One of the challenges of providing a taster of P4C with such a large group is how to choose a question from the 15 or so that you start with. As they were read out, people called out “snap” if their question was the same, and we merged those together. Counting votes would be interminable, and as the questions had been read there were a few “ooos” as controversial or challenging questions were read.

So we did an “ooo-ometer” – a version of “analogue democracy”. I’d planned to do a clapometer so had invested in a sound meter, which came in handy for the final tie-break. It was a light hearted but very speedy way to filter a large number of questions – so one that goes in the toolkit!

Also got to see Edward de Bono, who within his keynote exemplified his technique of “random provocations” as a route to creative thinking. He took the problem of Libya, and the random word we had to use as the springboard for our thinking was shampoo.

My mind went from from shampoo to cosmetics more widely, to female allure, to the ancient comedy where the women of Greece withhold their conjugal favours to force the men to negotiate peace. (Turns out it’s Aristophanes’ Lysistrata).

Probably won’t make a contribution to the downfall of Gaddafi, but raised a smile.

The book launch is going to take place in The Great Hall of Queens University, Belfast, during the International Conference on Thinking – two weeks to go!

I’m also running two workshops there, one on Thinkers’ Games and one on Alien Adventures in Philosophy – and meeting with philosophers from the university to talk about possible collaborations, so it’s an exciting week.

I tested it out in the driveway, playing “Dream A Little Dream of Me” on the ukulele as well as testing the voice. Very easy to set up and will make it easier for me to work with bigger audiences – I’ve got some workshops coming up with 100+ teachers.

Have a good holiday and I look forward to sending lots more resources out and visiting lots of schools next year.

re people can express their ideas and be challenged to improve on them in a supportive atmosphere.

Since January, I’ve been enjoying my own “safe space” for personal development at Chelmsford Speakers, the local branch of Toastmasters. It’s not for people in red coats at weddings, but rather an international network of non-profit clubs that help people develop their public speaking skills. As a teacher, you get an enormous amount of practice at speaking to groups, but I felt that if I was going to work with larger audiences I ought to know that I knew what I was doing.

It’s been an excellent experience, and I would recommend to anyone in the teaching profession that you seek out your local club and see what you think. The proof of the pudding for me was a gig I did at the Essex Primary Headteachers Conference last week – one group had over 80 deputy heads. They were a very responsive crowd, and the evaluations were very encouraging – 89% at least “very useful” and 39% “superb”. Mind you, the way I scanned the feedback summary for the figures was a useful reminder of  just what a waste of time it is putting helpful suggestions on a kid’s work if you then add a grade!

Back to Toastmasters: I think the meetings I’ve been to there have helped me to raise my game as a trainer to the point where I would be very happy to do keynote sessions. A striking feature is the way people give and receive feedback. Each time you give a speech, someone gives you a detailed evaluation. It’s positive in tone, but because everyone is looking to improve, there’s a real hunger for “growth points” – if a speaker is given an evaluation that is sugary and doesn’t pick up some area for development, you can sense that they feel rather let down.

One feature of the meetings that could be transferred to the classroom and to P4C in particular is that there are a range of roles for which participants can volunteer, so that leadership and facilitation are distributed around the group. Recording key ideas, getting people to give reasons, A Questioner-General, maybe an Artist to the Enquiry? Food for thought.

Mexico made quite an impression on me – the laurel trees that provide shade in the squares and look like floating hedges; the friendly people; the sudden changes of climate in the Sierra Gorda. And very nearly, in a less metaphorical way, when I got too relaxed during a walk and forgot to drive on the right when I returned to my car.

Lots of new colleagues to collaborate with, and lots of inspiration.

For each course, a full day’s training is free for one delegate from each participating school. This day provides a basic introduction to P4C, a wealth of engaging thinking games, and the opportunity to enjoy doing some philosophy yourselves.

A follow up Day 2 course is held 3-4 weeks later and is optional. It will extend your skills as a facilitator, enable you to plan for progress and help you to make connections between P4C and the rest of the curriculum. The fee for this day includes accreditation for the Level 1 Certificate in Philosophy for Children by SAPERE, the national body for P4C.

Obviously my job is to wow you with the first day’s training so that you insist on being released for a second day of high quality CPD. But the free Day 1 is designed as a basic introduction in its own right, and benefits from excellent post-course support.

For details of the course hosted by the regional gifted and talented Hub, Excellence London at Queen Mary’s University of London, (17th June and 15th July) click here.

For details of the course hosted by R A Butler School in Saffron Walden, Essex, (14th June and 7th July) click here.

Each course is limited to 30 participants but a waiting list with priority for future courses will operate once they are filled. If you are interested in hosting a course elsewhere in the country, or would like to be ahead of the queue when I run a course in your area, email firstdayfree@outspark.org.uk

The first day was a variation on my Evilometer workshop, with the second day given over to developing storytelling and facilitation skills. The next step is for the Year 10 pupils on the course to visit primary school pupils to give them a taste of philosophy, running some thinking games, using “Horrible Histories” style stories and facilitating some simple discussions.

I was very impressed with how quickly they gained in confidence, adapted the stories I had offered them (culled from the Thinkers’ Stories DVD) or created new thought-provoking stories.

Of course, this isn’t intended as a substitute for teachers taking up P4C, but as a complement to it. The course was funded by Staffordshire Advisory Service, who are being very proactive in encouraging schools to adopt P4C through a variety of initiatives. So a big thank you to them and to Andrea O’Neil, the G&T coordinator at Clayton who organised the event.

If you are interested in the possibility of your pupils doing the Young Philosopher’s Award Course, please get in touch.

(Download Would You Rather Be A Bee or A Chicken — 7-page PDF version.)

Each player has a card with a different animal or bird, and they pair up with someone else and decide which creature they would rather be and why. Then they swap cards and swap partners.

We tried it out, and what was interesting was that even such an apparently frivolous activity leads very quickly to some interesting philosophical questions. Lots of people preferred animals that were free – but others thought that there was something to be said for being safe from predators.