Education dialogue
Thinking together
about children’s education.
In this corner, Taito Morita, founder & principal, talks with education experts about how children grow. Part 1: “Philosophy Dialogue and Self-Esteem,” with Prof. Shotaro Iwauchi of Toyohashi University of Technology.
Shotaro IwauchiAssociate Professor, Toyohashi University of Technologyand Self-Esteem×
Taito MoritaPrincipal, Kodomo SchoolTranslated from Japanese. The speakers’ names are shown in Japanese: 岩内先生 is Prof. Iwauchi and 森田塾長 is Principal Morita.
森田塾長
Professor Iwauchi, today I’d like to hear your thoughts on “philosophy dialogue and self-esteem.” Thank you very much for joining me.
岩内先生
Philosophy dialogue: a space of safety and recognition
First, I’d like to say a little about the keywords that matter in philosophy dialogue. When it comes to philosophy dialogue, the keywords I use most often are safety and a space of recognition. Safety in philosophy dialogue means being able to say what you really think without worry, and being able to listen calmly to what the other person is saying. That, I think, is what safety is.
The other one, a space of understanding and recognition, is, put simply, about self-understanding, understanding of others and shared understanding, and through these we come to recognize one another. Self-understanding, I think, is the work of confirming things like “this is what moves me” or “this is what I’m interested in.” At the same time, of course, through other people’s words we gradually come to see the shape of their hearts, too, and we try to understand them. So there are these two, self-understanding and understanding of others, and where they overlap, there is shared understanding. Even with all our differences, we come to see that we are the same human beings, living as fellow humans while accepting those differences. And then shared understanding and mutual recognition well up all at once.
The connection with self-esteem
Within that, the self-esteem Mr. Morita mentioned earlier is nurtured. Why is it nurtured? It depends on what we mean by self-esteem, but if we think of it as being able to accept yourself as you are, then expressing yourself in a safe place, or listening to others and gradually coming to see “here we understood each other, but here we are different people,” does lead to being able to accept yourself. Accepting yourself all on your own isn’t enough; you accept yourself while also being accepted by others. That may be where the connection lies.
森田塾長
I see. While listening to you, I was also thinking in my own way about the connection between philosophy dialogue and self-esteem, and I think they are connected through accepting and understanding yourself.
About philosophy dialogue: Professor Iwauchi, how does the meaning of philosophy dialogue for adults differ from philosophy dialogue for children?
岩内先生
Of course, the broad aim is the same. If you are going to do philosophy dialogue at all, there has to be meaning in everyone thinking together about one theme, and for that, the work of connecting one remark to the next has to emerge, or it becomes difficult.
Basic skills: thinking deeply, listening and understanding diversity
Philosophy dialogue for children, I have come to feel, can also be seen as a place to practice the basic skills we need as human beings, a way of improving those basic skills.
森田塾長
At Kodomo School, we now hand out “Wakutomo cards” to our students every month. The cards have questions like “What is something you really don’t want to do?”, “Has anyone ever said thank you to you?” and “What is happiness?”, and we encourage families to think about these questions and try answering them together.
We also hear from parents who say that after talking about these things with their child, they understood anew what their child thinks about, and how. Things like that happen, too.
岩内先生
This is exactly in the spirit of philosophy dialogue. Looking at them now, these are precisely the questions that come up in P4C (Philosophy for Children). “Has anyone ever said thank you to you?” “Did that make you happy?” Once questions like these are raised, it becomes a place where everyone talks together about questions that came from the children themselves, so I think it is very close.
Profile
岩内 章太郎 (Shotaro Iwauchi)
Associate Professor at Toyohashi University of Technology. Born in Sapporo in 1987. Graduated from the School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, and completed the doctoral program at Waseda’s Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies. Ph.D. in International Communication Studies. His specialty is philosophy, centered on phenomenology. His books include 『〈私〉を取り戻す哲学』 (A Philosophy for Reclaiming the “I”; Kodansha Gendai Shinsho), 『〈普遍性〉をつくる哲学：「幸福」と「自由」をいかに守るか』 (A Philosophy That Creates “Universality”: How to Protect “Happiness” and “Freedom”; NHK Books), 『新しい哲学の教科書：現代実在論入門』 (A New Textbook of Philosophy: An Introduction to Contemporary Realism; Kodansha Sensho Métier) and 『星になっても』 (Even After Becoming a Star; Kodansha).
Waku-Waku Kids’ Meeting
Thinking, expressing and accepting:
learning to like yourself more
At Kodomo School we hold the “Waku-Waku Kids’ Meeting,” where everyone thinks together about questions that have no single answer. When a child wonders “Why?” or “How come?”, what matters is not giving them the answer but thinking and exploring together, giving them many chances to do so, and drawing out their own desire to learn.
3 reasons self-esteem, that sense of “I can do it,” grows and grows
- Children learn to value their own opinions
When children feel “it’s okay to say what I think,” they find value in themselves. Even an answer to a small question is respected as “an answer that is truly their own.”
- Children experience the joy of being recognized
Speaking in front of everyone and getting positive reactions builds confidence. Words like “That’s a great idea!” give self-esteem a push.
- Children rediscover themselves while accepting others
By listening to other children’s ideas, they learn that “it’s fine for people to think differently,” and can take pride in their own opinions.
- Deep thinking: the joy of finding answers yourself
- Expressing: the joy of putting it into words and connecting with others
- Understanding diversity: learning about different opinions and accepting one another
- At home, too: don’t give the answer; think together
We asked Principal Morita
How do you nurture a child’s “thinking skills”?
What matters most
That children build up lots of experience of “thinking for themselves.”
For example, when learning history, instead of just memorizing dates and events, a child asks their own questions, such as “If I had lived in that era, what would I have thought?” or “Why did this happen?” Through the process of thinking deeply about the answers, they connect different pieces of knowledge and experience, and that is learning that nurtures creative thinking.
Why are “thinking skills” so important?
Because “thinking skills” are the foundation for making your own judgments, solving problems and creating new value in a society that changes by the day.
- Children grow up able to handle anything: The world is never the same from one day to the next. The ability to think and judge for yourself matters.
- New ideas are born: Children develop the ability to come up with new things, without being bound by fixed ideas.
- They can overcome any problem: Even when they hit a hard problem, they can think it through and find a solution themselves.
How can we nurture “thinking skills”?
When a child wonders “Why?” or “How come?”, what matters is not giving them the answer but thinking and exploring together, giving them many chances to do so, and drawing out their own desire to learn.
- Talk about all kinds of things as a family
- Read books and let them have many different experiences
- Don’t give the answer; let them think for themselves
- Don’t fear failure; cheer on their challenges
What exactly can we do?
Create lots of moments in everyday life for your child to think and learn on their own. Imagine together while reading a picture book, look up a flower or insect you spotted on a walk, or cook together while following a recipe. Opportunities are everywhere in daily life.
What matters most
That children enjoy “thinking”
Let’s create an environment where children can enjoy “thinking,” and give them many chances to “think for themselves” through all kinds of experiences. In particular, the experience of talking with adults, putting their own thoughts into words, listening to the other person’s view and meeting different perspectives, is extremely important for children to form their own firm ideas. In this way, children gain the ability to think, judge and act for themselves, and open up their own future.
Start with a free trial lesson
Soroban and calligraphy trial lessons are free (about 20 minutes; just bring something to write with). The art trial lesson is 40 minutes and costs ¥1,000 (nothing to bring). Come with your child and see the feel of the classroom and how well the teacher suits your child.