STRATEGIES FOR SMALL GROUP TEACHING

Each strategy has three sections:

- Rationale: this explains the reasoning behind the strategy, what you are trying to achieve by using it.

- What is it in a nut-shell? A brief account of the strategy which acts as a description and reminder for each one.

- Examples: of the strategy in practice. Usually there are more than one, most are on ethics but some cover other areas in philosophy.

You can use the strategies in different ways:

  • You can use the examples directly in your own teaching,
  • or you can adapt them to fit your needs,
  • or you can take inspiration from the rationale to create new examples,
  • or you can take inspiration from the resource to create new strategies.

Feel free to share your comments, suggestions and questions on our Facebook page or contact me directly.

The examples are written in the form of Tutor Notes, i.e. text in italics is for the use of the tutors and explains the reasoning behind the exercises and the likely developments in the discussion, normally formatted text is for the use of the students.

You may want to ask students to split into small groups to discuss the exercises and report back to the larger group or you may want to tackle some exercises with the whole group.


Table of Contents of Examples

1. Exercise First

Valid Consent

Virtue Ethics

2. Escalation

Deception

Tolerance A

Body Dysmorphia

Our Obligations to the Developing World

3. Difference

Cheating At Exams

Whistle-blowing

Pre-implantation Diagnosis

Genetic Information

4. Superficial Similarity

Getting it Wrong

Lying is Wrong

Tolerance B

The Hairdresser and the Surgeon

Lifestyle Choices and Treatment

5. Changing Views

Female Genital Circumcision

Same-sex marriages

6. The Value of Misdirection

Friendship

Magic

7. A Way In

Personhood

Descartes on Knowledge

8. Consistency in Ethics

Consistency in Ethics

9. Imposing Your Own Structure

Advance Directives

Slippery Slopes

10. The Two Viewpoints

George the Chemist

Stem Cell Therapy

Drilling for Oil

11. The Importance of Definitions

Civil Disobedience

12. Reasoning Skills

Mistakes in Reasoning

Analogies

Causation