Tooled Up Education

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” These words by the American writer Dorothy Parker perfectly describe our belief in the importance of inspiring children with curiosity and a spirit of inquiry.

Peter Worley is the CEO of the Philosophy Foundation, a charity dedicated to promoting philosophy to young people. In this fascinating podcast, he describes how we can introduce philosophy at home, and the benefits it can have.

Peter also gave us these top tips for unlocking children’s thinking, from phrasing questions the right way to embracing silence and using visual cues.

The world of philosophy offers plenty of insight into how to become an effective learner. The key idea to embrace here is “aporia” – a feeling of confusion or perplexity over a problem that seems to be unsolvable. We might instinctively think that such a feeling hinders learning, but philosophers recognise aporia as fertile ground for new ideas and discoveries. Find out more in this article on what philosophy tells us about learning.

The children’s philosophy charity SAPERE joined Tooled Up for this interactive webinar with trainer Emma Leeson, demonstrating what it’s like to philosophise and introduce the ethos of Philosophy For Children. This session is packed with ideas you can use at home to inspire your own young philosophers. 

You might also enjoy this short video on what it means to be inquisitive, and these links to Tooled Up resources that help to cultivate children’s curiosity.