ReflAct

This project was carried out as part of the project competition "Vielfalter (2008-2009) - Vielfalt als Chance. Creating opportunities through education and integration".

Project goal

The aim of this project was to enable children with a migration background and children from the majority society to develop the skills and abilities needed to cope better in a globalised world, and in particular to promote intercultural dialogue.

As philosophising is about clarifying thoughts, discussion and argumentation skills (clear expression, clear formulation, logical thinking), becoming aware of language in general, dialogue skills, exchange of opinions and experiences, philosophising together was an essential means of promoting mutual respect, openness and tolerance. It teaches respect for the achievements and views of those who think differently.

It is a way of counteracting dogmatic entrenchment and ideologically dependent manipulation in fundamental questions of our lives and thinking. Children were encouraged to think for themselves. Based on philosophical and intercultural stories, prejudices and stereotypes were worked out through logical argumentation. Above all, the project also helped to develop ethical reflection skills.

With this project, we offered children in these classes in particular the opportunity to enter into intercultural dialogue and to get to know and appreciate other cultures and other ways of living and thinking.

Project schedule

Once a week, each school class philosophised with the children. A philosopher came into the classroom to moderate the discussion as a facilitator, similar to the Socratic dialogue, or to act as a questioner.

Stories, fables, pictures, tales, comics and films were used as triggers. Based on the existing possibilities of each interlocutor, their own ideas and thoughts were helped to be born through skilful questioning.

Children were therefore able to ask any questions and express their thoughts during philosophising without being blocked or having content, values and schools of thought imposed on them. Their thoughts were given space to awaken their curiosity, to make them wonder and to encourage their creativity.

In philosophical dialogue, in which all participants are equal partners, one learns to use thoughts and arguments consciously and thoughtfully, to justify opinions, construct hypotheses, develop concepts, discover different possibilities and alternatives, formulate questions, make decisions, perceive different perspectives and practise logical thinking. This leads to a greater understanding of problems, improved judgement and articulation skills and, last but not least, more tolerance towards other opinions.

At the end of each unit, the children recorded their most important thoughts in writing or expressed their thoughts in drawings.

At the end of the project, the products (written thoughts, stories, drawings, ...) were presented to a wider audience (pupils of the school, teaching staff, parents, representatives of the school authorities, press, ...) at a project presentation.