Page - 29 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

TINA AND AMIR (MANUAL) 29 Episode 3: Tina and Amir (told by Amir) Amir is very shy but he tells Tina about his problems, as Tina is his friend. Amir is anxious because two boys attacked him. He did not expect anything like this and it had never happened to him before. He wants to be treated like a person with respect. He does not want to be attacked. What does it mean to be a person? What can you do if something happens to you that you never would have expected, like being attacked or mobbed by someone? Is it important to tell someone if something like that happens? Leading Idea1: Talking Children should learn to express themselves well. But sometimes they become very shy when they notice that their talking is not always welcome at home or at school. In the process of developing a philosophical community of inquiry it is important to create an intellectually safe environment. That means that all participants are comfortable express- ing themselves without fear of reprisal or personal attack. Everybody should be invited to speak and, of course, no one should be forced to speak. Discussion Plan: Talking 1. When do you like to talk about your thoughts and ideas? 2. When don´t you like to talk about your thoughts and ideas? 3. Does it help you to talk if others listen to you carefully? 4. Are there things you think about but cannot express? 5. Do you think it is important for you to express your thoughts? If so, why? If not, why not? Leading Idea 2: What does it mean to be a person? In the story “Alice in Wonderland” Alice tells the queen to treat the baby as a person. Alice feels responsible to protect the baby and wants the queen to treat the baby with respect. Many questions arise: What does a person have that other creatures or things do not have? What makes a person a person? Discussion Plan: What is a person? Tell whether the following are persons or not. Please give a reason for your answer. 1. Mickey Mouse 2. A picture of a boy 3. Superwoman 4. Little red riding hood 5. Bart Simpson 6. A doll 7. A newly born baby 8. A dog with the name Fred Exercise: Treating a person like a person Can you decide if in the following examples a person is treated like a person? Please give a reason for your answer.