TH!NK

TH!NK is a program for adolescents that was initially designed to introduce 5th-grade students to philosophical thought and discourse.  The philosophers at TH!NK take philosophy to be a skill rather than a subject matter (more like reading or riding a bike than American history or psychology).  Regarded in this way, philosophy is critical thinking, the skill of examining presuppositions, recognizing connections, seeking justification; all towards the end of providing insight into something—anything!—of interest.  Although many students will have heard the term ‘philosophy’, it is likely that most will have no idea what philosophy is.  The practice of critical thinking is often associated with its application to the grandest or most abstruse features of reality.  This is unfortunate, for it can leave one with the impression that philosophy has no practical importance, pertaining only to the loftiest of subjects, and that it is only for geniuses or sages.  Neither is the case.  Not only is philosophy a most natural skill—one for which every person has the capacity—it has the greatest practical importance.  Critical thinking is significant to each thinker at a personal level, seemingly instrumental to a well-balanced life, and it is of great societal significance, as both the impetus to change and the guide to improvement. TH!NK aims to train individuals to think critically, with the expectation that this training will enable them to see the value of philosophy in their daily lives.

The primary goal of TH!NK is to enable adolescents to grow as both students and persons by helping prepare them for future learning and reflective careers.  Importantly for our school partners, the program is designed specifically to contribute to the California Common Core Standards for Speaking and Listening.  These standards are intended to insure that students have “ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations” and to enable them to become “productive members of these conversations…contribute accurate, relevant information; respond to and develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in various domains.”  Creating such rich, structured conversations and helping students engage in them is precisely the methodology of TH!NK.

In the program, a facilitator meets with the same small groups of students for 45-minute sessions once a week for four weeks. During these sessions, short texts (e.g. a fable, poem or story) or excerpts of longer ones are read aloud. Questions are then raised about what has been read, exploring the language and logic of the readings and the ideas expressed therein. The facilitator guides the discussion, posing questions or challenging students’ responses, encouraging students to provide arguments for their claims and to examine their own presuppositions as well as those of the text. The result is a lively exchange in which everyone is engaged, especially since the themes under consideration are often directly relevant to a student’s life. This provides students with an opportunity to express and develop their own opinions, as well as lead them to appreciate the value of carefully reasoned thought.