So why book a Demonstration Day with INSET?
In INSET, there’s always a slight element of, “It worked with us – but will it work with the kids?”
It can be very effective as either an introduction or a refresher to combine the demonstration sessions and assemblies with twilight INSET.
This way, staff see P4C in action with their own classes, which is powerful proof of its benefits. It provides visible examples of what our our Philosophy Circles approach looks like in the classroom, and so makes the subsequent INSET all the more grounded and accessible.
This also has the advantage of allowing you to use any normal school day plus your regular meeting, or some scheduled twilight time. Days can combine INSET, pupil workshops, assemblies and planning time with your P4C lead.
Typically, we can fit in four to five pupil workshops into a day. We work with existing classes in their spaces, and with their current topics. As many staff as can fit are welcome to observe, as long as they aren’t distracted by marking or putting up a display.
In the INSET session, we cover the three core principles of Philosophy Circles in an interactive and engaging way. More participation and less PowerPoint. The key aim is to empower staff to embed P4C in their own lessons, so it’s another way of doing what they already do, rather than something extra. Staff will leave confident and enthusiastic about embedding P4C the very next day.
If you would like to talk about a sequence of Demo-Days for regular, sustained P4C, at reduced daily rates, take a look at our 'Philosopher in Residence' option.
You know enough about P4C to think it would be good for your school. But there are obstacles to implementing it.
The traditional way of doing P4C, in stand-alone sessions of around one hour, doesn’t fit in your timetable. Teaching staff, already under pressure from all the things they need to squeeze in to the week, are wary of taking on “yet another thing”, and don’t feel they are ready to plan what to do and know that they are “doing it right”. So, although you want to, you lack the support you need to take the plunge.
The philosophy never gets to the children, and they never get the benefits of talking independently about challenging questions. Your quiet children stay quiet, and never get the chance to get their ideas out to the wider world. So how do you take philosophy from “nice idea” to something that is embedded in the life of your school?
The traditional arc of a P4C Enquiry takes 50 minutes to 1 hour. We would still advocate for this as the destination, but for many schools it's such a big commitment that it prevents them taking the first steps. Each Philosophy Circles session can fit into 30 minutes, and because it is a different way of exploring existing content, it's not "yet another thing to do"; instead, another way to do things. It explores your existing topics and texts for deep discussion opportunities, often drawing on "in role" scenarios to combine creative and critical thinking.
To help you embed P4C as easily and effectively as possible, we have designed a Philosophy Circles School Pack, comprised of Teachers' Handbooks, 100+ session plans for every subject in the curriculum, and online video tutorials.
To purchase, simply go to our Shop, or click on the product links at the bottom of the page. You can pay by card or paypal but most people choose to have an invoice sent to the school for payment later.
Click here to download a sample set of our Philosophy Circles session plans.
Get Moving
Compelling, physically active openings to promote everybody’s engagement. How to bring playground confidence into the classroom and create engagement from the first minute.
Y-Questions
Opportunities for sustained disagreement that create CHALLENGE. How to spot juicy philosophical questions within your existing subjects to generate deeper learning.
Take a Back Seat
The crucial shift in the teacher’s role and status that give children INDEPENDENCE. How to plan less and feel confident in letting discussion grow organically.
What makes Philosophy Circles different?
- Built around three clear, memorable principles
- See it in action with your children
- Unrivalled resources – a streamlined handbook for busy teachers, and a resource bank of over 100 ready-to-go session plans arranged by age or subject
Money-back guarantee
We are confident in the quality of our courses. If you feel your day has not met your expectations, we will refund the cost.
Booking and Delivery Models
Lots of schools like to start by booking a single day, but for the deepest impact and so that you can be guided through the whole programme, you need two or more days including at least some chances to observe us working with children.
The training and pupil workshops can be delivered by Jason Buckley, founder of The Philosophy Man, or by Tom Bigglestone, our Lead Trainer. We also have a small team of associates who deliver training.
If your budget means you can't afford the above prices, there are still a couple of options:
You could 'buddy-up' with other local schools, to spread the cost.
Alternatively, if you can be flexible and arrange a day at short notice, ask to go on our list for stand-by days. When we are working in your area or have a quiet week, we will email you to offer a day at a discounted rate. Contact us using the form below to join the list.
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Resources Included With Your First Day
School Resource Pack
- Download of Philosophy Circles Resource Compendium with suggestions for each year group.
- Free upgrades to Philosophy Circles Resource Compendium until December 2018.
Teacher Packs
- Philosophy Circles Teacher Handbook
- Copy of Pocket P4C
- Copy of Thinkers’ Games
- Invitation to become an accredited Philosophy Circles Teacher
Peak INSETs are the day or two at the start and end of each term and half-term. All prices are +VAT. Additional school packs cost £200, additional attendee packs £10. We encourage collaboration between schools to share the costs and also because if you start together, you keep going together!