Great minds think young

Why is there air? Why does a rock do nothing? Why do humans have brains?

The University of Memphis philosophy department will show teachers how to answer these kinds of questions at a conference titled "Keeping the Child in Mind: A Conference About Philosophy for Children."

The two-day conference, which is free and open to the public, is part of a larger project at The U of M called Philosophical Horizons. The project aims to introduce the history and practice of philosophy to Memphis children.

"It will be interesting to see how the children respond to the discussion session," said Sandra Locken, freshman psychology major.

Locken watched videos on YouTube of discussion sessions in other countries and wonders if children in Memphis will be as involved, she said.

The conference will begin with a demonstration class to show teachers how they can use philosophy in a classroom setting at 11 a.m. in the Barbara K. Lipman Early Childhood School and Research Institute. Gareth Matthews, a scholar of ancient philosophy at The University of Massachusetts, will deliver the keynote speech, "Just Think About That: Growing Up Philosophically," at 4 p.m. in Mitchell Hall.

University speakers and national guests will deliver presentations on childhood development and philosophy in room 100 of the Panhellenic Building from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Jana More Lone, who is with The Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children at The University of Washington, will lead Friday's demonstration class.

Deborah Tollefsen, associate professor and chair of the philosophy department, said teachers would use children's literature in the class to introduce philosophical questions to the elementary school children. To illustrate her point, Tollefsen said teachers could read students a story about a courageous dog and then ask what courage is.

"It is truly amazing to listen to what the children have to say about such complex questions," she said.

Instead of lecturing students, Tollefsen said teachers would ask leading questions to draw out students' ideas.

"It is using the Socratic method to engage children in a dialogue about a topic," she said. "Children are beings of wonder and we want them to keep asking the questions that their wondering minds already ask."

John Henson, sophomore philosophy major, said the conference could teach children a different way of thinking.

"Kids are so unique in the way they think anyway, so it should be interesting to see what they say," he said.

Graduate philosophy student Michael Burroughs is one of the invited speakers at Saturday's session.

Burroughs, who co-organized the event, said the purpose of the conference can be broken down into two main points.

"The first point is to discuss the theory and practice for philosophy for children. The second point is pushing the practical goal of introducing philosophy into Memphis city schools," he said.

Burroughs said he is looking forward to hearing from Gareth Matthews, who has authored several articles and books on ancient, medieval and early modern philosophy.

"We have a lot of great speakers coming, but having Gareth Matthews speak is a big deal," he said.

Burroughs is currently teaching a class implementing the Philosophical Horizons curriculum at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis.

The philosophy department at The U of M partnered with three other schools around the Memphis area for the 2009-10 school year as part of their plan to implement the curriculum into the Memphis City School system.