Mr Mike Thiruman

President, Singapore Teachers’ Union

Members of Parliament

Distinguished Speakers

Academics, Principals and Teachers

Good morning

1.                I am very pleased to join all of you this morning at this Philosophy in Schools Conference organised by the Singapore Teachers’ Union (STU).  As the STU celebrates its 60^th anniversary this year, the Conference kicks off a series of commemorative events.  I congratulate the STU for 60 years of contribution to Singapore education, in collaboration with our schools.

2.                Professional sharing and dialogue among educators and practitioners are the essential traffic on the road to fresh ideas and perspectives.  The STU is expanding this traffic.  It is leveraging on its vast professional network of experts and experienced practitioners from Australia, the United States, Malaysia and Singapore to encourage sharing and meaningful discourse.

3.                 “Philosophy in Schools: Developing a Community of Inquiry” - the theme of the Conference, is especially relevant to us today.  We are striving to nurture in every child a spirit of inquiry, the willingness to think in new ways and eventually to help create new opportunities for the future.

4.                It is not something we aim to achieve in any one way  -  a special formula or programme, or a special bunch of schools.  We have to try different ways, in all our schools.  That’s why the SEED approach (Strategies for Effective Engagement and Development) at the lower primary level is open-ended.  Teachers and schools shape the content of the programme, and as we learn what works well in one school we spread the lessons to other schools.

5.                It is about ground-up initiative, that leads to quality rippling back and forth across the system.

6.                This is where Philosophy for Children can play a useful role.  It can be one of the ground-up initiatives that schools choose to take, as they explore new teaching and learning methods for their children.

7.                I am told Philosophy for Children has been implemented successfully in schools in the US, Canada, Central and South America, Australia and New Zealand.  It is not as I understand it focused on teaching abstract philosophical methods or concepts to our children.  And it will not be about introducing a new subject in our primary schools.  Philosophy for Children is a programme that aims to instill in students the ability to reason with others while being open to different perspectives.  It places emphasis on shared inquiry, so as to nurture young students to be open-minded, reflective, and respectful of others’ opinions.

8.                Behind this programme, and the other specific programmes and methods that schools may choose to adopt like the Strategies for Active and Independent Learning (SAIL), is really an effort at a broader culture in our schools.  We want to nurture the fourth “R”  -  reasoning  -  as students go about learning the 3 Rs and whatever it is that they embark on studying beyond the 3 Rs.  We want to create a culture of reasoning and discussion that nourishes children’s natural sense of intellectual curiosity.  And to do our utmost to prevent this natural enthusiasm for enquiry from diminishing as they progress through school.

9.                Philosophy for Children was introduced in a few schools in the early 1990s.  I understand more schools have recently shown interest in the programme.  Woodlands Primary School has incorporated Philosophy for Children as an enrichment programme within its English Language lessons, rather than teach it as a standalone programme.  Elias Park Primary intends to open the programme to all Primary 3 classes in 2007 as an after-school enrichment programme.  The school also has plans to start a Learning Circle among the Primary 3 teachers who are involved in the programme.

10.           I am told that the schools adopting the progamme are using a variety of materials to spur dialogue in a group.  Some of the materials specifically reflect Asian or local content and concerns.  Elias Park Primary for example incorporates stories with Asian folktales.  At this Conference itself participants will discuss Asian traditions in philosophical thinking -- Chinese, Islamic and Indian.  Living as we do in a society of diverse races, religions and cultures, knowledge of our own traditions of philosophical thought is essential.  And all the more so when our students engage in discussions about morality and ethics.

11.           On this note, I will leave you to the experts and practitioners of philosophy in schools, who have joined us from Malaysia, Australia, the United States, and from our own institutions, to share their views on the place of philosophy in the school curriculum.  I wish you two days of fruitful shared inquiry.  I am pleased to declare this Conference open.  Thank you.

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