Saudi Gazette report

SOME education experts are calling for teaching philosophy to children at a young age to instill in them the good values of citizenship.

The experts believe children should be exposed to philosophy lessons as early as the elementary grades to help sharpen their thinking abilities and prepare them to take logical decisions, in addition to developing a sense of respect for others, Al-Riyadh newspaper said in a recent report.

Numerous field studies have shown that four-year-old children ask 20-30 questions an hour because they are curious and inquisitive and want to know to know what is happening in their surroundings.

It is important for parents and teachers to focus on the ethical dilemmas some children might have and help them understand any ethical issue properly, the studies stressed.

Children who learn philosophy tend to perform better at school and be more creative than others. They can also be more flexible in their way of thinking and capable of giving several solutions or opinions to an issue, the studies showed.

Schools in the United States and the United Kingdom as well as many European countries incorporate philosophy in school curricula for all grades in order to enhance the critical and creative thinking ability of students.

Amal Hamad, training supervisor at Riyadh Educational Administration, believes that teaching philosophy can develop and sharpen bright minds and help students use logic to analyze issues.

“Children are inquisitive and have a natural tendency to express what they feel on the spot. But you have to create a conducive environment for them if you want to unleash the creativity in them,” Hamad said.

Teaching philosophy to future generations will definitely help increase their awareness about many issues and enhance their tolerance toward others.

Islamic ethics and morals support and advocate proper and right thinking, she said, noting that teachers, male and female, will also benefit from teaching philosophy.

“In my opinion and based on my experience, philosophy should be incorporated in classroom activities as well. Therefore, teachers will need to be provided with intensive training on how to achieve that. It is important for us to create a curriculum where we can teach thinking skills, ethics, decision-making skills and virtuous values. Students should be encouraged to discuss and debate so that their thinking skills can develop and evolve,” she explained.

Hind Al-Dawsary, technical director of science, mathematics, engineering and technology program at Tatweer Company for Educational Services, agrees that teaching philosophy enrich the natural thinking abilities of children. "Countless studies have shown that children are smart and identify an ethical dilemma. Children love to ask logical questions that help them understand what is going around them," she said.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Asraj, technical director of student activities at Tatweer, said a philosophical strategy to enhance thinking skills of children has been applied in many schools in the past 50 years and has proved to be very effective. Teaching philosophy at schools will transform education and will mean a lot to the students, he added.