In the Age of Analytic Reading: Understanding Readers’ Engagement with Text by Colleen Pennell

Take Action!

1. 
   Even without a background in philosophy, you can bring this practice into the classroom. Start by analyzing a picture book through the lens of a philosopher and consider questions that are raised. Now consider how to adapt your questions so they are connected to the text. For example, after reading the text Willow’s Whispers (Button & Howells, 2010), you could create the following questions (see table 1):
   
2. 
   Establish a philosophy circle:
   

• 
  Start by co-constructing the ground rules of talk and establishing turn taking norms and strategies for expressing ideas respectfully.
  
• 
  To support the academic language of philosophy, post anchor charts with sentence starters as a resource.
  
• 
  Praise the process of thinking and not the interpretations
  

3. 
   Reflect on the Discussion
   

• 
  Philosophical discussions may end without consensus which can frustrate students. (Wartenberg, 2009). Engage in meta-level reflection by providing markers, or highlighting the thinking that has occurred. This illustrates the many avenues students have considered and can improve the quality of future discussions.