11 hats of a philosophy teacher

In my job as a Philosophy Specialist Teacher I take on a number of different roles:

1. Storyteller

The story is the most efficient instrument ever devised for hijacking people's attention. If I want to help my students engage with some philosophical idea, I search for a suitable story to frame the ideas and bring them to life.

Fortunately, there are many colourful and provocative stories from the history of philosophy- along with fables, myths, and thought experiments- that I can use to draw students in. We start with these stories, and then go deeper.

2. Host

Some students clamour for attention, while others shrink from the spotlight. As a host I am responsible for ensuring that both types of student feel comfortable. Students should not feel left out if they want to enter the discussion, and quieter ones shouldn’t feel forced to speak but ought to be invited to do so. The goal is to create an environment of psychological safety. This allows students to express themselves authentically, share their perspectives without fear of judgment, and engage in meaningful discussions.

3. Referee

Philosophy enquiries typically fall flat for one of two reasons: either the students aren’t engaged with the philosophical problem itself or they are distracted by bad behaviour. While good behaviour isn’t sufficient for a good enquiry it is often necessary. In my role as referee, I enforce two 'rules' of philosophical discussion; only one person speaking at a time and no disrespect of others' views (although you can disagree respectfully).

4. Mediator

Disagreements are the lifeblood of philosophy. So much so, that one of my students once said that if everyone agrees on something it can no longer be called philosophy. Since good enquiries involve a dynamic tension between opposing points of view, my role as mediator is to engage students with the substance of their disagreement without affirming any particular side. This might involve merely pointing out where someone disagrees and inviting a response, or writing up opposing arguments to delve deeper into the reasons for them.

5. Midwife

Children often have an inkling of an idea but find it difficult to put into words. In my role as midwife in the classroom I help children to give birth to their ideas. I ask questions for them clarify to themselves what they think, and assist them each step along the way. Socrates famously compared his role to that of a midwife in Plato’s dialogue Theaetetus,

‘Those who frequent my company at first appear, some of them, quite unintelligent, but, as we go further in our discussions, all who are favoured by heaven make progress at a rate that seems surprising to others as well as to themselves, although it is clear that they have never learned anything from me. The many admirable truths they bring to birth have been discovered by themselves from within’. (150c, Theaetetus)

6. Provocateur

Since philosophy is concerned with, as Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel put it, ‘awakening the restlessness of reason’, it is sometimes necessary to sting my students into wakefulness by saying something provocative. This keeps them alert and prevents them from getting complacent. I often adopt this role when there is an outbreak of consensus on an issue. I might use the strategy of the ‘imaginary disagreer’ (Peter Worley, The Philosophy Foundation) by invoking an absent person who offers a dissenting view, or pretend to hold an opposing and deliberately controversial view for dramatic purposes. Socrates said that his aim was ‘to sting people and whip them into fury, all in the service of truth’ (Apology, 30e). Sometimes a sting is needed to shake us from our dogmatic slumbers. We need to be jolted into contemplation.

7. Numbfish

Philosophers are often motivated by a need to make sense of their own doubts and confusions. As Arthur Schopenhauer noted, ‘A man becomes a philosopher by reason of a certain perplexity, from which he seeks to free himself.’ Sometimes I deliberately lead my students to some point of confusion so they feel the need to untangle themselves from it. Socrates was a master at this. In one dialogue Meno turns to him and says,

‘Socrates, before I met you I used to hear that you are always in a state of perplexity and that you bring others to the same state, and now I think you are bewitching and beguiling me, simply putting me under a spell, so that I am quite perplexed.’ (80a, Meno)

Socrates claimed that it was necessary to bring others into perplexity so that they could see problems clearly. Once they are aware of their ignorance, and their need to resolve the problem, they are motivated to investigate it further.

8. Coach

Since progress is often difficult to quantify in philosophy, students need to feel that they are improving and moving in the right direction. I often give my students encouragement before we start and single out individual examples of improvement in a philosophical skill (e.g. Asking pertinent questions, giving a deeper argument, looking at the implications of a claim) to model it to the rest of the class as well. However, I will not praise their conclusions, but only the reasoning process that has gone behind it.

9. Clue giver

Often, around half way into a philosophical enquiry, I will introduce some philosophical terms, theories, or arguments that can be useful tools for moving the conversation forward. Here my goal is not to take the discussion to a different place but to provide a potential piece to fill in the puzzle. Feeling that we are closer to the truth, the students are then motivated to search for deeper understanding.

The authors Chip and Dan Heath describe the importance of such clue-giving as follows,

‘It’s no accident that mystery novelists and crossword-puzzle writers give us clues. When we feel that we’re close to the solution of a puzzle, curiosity takes over and propels us to the finish. Treasure maps, as shown in the movies, are vague. They show a few key landmarks and a big X where the treasure is. Usually the adventurer knows just enough to find the first landmark, which becomes the first step in a long journey toward the treasure. If treasure maps were produced on MapQuest.com, with door-to-door directions, it would kill the adventure- movie genre. There is value in sequencing information—not dumping a stack of information on someone at once but dropping a clue, then another clue, then another. This method of communication resembles flirting more than lecturing. Unexpected ideas, by opening a knowledge gap, tease and flirt. They mark a big red X on something that needs to be discovered but don’t necessarily tell you how to get there.’ (Made to Stick)

10. Curator

Students frequently make remarks that are deserving of sustained philosophical attention, but which fall flat in the room. If I am alert and manage to remember these remarks, I can preserve the insight for later investigation in subsequent weeks. By writing down what my students say I can spot more connections and relate their remarks to the wider community of inquiry. This also has the welcome side effect of motivating others to make noteworthy remarks as well.

11. Improviser

The most fundamental principle of improvisation is ‘yes, and…’ Instead of rejecting or ignoring what others say, the improv artist accepts that an offer has been made and runs with it. I try to do the same in philosophical enquiries. When a student makes a remark, I usually take the opportunity to make something of it, whether by posing another question, relating it to a thought experiment, or connecting to what others say. This encourages the class to do the same, and in both cases, the goal is to allow the discussion to flow naturally and to deepen the ideas already emerging.

‘Anyone who tries to control the future of the story can only succeed in ruining it. Every time you add a word, you know what word you would like to follow. Unless you can continually wipe your ideas out of your mind, you are paralysed.’ (Keith Johnstone, Improv)