Adventures in Reasoning: Communal Inquiry through Fantasy Role-Play

by Jason J. Howard

Overview

Helping students think more critically, communicate ideas more effectively, and work more cooperatively with others are goals widely recognized as indispensable to a proper education. Adventures in Reasoning: Communal Inquiry Through Fantasy Role-Play provides middle school, high school, and even post-secondary teachers with a method to cultivate these crucial skill sets in a way that is engaging, academically rigorous, and also fun.

The role-playing approach draws upon the pioneering notion of the community of inquiry as a vehicle for enhancing student learning and development through discussing philosophical concepts and issues. Students create characters that they then use to explore a rich fantasy world filled with practical and conceptual challenges specifically designed to enhance a wide range of cognitive and communication abilities. Drawing together the appeal of fantasy narratives with the rigor of communal inquiry, Adventures in Reasoning provides educators with a rich array of tools through which to engage students’ interests, capture their curiosity, and cultivate crucial cognitive and social skills. Some additional key features of this book include:

• step-by-step instructions on how to implement fantasy-gaming in the classroom
• tips on how to assess students’ critical and creative reasoning skills
• easy to understand rules for fantasy role-playing
• detailed adventure quests provided that target a wide array of skill sets
• overview of the pedagogical benefits of introducing philosophy and communal inquiry to middle and high school students
• lots of advice and suggestions on how to facilitate an effective community of inquiry and how to accommodate different class sizes and student abilities
• recommendations on how to use fantasy role-playing as a type of service learning in college classrooms

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475809114
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/09/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jason J. Howard is associate professor of philosophy at Viterbo University, La Crosse, WI. He has published articles on Hegel and Kant as well as in the areas of emotion, moral education, and aesthetics. He is editor of the Journal Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis and recently authored a book on ethics, Conscience in Moral Life.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
,
Introduction
PART I: Overview, Research, and Rules
,
Chapter One: Fantasy Role-playing and the Philosopher’s Stone
,
Chapter Two: The Basic Rules of Fantasy Role-playing
,
Chapter Three: Fantasy Role-playing in Action
PART II: The Adventure Quests
,
Chapter Four: Organizing the Adventure, The Quest for Justice
,
Chapter Five: Mission Two, Judging Truthfully
,
Chapter Six: Mission Three, Diverse Factions
,
Chapter Seven: Mission Four, The Scales of Justice
PART III: Supporting Materials and Explanations
,
Chapter Eight: Implementing and Assessing the Game and Expanding the Rules
,
Chapter Nine: Glossary
Appendix: Character Sheets & Equipment
,

Editorial Reviews

Jason J. Howard argues that "helping students think more critically, communicate ideas more effectively, and work more cooperatively with others are goals widely recognized as indispensable to a proper education." The teaching of Philosophy in schools and, more specifically, the Philosophy for Children (PFC) program, have been integral to the achievement of these goals for many years. Adventures in Reasoning: Communal Inquiry Through Fantasy Role-play makes a substantial and original contribution to both the theory and practice of PFC. Howard argues convincingly that fantasy role-playing has substantial educational benefits and this is amply demonstrated through the games he has devised. This is a timely book, which will be essential reading for students, teachers and researchers in the fields of PFC, critical reasoning and collaborative inquiry.

Patrick Costello

Would you like to be a Knight or a Spy or, perhaps, an Elf or a Cyclops? It is not possible for students of all ages not to be engaged in this exciting imaginative role-playing experience which, nonetheless, will enhance their capacity for active listening, critical and creative thinking, cooperative problem solving, and articulate communicating. It will change their world view! This is “participant philosophy” at its best.

Dr. Susan T. Gardner

If philosophy is the practice of meaning-making, Howard’s Adventures in Reasoning is an ideal vehicle for inviting young people to be philosophers. It is remarkable how many capacities the game calls on—from imagination, to critical thinking, to collaborative dialogue—all in the service of robust, first-hand philosophical inquiry. Having myself journeyed in Howard’s world of Arête, I can report that the adventure is thrilling and the philosophy, genuine. With detailed instructions, a compelling narrative, and a scholarly introduction to the theory and practice of Philosophy for Children, this ingenious book is a rich resource for teachers, parents, club leaders, and those of us adults who enjoy playing with ideas.

Maughn Gregory

This book challenges all of us, as educators, to imagine new and creative ways of engaging students’ thinking. Howard's novel offers a sophisticated imaginative context into which students are invited to collectively discuss contestable questions ranging from moral dilemmas, to culture, identity and race. Adventures in Reasoning demonstrates an original and captivating approach to learning to think critically and communicate better, through making and evaluating arguments, reflecting on assumptions and ethical consequences. A must-read for all philosophy teachers!

Nadia Stoyanova Kennedy