Testimonials

The Philosothon UK movement is so exciting! The opportunity for our students to learn to disagree well, to think critically, to be creative and collaborative about intellectual problem solving has the potential to be life changing. We have loved taking part in this competition – it has been a real highlight of the term for me here at Monkton. Thank you to Mark Smith and all of the team for organising it.

Esther YoultenMonkton Combe School

Our students loved being involved in the Philosothon UK competition. It gave us opportunity to think outside of the box and to create some exciting resources to stimulate thoughtful enquiry and critical thinking. Our Y12 students really rose to the challenge and engaged with a range of questions from ‘Do the wealthy have a moral obligation to assist the poor?’ to ‘Should animals have the same rights as humans?’ They facilitated their own enquiries admirably and the competitive edge ensured they gave it their all. Thank you Philosothon UK for organising such a fun event during these difficult times.

Graveney School

It was a pleasure to organise and run Bedford School’s first Philosothon. I throughly enjoyed seeing my students apply their philosophical knowledge outside of a classroom environment. For me, it only cemented the importance of fostering philosophical enquiry in our students, which will prepare them to make informed and reasoned decisions in later life. I am already looking forward to putting together a team for next year’s Philosothon!

Ms Wedad Rattab

Taking part in the annual Philosothon was an intellectually nourishing experience which challenged my thinking, analytical, and argumentative skills.

Sami

Taking part in this competition has been a FANTASTIC experience! We simply cannot wait until next year to enter again. We have gained a plethora of knowledge and more. A truly exhilarating event to be a part of!

Deimis

I can certainly vouch for the usefulness of the training. The strategies for anchoring, for the proper use of procedural and substantive questions in facilitating a discussion, and the sequence of moving from establishing background knowledge, through asking questions about specific examples, to asking questions about general themes, were very useful…

Anon

The thinking skills can be used across a variety of subject areas and ages. Philosothon resources provided were excellent.

Anon

An inspiring sense of what young people are capable of when they’re given a conducive environment for thinking and discussion.

Anon

Everyone was working together to come up with the most intellectually sustainable understanding that they could. Another extraordinary thing was that although the Philosothon was a competition it hardly felt competitive at all. Students almost forgot that they were being judged against each other. The “prize” for the students was just being in the discussions and being able to thrash out these things. A medal for winning was just the icing on the cake. Everybody walked out feeling like the proverbial winner.

Anon

I would like to thank you and everyone else involved in the Philosothon last evening for such an enjoyable and enlightening evening. It was truly wonderful. Last night, listening to the groups expound their ideas of the “Good life”, I was amazed and delighted to hear them progress (self-propelled) from the benefits of wealth to the greater benefits of altruism. As for the experience of the proceedings “if you could bottle it and sell it you would make a fortune”! Thank you.

Anon