24th July 2015 1:00
By Blue Tutors
A study carried out by researchers at Durham University has shown that philosophical discussions about the nature of truth, fairness and kindness boost the progress of primary age students in Maths and Literacy. The study was carried out in primary schools across the country, and included over 3,000 children. Participating students studied ‘philosophy for children’ over the course of a year. Researchers found that their maths and reading levels improved after the equivalent of just two months’ worth of philosophy teaching.
During the study, pupils aged between 8 and 11 were given philosophy classes featuring pupil-led discussions on topics such as fairness, truth and bullying. The students were arranged to sit in a circle for discussion purposes, whilst teachers received additional training to act as moderators for the discussions. The results of the study show that not only were the students’ results in literacy improved, but so were their results in Maths. So far researchers have not been able to fully explain this, but teachers have reported a general improvement in students’ self-confidence and behaviour which may contribute to the positive changes.
Researchers at Durham also noted that whilst all the results were positive, the most significant improvement was shown in students eligible for free school meals. This suggests that the technique may be effective in reducing gaps in attainment between wealthy students and their poorer classmates. Project leader Stephen Gorard noted that the project ran at a very low cost, and gave uniformly positive results. As such, researchers are now seeking further funding to attempt to replicate the study, and promote philosophical education more broadly in schools.