes free inquiry and rational discussion. Care must be taken to ensure that assessment does not inhibit philosophical discourse. Discourse need not be limited to interpersonal discussion. A dialogue can take place via the Internet or between an individual and a text.

Level 7

Indicators

Indicators are adjuncts to the objectives – their purpose is to provide greater clarity in terms of expected depth and scope by providing examples of the kinds of behaviours and capabilities that a teacher might expect to observe in a student who is achieving at the appropriate level. Teachers can add further indicators if they wish.

Students can use the indicators as a guide when assessing their own progress; teachers can use them as a guide when reporting to parents, wh?nau, or the next teacher.

Context elaborations

Context elaborations are possible contexts for learning, with an indication of how they might be used in relation to the learning objectives concerned.

Learning objective 7.1: Inquiry

Indicators

· Supports philosophical ideas in a range of ways.

· Challenges philosophical ideas in a range of ways.

Possible context elaborations

· Students read a selected text, such as Animal Farm, or view the movie version, and generate a list of questions related to it, for example: Who should be allowed to take power in a small society? Is equality desirable?

· Is the mind separate from the brain?

· Give objections to Descartes’ dualism.

· Do you have to be a vegetarian to be a moral person?

Learning objective 7.2: Reasoning

Indicators

· Points out different types of reasoned arguments.

· Structures and organises ideas into reasoned arguments.

· Develops different types of reasoned arguments.

Possible context elaborations

· Using examples sourced from current events, give students a range of arguments (for example, arguments from analogy, arguments from general principles, inductive and deductive arguments) and have them sort these into types.

· Students use diagrams to examine examples of arguments, for example:

o All cats are animals. All animals are warm-blooded. Therefore, cats are warm-blooded.

o All students are interested in philosophy. Some people who are interested in philosophy, earn a lot of money. Therefore, some students earn a lot of money.

· Informal development: Students write a paragraph for or against an issue and may present it to the class.

· Formal development: Students find and distinguish betweenbasic assumptions and conclusions as a step towards justifying argument.

Learning objective 7.3: Philosophical Perspectives

Indicators

· Explains ideas contained in philosophical perspectives.

· Applies philosophical ideas to various contexts.

· Extracts philosophical ideas from various contexts.

Possible context elaborations

· Describes and explains the main ideas of ecology and kaitiakitanga.

· Compares and contrasts views of human nature from different perspectives: materialist, Christian, and Buddhist.

· Discusses the relationship between power and freedom in society.

· How does the idea of freedom apply to my private life?

· Should the government control all of New Zealand?

· Does the government have the right to make me go to school?

Learning objective 7.4 Applied Philosophy

Indicators

· Points out the basic assumptions or implications in questions and issues.

· Judges the viability of basic assumptions in issues.

Possible context elaborations

· Identifies and explains the basic assumptions that underpin issues such as the current animal welfare legislation, school rules, or conventions about downloading.

· Questions the basic assumptions that underpin the principles of New Zealand road laws.

Assessment for qualifications

Currently, philosophy is being assessed using a range of standards from a variety of domains, including but not limited to the examples provided in this guide. More information is available on the NZ APT website.

Examples are given for assessment of full-year courses, using a combination of unit and achievement standards at curriculum levels 6, 7, and 8. These standards have been sourced from social studies, art history, classical studies, English, mathematics, religious studies, and science. When the achievement standards have been finalised, this guide will link to them.

Note: The following achievement and unit standards are all NCEA level 2 and internally assessed.

Standards	Domain/description	Can be applied to
AS90274 (4 credits)	Social studies Describe responses to values position(s).	Ethics and philosophy of religion
AS90273 (6 credits)	Social studies Conduct an advanced social studies inquiry.	Political philosophy
AS90381 (3 credits)	English Written Language Investigate a language or literature topic and present information in written form.	Free will and determinism
AS90376 (3 credits)	English Written Language Produce crafted and developed formal transactional writing.	Topic of choice
US5825 (4 credits)	History Explain the influence of a historical force.	Philosophy of history
US8829 (2 credits)	English Oral Language Promote discussion of ideas and develop the content of discussion.	Metaphysics
US6351 (4 credits)	Science – core Report on the historical development of a scientific idea, with supervision.	Philosophy of science
US8829 (2 credits)	English Oral Language Promote discussion of ideas and develop the content of discussion.	Topic of choice
US5940 (3 credits)	Generic computing Produce a presentation using a desktop computer application.	Topic of choice

The study of philosophy includes free inquiry and rational discussion. Care must be taken to ensure that assessment does not inhibit philosophical discourse. Discourse need not be limited to interpersonal discussion. A dialogue can take place via the Internet or between an individual and a text.

Level 8

Indicators

Indicators are adjuncts to the objectives – their purpose is to provide greater clarity in terms of expected depth and scope by providing examples of the kinds of behaviours and capabilities that a teacher might expect to observe in a student who is achieving at the appropriate level. Teachers can add further indicators if they wish.

Students can use the indicators as a guide when assessing their own progress; teachers can use them as a guide when reporting to parents, wh?nau, or the next teacher.

Context elaborations

Context elaborations are possible contexts for learning, with an indication of how they might be used in relation to the learning objectives concerned.

Learning objective 8.1: Inquiry

Indicator

· Connects philosophical ideas and critiques them.

Possible context elaborations

· The student connects and critiques ideas in questions such as: Is time travel possible? What is time? What is space? What do we mean by ‘possible’? What is the mind?

· Drawing on source material, such as time-travel fictions (Dr Who, Back to the Future, Harry Potter, Star Trek), and scientific theory (zero point field, relativity theory, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle), the student identifies different theories of time travel. Consider the propositions that: time travel is contradictory and that time travel is logically, but not physically, possible.

Learning objective 8.2: Reasoning

Indicators

· Structures and organises ideas into reasoned arguments.

· Evaluates different types of reasoned arguments.

· Analyses different types of reasoned arguments.

Possible context elaborations

· Analyse different types of arguments in questions such as: Does God exist? How do we know what is true?

· Evaluate arguments such as: The theory of evolution leads to a view that God does not exist.

· Use formal logic to analyse arguments such as: The universe arose by chance or intelligent design; intelligent design is unlikely, therefore (probably) the universe arose by chance.

Learning objective 8.3: Philosophical Perspectives

Indicators

· Assesses the basic ideas in a variety of philosophical perspectives.

· Critiques ideas from philosophical perspectives.

· Distinguishes relationships between philosophical ideas in various contexts.

Possible context elaborations

· Can you harm someone if they do not know they have been harmed?

· If you go out with your friend’s boyfriend or girlfriend without your friend finding out, have you hurt your friend?

· Can you harm the dead, for example, by forging a Picasso?

· Can a pile of rubbish be art?

· Is abortion wrong?

· Explain why you should not kill another person.

· Is killing ever justified?

Learning objective 8.4: Applied Philosophy

Indicators

· Analyses and evaluates the basic assumptions in questions and issues.

· Evaluates the viability of basic assumptions or implications in issues.

Possible context elaborations

· Students develop their own proposal to illustrate an application of philosophical ideas to issues: Should I upgrade my iPod™ or contribute the money to alleviate poverty?

· Students evaluate contemporary issues: On what grounds could a protest boat be justified in ramming whaling ships? When is the use of cosmetic surgery to enhance one’s looks acceptable?

Assessment for qualifications

Currently, philosophy is being assessed using a range of standards from a variety of domains, including but not limited to the examples provided in this guide. More information is available on the NZ APT website.

Examples are given for assessment of full-year courses, using a combination of unit and achievement standards at curriculum levels 6, 7, and 8. These standards have been sourced from social studies, art history, classical studies, English, mathematics, religious studies, and science. When the achievement standards have been finalised, this guide will link to them.

Note: The following achievement and unit standards are all NCEA level 3 and internally assessed.

Standards	Area	Name/description
AS90720 (4 credits)	English Written Language Produce an extended piece of writing in a selected style.	Topic of choice
US6035 (4 credits)	Understanding religion Examine religious responses to ethical issues.	Ethics and philosophy of religion
US6021 (4 credits)	Understanding religion Explain how different answers to an ultimate question support world views and shape lifestyles.	Political philosophy
US8837 (5 credits)	English Oral Language Conduct a seminar using a transactional oral text.	Topic of choice
US7585 (6 credits)	Classical studies Examine and investigate aspects of classical philosophical and scientific thought.	Ancient Greek thought
US7589 (6 credits)	Classical studies Analyse the character, philosophy, and methods of Socrates as reflected by Plato.	Socrates
US9743 (4 credits)	Christian theological studies Present a reasoned argument for the existence of God.	Philosophy of religion
US5980 (4 credits)	Christian theological studies Demonstrate integration of thought about a scientific development with Christian thought and belief.	Philosophy of science
US8837 (5 credits)	English Oral Language Conduct a seminar using a transactional oral text.	Student seminar

The study of philosophy includes free inquiry and rational discussion. Care must be taken to ensure that assessment does not inhibit philosophical discourse. Discourse need not be limited to interpersonal discussion. A dialogue can take place via the Internet or between an individual and a text.

Resources

Assessment and professional support

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)

· Follow links to the National Qualifications Framework, NCEA, and subject achievement standards.

· Further information on assessing with unit standards can be found on the NZQA website. Some assessment resources are also available.

Assessment online

· This key community covers assessment in the classroom, effective use of evidence, and reporting to families and wh?nau. It offers news, assessment tools and resources, research, a glossary, FAQs, and related links.

· The linked site Consider the evidence promotes ‘evidence-driven decision making for secondary schools’ and supports secondary educators in making best use of evidence to improve student achievement.

· For an overview of assessment, see Directions for assessment in New Zealand, a report by Michael Absolum, Lester Flockton, ?John Hattie, ?Rosemary Hipkins, and ?Ian Reid (also available as a Word or PDF file).

Education Review Office

In 2007, ERO published three reports on schools’ effectiveness in the collection and use of assessment:

· The collection and use of assessment information in schools

· The collection and use of assessment information in schools: Good practice in primary schools

· The collection and use of assessment information in schools: Good practice in secondary schools

New Zealand Association of Philosophy Teachers (NZAPT)

As teachers begin to consider the learning needs of students and how best to engage their interests, they will need to access a range of resources in print and online. The NZAPT website provides guidance and references that will help plan teaching and learning activities for philosophy at curriculum levels 6, 7, and 8. Contact the relevant subject expert listed on the NZAPT website for assistance in sourcing resources.

Resourcing ideas

The following references will help you to plan teaching and learning activities for this subject.

The National Library of New Zealand curriculum information service

Over 500 000 items are available through the Schools Collection, including books, videos, and DVDs. Schools can also interloan music, books, and serials from the National Library’s general collections through their local curriculum information service centre.

Te kete ipurangi

See in particular the social sciences community. Teachers are also encouraged to visit other TKI communities, such as the ICT community and Software for Learning.

Social sciences online

This site provides pages specific to the following senior subjects: business studies, classical studies, economics, geography, history, and senior social studies (see links under ‘Senior secondary’ on the landing page).

Social sciences online also provides PDFs of titles in the Ministry of Education series Building Conceptual Understandings in the Social Sciences (BCUSS). (These are listed in ‘Featured content’, right navigation.)

· Approaches to building conceptual understandings

· Approaches to social inquiry

· Being part of a global community

· Belonging and participating in society

Although the BCUSS series is designed to help teachers of levels 1–5, it is strongly recommended to senior social science teachers.

AnyQuestions.co.nz

Students can go to this website to find useful, accurate, online information. Librarians from all over New Zealand are available each weekday between 1 pm and 6 pm to help students search online. To use AnyQuestions, students must be attending a New Zealand primary, intermediate, or secondary school or being home-schooled.

Ministry of Education websites

The New Zealand Curriculum online

As well as the HTML version of The New Zealand Curriculum, this interactive site offers a variety of support and strategies, news updates, digital stories of schools’ experiences, and archived material relating to development of the curriculum.

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa

This site includes a translation into English of the main sections of the draft marautanga. Only learning levels 1, 4, and 6 have been translated in the learning areas.

Support for secondary middle leaders

This site is designed to assist secondary middle managers to work with their departments to implement The New Zealand Curriculum. It explores various aspects of effective pedagogy.

Ka Hikitia – managing for success: The M?ori education strategy 2008–2012

Ka Hikitia is a five-year strategy that aims to transform and change the education sector, ensuring M?ori are able to enjoy education success as M?ori.

Te Tere Auraki

This Ministry of Education professional development strategy focuses on improving outcomes for M?ori students in English-medium schools. This strategy supports four main projects: Te Kotahitanga, Te Kauhua, Ako Panuku, and Te Mana K?rero.

Pasifika education

This has been created to enable all of those involved with Pasifika education to find information quickly and easily, including policy, initiatives, publications, research results, and services and funding.

Key competencies

This companion site to New Zealand Curriculum online offers specific guidance to school leaders and teachers on integrating the key competencies into the daily activities of the school and its teaching and learning programmes.

Other government websites

BES (Iterative Best Evidence Synthesis) programme

BES is a collaborative knowledge-building strategy designed to strengthen the evidence base that informs education policy and practice in New Zealand. See in particular: Effective pedagogy in social sciences/tikanga ? iwi: Best evidence synthesis iteration [BES] (2008).

Other websites

The following websites have been recommended as helpful by teachers. They have not been extensively reviewed or checked for quality.

Certain doubt

This NZAPT site shares articles and videos as stimulus material for a community of interested people. Three zones are geared towards difficult levels of philosophy. Cafe Philosophy contains papers creatively written and philosophically rich, yet accessible to people of all backgrounds. Hardcore Philosophy focuses on specialist areas, with detailed articles couched in more complex philosophical terminology. The video section offers links to the best philosophy videos on the net.
>>www.certaindoubt.org

Philosophy and critical thinkers in senior schools

This Australian site is a resource repository suitable for students who have already had some exposure to philosophy. Register to participate in discussions and make comments. ‘Assessment items’ includes material which could easily be adapted for New Zealand classrooms. An excellent section, highlighting philosophical ideas in the news, has a focus on applied ethics. For senior students, there are links to original philosophical texts.

Squashed philosophers

A compressed history of philosophy well pitched for secondary students, with comprehensive coverage of Western and Eastern philosophies. Each article comes with an estimated reading time (most typically 20–25 minutes).

Sydney Grammar School Philosophy Club

Meetings are run like a university philosophy tutorial. A day or two before the meeting, each boy in the club receives a short discussion paper examining a particular philosophical question, which is then discussed at the meeting. Discussions cover the typical range of topics – applied ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of mind, human rights, cosmology.

Learning and Teaching Scotland

This site offers well-pitched resources for secondary students as well as teachers. There are strong introductory texts and lesson plans. Topics include classic texts in philosophy, epistemology, logic, moral philosophy, philosophy of mind, problems in philosophy (epistemology and metaphysics), and social philosophy.