APA Committee on
Pre-College Instruction in Philosophy

Planning Your Course

If you are lucky enough both to have a teaching position and to be in a school which supports the teaching of philosophy, then planning your course will be your next major challenge. When planning your first course, it may be beneficial to review the following pedagogical issues and general advice.

What is the intended outcome of the course? For example, if it is a high school course, decide if it is of an advanced placement level intended to replace a first-year college course, or a course meant primarily to stimulate thinking. Most professors prefer that pre-collegiate instruction engage students in the idea of philosophy and improve their reasoning and academic skills, rather than provide a full introductory course equivalent to a college class.
What is the scope of the course? Do not try to do too much; even in high school, most courses are limited in scope. Some typical courses are applied ethics (such as business or medical ethics, ethics in the press and media, social issues, government and politics), thinking skills, or a "great books" approach stressing the readings of classics such as Plato's Republic.
What requirements are appropriate for your students?
- Your choice of course materials will be affected by whether you choose a historical approach which teaches the chronological development of thought, or a thematic organization which teaches various issues within the categories of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Consider whether you can assign primary source readings, or whether a text book or secondary summary would be more appropriate. Visit the APA book fair at any Division Meeting, look through the Books in Philosophy catalogue, or contact individual publishers for catalogues. Calls to local college or university departments of philosophy might uncover some recommendations.
- Decide what methodology would best serve your clientele. Older students are usually capable of absorbing information in a lecture format, often appropriate for courses in the history of ideas. However, students of any age are more likely to be intellectually and personally engaged by Socratic discussion than by lectures. A discussion format works especially well in decision making, thinking skills, and applied ethics courses. New technological advances allow greater use of the internet and video components of philosophy courses.
- Decisions involving evaluation of student work will flow from the type of course chosen. Consider whether your course should be graded at all. If it is graded, balance the weight given to the accumulation of knowledge with the emphasis on the development of thinking skills. Exam grades can be complemented by an evaluation of personal journals.

Whatever decisions you make regarding the above issues, don't be discouraged by the amount of effort required to introduce a pre-college philosophy course into the curriculum. Successful teaching will hinge on good preparation!

APA Committee on Pre-College Instruction in Philosophy

Planning Your Course

APA Committee on
Pre-College Instruction in Philosophy