2147V - How Ethical Dilemmas can Prompt Critical Thinking and Complex Language Production in Adolescents (Ethics)

This seminar will describe a language arts program, Philosophy for Adolescents (Nippold & Marr, in press), designed for students ages 12-17 years old. Based on research in critical thinking, education, psychology, speech-language pathology, and later language development, Philosophy for Adolescents also builds on the foundational work of philosopher Richard Paul (Paul, 1992; Paul & Elder, 2009). The program consists of 40 fables attributed to the Greek storyteller Aesop (c. 620-564 BC). Many of the fables focus on the ethical themes that Paul argued were the essential intellectual traits of strong critical thinkers. Examples include empathy, integrity, and humility, along with their contrasting traits of self-interest, deception, and arrogance. The program is designed to be used flexibly, either in small groups or individually.