The bane of my life as a teacher has always been my struggle to use other people’s resources – but these flow so naturally, and are so obviously polished and refined by repeated use, that I find I can pick one up and use it straight away. It has immediately become my favourite resource for Philosophy for Children, not excluding my own work; the time it saves me and the enjoyment of the sessions is ample compensation for the professional jealousy! In David’s words:
This is a book to help your students experience the wild flight of thinking. Its fun hands-on lessons are filled with questions and activities designed to baffle and befuddle. Suitable for both primary and secondary students, they can be used to fill a pocket of time in your day or serve as the basis of a philosophy curriculum. The lessons are conversational and work perfectly as whole-class activities. Their metamorphic powers will turn your class of students into an intermingled thinking organism, and what happens next is entirely unpredictable. That is the joy of thinking beans: you can never be quite sure what will grow out of them.
If you are buying for colleagues, you might like to get the bundle of five copies for £50
David Birch is author of Provocations: Philosophy for Secondary school and teaches philosophy and religious studies at Highgate School. He is a specialist with The Philosophy Foundation.