Title: The Ways of Philosophy

Lesson plan elaborated by: Monika Spławska‑Murmyło

Topic: The Ways of Philosophy.

Target group:

2nd‑grade students of a high school.

Core curriculum

I. Literary and cultural education.

1. Reading literary works. Student:

9) recognises the subject and issues of the texts learned and its relation to the programs of the literary era, social, historical, existential and aesthetic phenomena; he reflects on it;

14) presents a proposal for interpretation of the work, indicates in the text places that may constitute arguments in support of its interpretation proposal;

15) uses the necessary contexts in the interpretation of literary works, especially the historical, literary, historical, political, cultural, philosophical, biographical, mythological, biblical and existential context;

16) recognises universal and national values present in literary works; determines their role and relationship with the work's issues and the importance to build their own value system.

2. Receipt of cultural texts. Student:

8) analyses the structure of the text: it reads its meaning, main thought, way of leading the argument and argumentation;

9) recognises the specificity of journalistic texts (article, column, reportage), rhetoric (speech, laudation, homily), popular science and scientific (dissertation); it distinguishes between message and commentary among press texts; recognizes linguistic means and their functions used in texts; reads information and explicit and hidden messages; distinguishes between correct and avoidant answers;

6) reads non‑literary cultural texts, using the code proper in a given field of art.

III. Creating statements.

2. Speaking and writing. Student:

10) agrees with other people's views or polemicizes with them, substantively justifying their own opinion;

4) in accordance with standards formulates questions, answers, evaluations, edits information, justifications, comments, a voice in the discussion;

10) in the interpretation presents a proposal to read the text, formulates arguments based on the text and known contexts, including personal experience, and performs a logical argument for the validation of formulated judgments;

IV. Self‑study. Student:

11. develops the ability of independent work, inter alia, by preparing various forms of presenting one's own position;

12. organises information into the problematic whole by valuing it; synthesizes the learned content around the problem, topic, issue and uses it in your statements;

6) selects relevant quotes from the text and applies them in the speech.

General aim of education

Students will learn positivist philosophy

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Operational objectives

Student:

• recognises the characteristics of the era of positivism;

• discusses the assumptions of positivist thought;

• explains the concepts related to the philosophy of the era (utilitarianism, empiricism, emancipation, atomism, evolution, liberalism).

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned;

  • leading text method.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• a large sheet of paper or A3 paper.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. The students recall the philosophical assumptions of the Romantic era before the lesson.

Introduction

1. The teacher defines the goals of the class and gives the students criteria of success.

2. A reminder of the most important assumptions of the Romantic era. The teacher asks the students questions:
   - Who is considered to be the creators of thoughts dominating in the Romantic era?
   - What was the role of the individual in the Romantic era?
   - What was the role of society?
   - Choose the three most important words characteristic of the thought of the Romantic era and explain your choice.
   - Discuss the role of mysticism in the Romantic era.

3. Writing on the board the most important assumptions of the Romantic period regarding philosophical thought. The note may contain the same words, discussed earlier, which should be written in such a way that next to them - the corresponding new assumptions of the period of positivism - appear.

Realization

1. The teacher, referring to the sine wave of J. Krzyżanowski, asks students to intuitively and based on previous knowledge - try to determine how philosophical thought changed in the age of positivism in relation to the assumptions of the earlier age. At this stage of the lesson, the teacher does not straighten student responses, nor are they written on the board.

2. Reading a fragment of Auguste Comte's treatise. Discussion and explanation. Exercise checking text comprehension (ex. 3).

3. Presentation of the main creators of the positivist era and their views - working with a timeline in the abstract.

4. Work in groups. The class is divided into four teams. Each group is to prepare a poster with messages regarding the philosophical assumptions of the four main thinkers of the positivist era: Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill, Herbert Spencer and Hippolyte Taine. Each group is tasked to deepen the information contained in the abstract, having the opportunity to use any other information sources (e.g. traditional textbook, encyclopedia, philosophy history textbook, internet). Then the students present their posters.

5. Verification of pupils' vision regarding the philosophy of positivism. Common creation of a note on a blackboard in the form of a table comparing the main assumptions of the Romantic era and positivism.

Summary

1. The teacher asks the students questions:
   - What was the reason for disappointment with romantic thought?
   - What influence on the development of positivist thought had the development of science and technology in the second half of 19 century?
   - Explain the relationship between philosophical positivist thought and historical events in the second half of 19th century.

2. The teacher asks a willing student to summarize the lesson from his point of view. He asks other students if they would like to add anything to their colleague's statements.

Homework

1. Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

2. Imagine that you are interviewing one of the philosophers of the period of positivism. Write down your questions and anticipated answers.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

The Ways of Philosophy

The Positivist philosophy came into being in the 40s of the nineteenth century thanks to the Frenchman Auguste Comte and the Englishman John Stuart Mill. Positivism bloomed between 1860 and 1880, supported by the writings of English Herbert Spencer and Frenchman Hippolyte Taine. The development of Positivism was accompanied by the development of exact sciences (such as the invention of the steam engine or the telegraph) and natural sciences (e.g. the works of Charles Darwin: “On the Origin of Species” and „The Descent of Man”). Those sciences had a strong influence on philosophy and on the humanities. Poland had no real Positivist philosophy to speak of; it did, however, play a great role as the era’s typical way of thinking, evaluating phenomena, predicting future outcomes, and formulating programmes.