the two dimensions of philosophy education with children: curricular and extra-curricular philosophy activities

Abstract

The Twenty-first Century promises to be the age of information, a century in which only those societies that aspire to the production, transmission and marketing of information can achieve success. As such, the individuals of this century must possess, along with the basic skills, the new and significant abilities of problem-solving, creative thinking, decision-making, research skills, and the capacity to assume responsibility for one’s own knowledge as active subjects. It is necessary to teach students how to think, and the education of thinking is one function of philosophy. Only an adequate philosophical education can create individuals with the qualifications listed above, and such an education has to be supported by both curricular and extra-curricular activities. This article will review these two dimensions of philosophical education, using recent educational developments in Turkey as an example.