Topic+1+-+Introduction+to+Philosophy

=Broad Goals= The intention of this introductory topic is for you to:
 * gain a broad understanding of the nature of philosophy by being introduced to the five main branches: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics and politics. Consider how all branches interplay within any major decision making process,
 * explore your own ideas of philosophy and begin to understand the role of philosopher in society.
 * begin to consider what knowledge is and what knowledge is not
 * use a range of philosophers tools when thinking around and discussing a topic within a circle of inquiry
 * identify the components of an argument in order to begin to construct your own.

The skills and understanding gained in this preliminary module will assist you across the topics that follow.

=What is philosophy?= Monty Python's Philosophers Football media type="youtube" key="79vdlEcWxvM" height="283" width="343"

Australasian Association of Philosophy Video media type="custom" key="8265754"

These can be used to help understand what philosophy is all about

This is a short blog someone has written about the role of a Philosopher.

Warm up to consider what philosophy is and is not.

A warm up to distinguish science from natural philosophy.

=The five branches of philosophy= In a nut shell - this PowerPoint shows the main questions and relationship between the main branches of philosophy.

The Philosophy of Playdoh activity - Play with playdoh while asking questions about it philosophically. .

This PowerPoint slide show is quite detailed but very good. It covers Eastern as well as Western philosophy which is focus of our course.

If you want a summary of the main questions in each of the 5 branches of Philosophy covered in this course (Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Aesthetics, Politics) then please see the topics themselves in the navigation menu on the left.

A warm up to identify the different branches of Philosophy.

=**Basic Toolkit Skills**= A PowerPoint that introduces the basic tools of a philosopher. It is an easy reference guide as it shows the laminated tools that are in the red lidded toolbox that is brought to class and has a small description of how they are used.

Here are a list of questions and activities to use to reflect on a philosophy lesson itself or on the content being discussed.

=**Questioning**= Here are a list of the stimulus materials and types of questioning approaches taught in class. This table might help you remember how we developed the questions in class for when you have to do it on your own.

A PowerPoint to consider the 5 ways to generate questions that we use in class. It expands on how to use the 5 different types of questions in the table above.
 * **Type of question** || **Text used** || **Notes** ||
 * Open/question builder || Pixar shorts || Show a couple of films, choose one and write questions as a class, then look for themes and choose a question to discuss. ||
 * Open/Closed || It’s not fair || Use laminations to help identify and distinguish these two types of questions. ||
 * Questioning toolkit || Herbert and Harry || Use Jamie McKenzies questioning toolkit and get them to choose one type and do. Could do a few as an example. Note there are set of consecutive discussion questions if needed. ||
 * Blooms || Goldilocks || Show film and do activities with grid and laminations ||
 * Consecutive /non-consecutive discussion questions || The Gruffalo || Read story and do as a group ||

A Goldilocks video matched to a Bloom's questioning hierarchy. media type="youtube" key="mS3nN6PH96Y" height="309" width="379"

A Video of //The Gruffalo// video matched to using Consecutive and Nonconsecutive Discussion question.

Jamie McKenzie’s questioning toolkit []

=Knowledge= Here is a brief history of knowledge through the work of a range of philosopher.

An activity with laminated cards to distinguish Data, Information and Knowledge.

Here is a class jigsaw activity to consider a wide variety of ways that knowledge can be constructed.

Some websites with useful information. []

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=Arguing/Reasoning, Logic= An example of a bad argument by Monty Python. media type="youtube" key="teMlv3ripSM" height="238" width="290"

This PowerPoint on reason and Logic was made especially for this course.

A warm up to distinguish arguing in Philosophy and arguing at recess.

A warm up to distinguish between reason and excuse.

The following set of PowerPoints from Dialogue Education are more advanced but might still be useful. For example you might find some individual slides, or a series of slides, helpful. This Dialogue Education PowerPoint is on recognising rationally defensible claims. .

This is a Dialogue Education PowerPoint on Analysing an argument. .

Here is a Dialogue Education PowerPoint on Reasoning and Logic.

Old Disney animation (1943) on the fight between reason and emotion. media type="youtube" key="JStrcfHr8AY" height="274" width="336"

=Other Analysis and Evaluation Tools= This is PowerPoint designed for this course that covers other ways to evaluate a question or argument in Philosophy.



=**Housekeeping**=