What are Philosophical Chairs?
Philosophical Chairs is similar to a debate. Students are given a central topic or question that they must choose to agree, disagree or be neutral regarding the answer. A great Philosophical Chairs discussion starts with a great topic or question. Topics that work best are ones that are important to students or that they feel strongly about.
How do you set up for Philosophical Chairs?
There are lots of ways to do this debate/discussion technique. It’s quite scalable. P.Chairs can be done in 20 minutes with a topic that has not had any preparation. Or it could be the resulting exercise after a long unit of work. Either way, I use the same rules. And I always have the students pre-write, take notes, and write a reflection at the end. Their assessment is done, not on their participation in the event, but rather in their written understanding of it.
What are some possible rules for Philosophical Chairs?
1. One minute in the hot seat.
2. Repeat or rephrase what the last person said.
3. Wait three seconds before responding; to be sure the last person is finished.
4. You can not talk until the discussion passes 4 times after you have spoken. Another way of saying it is that someone else on your side must talk before you can again.
5. MOVE. Philosophical Chairs is about movement. Use your 5 toes and get up and walk to show support for ideas expressed.
What are some things to know about setting up and managing the logistics of a Philosophical Chair?
How the teacher can roll out the technique:
A. Write the topic/question on the board.
B.The students write the topic/question down on their sheet of paper and next to their heading they will answer it in one word – yes, no, unsure. This gives the teacher a chance to walk around the room and find out how many students are on each side. The students quickwrite about why they chose the answer they did.
C. Tell the students which side of the room is “yes or no.” Students will then move to those sides. Middle seats are for the undecided. Use a "talking stick" of sorts, or koosh ball, etc. that allows only one person to speak at a time.
D. Begin with the side that has the least amount of support. This may cause people to change their mind. Allow each side to take turns rephrasing and stating their thoughts.
E. Call time out as the moderator to clarify inaccurate comments or falsehoods.
F. At the end of the discussion (they can last from 10 to 50 minutes in length), have the students write a reflection. For example, “Explain how your viewpoint was strengthened, weakened or changed altogether.” List the information and names of students who made great points.
G. Follow up the next class period with a ‘teacher’s reflection’ about the comments made by the students. Often students will not have an opportunity to voice their great ideas, but this is a chance to revisit the topic and share some great points of view.
How do you set up for Philosophical Chairs?
There are lots of ways to do this debate/discussion technique. It’s quite scalable. P.Chairs can be done in 20 minutes with a topic that has not had any preparation. Or it could be the resulting exercise after a long unit of work. Either way, I use the same rules. And I always have the students pre-write, take notes, and write a reflection at the end. Their assessment is done, not on their participation in the event, but rather in their written understanding of it.
What are some possible rules for Philosophical Chairs?
1. One minute in the hot seat.
2. Repeat or rephrase what the last person said.
3. Wait three seconds before responding; to be sure the last person is finished.
4. You can not talk until the discussion passes 4 times after you have spoken. Another way of saying it is that someone else on your side must talk before you can again.
5. MOVE. Philosophical Chairs is about movement. Use your 5 toes and get up and walk to show support for ideas expressed.
What are some things to know about setting up and managing the logistics of a Philosophical Chair?
How the teacher can roll out the technique:
A. Write the topic/question on the board.
B.The students write the topic/question down on their sheet of paper and next to their heading they will answer it in one word – yes, no, unsure. This gives the teacher a chance to walk around the room and find out how many students are on each side. The students quickwrite about why they chose the answer they did.
C. Tell the students which side of the room is “yes or no.” Students will then move to those sides. Middle seats are for the undecided. Use a "talking stick" of sorts, or koosh ball, etc. that allows only one person to speak at a time.
D. Begin with the side that has the least amount of support. This may cause people to change their mind. Allow each side to take turns rephrasing and stating their thoughts.
E. Call time out as the moderator to clarify inaccurate comments or falsehoods.
F. At the end of the discussion (they can last from 10 to 50 minutes in length), have the students write a reflection. For example, “Explain how your viewpoint was strengthened, weakened or changed altogether.” List the information and names of students who made great points.
G. Follow up the next class period with a ‘teacher’s reflection’ about the comments made by the students. Often students will not have an opportunity to voice their great ideas, but this is a chance to revisit the topic and share some great points of view.
What do Philosophical Chairs activities look and sound like?
Watch the video below to review the basics of Philosophical Chairs and to see an example in action.