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Philosophy
students turn thinking CAPS on
By Sarah Duffy
On-line Forty-Niner
Although the California
public school system has faced many challenges and isssues,
philosophy students at Cal State Long Beach are attempting
to make a difference in the system.
As a way to improve critical thinking skills and learning
in the classroom, the students are partnering with local schoolteachers
and leading weekly philosophical discussions with children
in grades K through 12.
"None of the kids seem to care, but when you go in with
philosophical questions, the light bulb seems to go on,"
said Raphael Nguyen, a CSULB graduate of philosophy currently
working on his teaching credential who also serves as a teaching
partner at Millikan High School in Long Beach.
The Center for the Advancement of Philosophy in the Schools,
or CAPS, as the program is called, has attracted the attention
of teachers at Millikan High School, Wilson High School, Kettering
Classical Elementary School, and Hill Middle School.
"Philosophy is a love of knowledge, a love of wisdom
and that's what we're trying to encourage in the students,"
said Charlie Dodson, who teaches world history at Hill.
He says his students enjoy the weekly philosophical discussion
and look forward to class.
"These sessions are about asking meaningful questions
and finding answers -- things that resonate with students'
lives," Dodson said.
"There's no point in talking over students' heads about
Plato, but if you talk about love, well, they're 13, and that's
what they're thinking about," Dodson said.
Philosophy graduate student Al Lara helps lead a weekly philosophical
discussion at Millikan High School in grades 10 and 11. He
says he likes CAPS' pragmatic approach.
"It's more than just asking these really interesting
questions that just sort of have no answer," Lara said.
"I think the process of getting to conclusions that are
more plausible than others and seeing the benefit of coming
to that conclusion -- the process of that is so very important."
The type of learning that can take place among students in
such a program is difficult to measure or prove, especially
to school administrators, said Russ Daily, the project director
of CAPS, who was able to help establish the nonprofit program
through CSULB's Foundation.
"They want proof that you're doing something good,"
Daley said. "What are you accomplishing? And we
say: 'Well, you know, we're making them better thinkers, they're
more logical, they can communicate better, they can communicate
their ideas, they listen better, they're more empathetic to
the ideas of other students, they're more tolerant now.'
"How do you prove that? How do you show that? How do
you test for those qualities? It's very difficult and its'
a challenge really for the whole movement."
Normally offered as independent study, CAPS will be offered
as a new capstone course this fall. It includes a teacher-training
workshop, pairing with a K-12 teacher, developing a targeted
curriculum plan, conducting weekly classroom sessions with
students and evaluations with students. Students who have
at least six units of philosophy may take the class with instructor
approval.
For CSULB to get behind and approve the program as a capstone
course has validated their work, Daley said. Since its inception,
the program has received financial support from a myriad of
sources, including corporations such as Ralph's grocery stores,
the Mattel Toy company, and the state's lottery fund.
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