Philosophy · 1st Year

Active learning ideas

What is Philosophy?

This topic introduces students to the foundational spirit of inquiry that defines philosophy. In the context of the NCCA Junior Cycle, it focuses on helping students distinguish between empirical questions, which can be answered through observation or measurement, and philosophical questions, which require deep reflection and reasoning. Students explore the historical roots of these questions, looking back to the first thinkers who moved away from mythological explanations toward rational ones.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA Philosophy LO 1.1: Recognise philosophical questions
• NCCA Philosophy LO 1.2: Differentiate between philosophical and non-philosophical questions

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 40 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: The Question Sort

Set up three stations labeled Scientific, Factual, and Philosophical. Small groups move between stations with a set of envelopes containing questions like 'What is the boiling point of water?' and 'What is justice?' and must decide where each belongs, explaining their reasoning on a shared chart.

What makes a question philosophical?

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Big Wonder

Students spend two minutes writing down the biggest question they have ever wondered about. They then pair up to determine if their questions are philosophical or non-philosophical, before sharing the most 'unanswerable' but important questions with the whole class.

Who can be a philosopher?

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Philosophy's First Steps

Groups are assigned one of the early Pre-Socratic philosophers and must create a 'Social Media Profile' for them. They must identify the central question that philosopher was obsessed with and present it to the class as a hook for further inquiry.

Why do we do philosophy?

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Philosophy is just a matter of opinion where any answer is right.

  While philosophy deals with open questions, it requires rigorous reasoning and evidence. Active peer review helps students see that some arguments are more logically sound than others, even if there is no single 'correct' answer.

• Philosophical questions are just 'hard' science questions.

  Students often confuse difficult factual questions with philosophical ones. Using a sorting activity helps them realize that whereas science looks for data, philosophy looks for meaning and conceptual clarity.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Think-Pair-Share
• Inquiry Circle