Recently Published Book: Seen and Not Heard

Published On: September 15, 2021
Excerpt: Since 1996, Jana Mohr Lone's work has centered around the conviction that we ought both to challenge our beliefs about children’s limited capacities and enlarge our understanding of the meaning of philosophy and who is qualified to engage in it. She has authored several books on the topic, including her most recent Seen and Not Heard: Why Children’s Voices Matter which explores what children’s perspectives can contribute to philosophical thought.
Read the full article on Blog of the American Philosophical Association

Happiness: Can our imagination make us happy?

Published On: September 9, 2021
Excerpt: Happiness is something that everyone wants. Sometimes, though, our imaginations create anxiety and actually prevent us from experiencing happiness. We make things worse than they actually are because of what we create in our minds. Yet, at other times, it is our actual experiences that create our suffering and our imaginations play no role. The power of the imagination is unique to each individual and can be a source of our happiness or despair.
Read the full article on TeachDifferent.com

Jana Mohr Lone advocates for children’s voices in new book, ‘Seen and Not Heard’

Published On: June 24, 2021
Excerpt: In her new book, Jana Mohr Lone asks, how would the world benefit if children were recognized as independent thinkers? How would their lives change “if what they said was not often ignored or patronized?”
Read the full article on UW News

Children Are Natural Philosophers

Published On: June 14, 2021
Excerpt: Children ask a lot of questions, and too often we dismiss them instead of embracing their wonder. Jana Mohr Lone joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why children offer unique viewpoints on life’s philosophical mysteries, and why it’s important to take them seriously.
Read the full article on Think by KERA
 
 

Philosophy with Children

Published On: May 12, 2021
Excerpt: Kids don’t just say ‘the darndest things’. Playful and probing, they can be closer to the grain of life’s deepest questions.
Read the full article on Aeon Magazine

7 Values to Teach Your Child By Age 10

Published On: December 2, 2020
Excerpt: There are certain values we'd love for our kids to have. But how do we go about teaching them? Experts offer ways to instill important values as they grow.
Read the full article on Parents Magazine

Holding Ethics Conversations With Your Scouts

Published On: November 10, 2020
Excerpt: Your Scouts can recite the Scout Oath and Scout Law in their sleep, but can they apply those timeless values when they face tough decisions?
Read the full article on Scouting Magazine

Episode 3 – Jana Mohr Lone – Philosophy for Children

Published On: September 1, 2020
Excerpt: In Limbo is a space dedicated to exploring the philosophical dimensions of pandemic situation. Our hope is to offer a series of conversations that throw light on the numerous ways in which different philosophical domains receive and study the pandemic.
Read the full article on In Limbo
 
 

What Is Freedom? Teaching Kids Philosophy in a Pandemic

Published On: June 25, 2020
Excerpt: Thinking about big questions empowers children to feel more confident about the value of their own ideas, teachers say.
Read the full article on The New York Times

Why are kids asking such big questions during the pandemic?

Published On: May 4, 2020
Excerpt: Talking with kids about what they are thinking without always feeling compelled to offer answers can help them explore their own concerns and ideas.
Read the full article on The Conversation

How UW is helping children grapple with big philosophical questions during COVID-19

Published On: April 30, 2020
Excerpt: This month, the Center released a guide for parents on how to navigate questions their youngsters may be having during the pandemic. The document covers topics like fear, loneliness, boredom, and death, and includes books and videos that may stoke philosophical discussion.
Read the full article on The Daily

UW Center for Philosophy for Children helps families explore ‘big questions’ around COVID-19

Published On: April 15, 2020
Excerpt: Recent weeks have seen events that are affecting people of all ages. The UW Center for Philosophy for Children is offering materials to help families broach big questions and feelings that may be surfacing as kids experience the current realities of sickness and isolation.
Read the full article on UW News
 
 

When Kids Ask Hard Questions, Don’t Be Afraid to Lean in

Published On: January 6, 2020
Excerpt: The director of the UW Center for Philosophy for Children encourages families to embrace kids’ deep questions, uncomfortable as it may be.
Read the full article on Jewish in Seattle Magazine

What Would You Do?

Published On: November 13, 2019
Excerpt: You’re invited to a party. Your friend isn’t. Should you go? This problem is what is known as a moral dilemma—a tough situation in which the right thing to do isn’t clear.
Read the full article on Scholastic Scope

Philosophy Is for Everyone, Debi Talukdar – TEDxUofW

Published On: July 23, 2019
Excerpt: Debi Talukdar, philosopher-in-residence at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and former Philosophy for Children Graduate Fellow, describes her experiences having philosophical conversations with children. She discusses children’s ability to ask profound questions and relates some of their philosophical insights and perspectives.
Read the full article on TEDx Talks

What Students Gain From Learning Ethics in School

Published On: May 24, 2019
Excerpt: Bringing ethics education into schools benefits students in a variety of ways.
Read the full article on KQED News Mind/Shift
 
 

Saigon International School Professional Development Conference

Published On: April 29, 2019
Excerpt: Jana Mohr Lone gave the keynote address at the Saigon International School's Professional Development Conference on November 16, 2018, discussing the importance of questioning and philosophical inquiry in schools.
Read the full article on Saigon Teacher Professional Development Conference Website

Philosophy for Children: Reclaiming the Discipline Outside of Higher Education

Published On: April 19, 2019
Excerpt: Colorado College concluded this year’s Philosophy Colloquium Talks with a lecture from Dr. Jana Mohr Lone on March 28.
Read the full article on The Catalyst

UW Creates Certificate of Mastery in Philosophy for Children

Published On: April 12, 2019
Excerpt: The Center for Philosophy for Children at the University of Washington is now offering a Certificate of Mastery in Philosophy for Children.
Read the full article on Daily Nous

How to win at civil debate

Published On: April 10, 2019
Excerpt: For an American teenager today, there are precious few examples of positive, collaborative civil discourse in online media or the entertainment industry. But for motivated high school students in Seattle, there’s the High School Ethics Bowl, a six-year-old competition sponsored by the University of Washington’s Center for Philosophy for Children.
Read the full article on Experience Magazine
 
 

Alone Together: Sound Effect, Episode 171

Published On: March 5, 2019
Excerpt: Center director Jana Mohr Lone takes a deeper look at a Frog and Toad story and its philosophical implications on the podcast Sound Effect.
Read the full article on KNKX Sound Effect

CONGRATULATIONS! State championship for Chief Sealth International High School Ethics Bowl Team

Published On: February 12, 2019
Excerpt: Congratulations to the Chief Sealth International High School Ethics Bowl Team, which just won the state championship! Their proud coach, social-studies teacher Matthew Baudhuin, sent the news and photos.
Read the full article on West Seattle Blog

Philosophical Inquiry in Childhood

Published On: July 14, 2018
Excerpt: Children begin speculating about philosophical questions early in their lives. Almost as soon as they can formulate them, most children start asking what we call “big questions.”
Read the full article on 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology

In Polarized Times, the Ethics Bowl Embraces the Gray Areas

Published On: March 10, 2018
Excerpt: There are times in life when the answers aren't black and white. Your friend is getting married, and asks you to be best man--but you don't approve of his fiancee. Should you speak up about your reservations? Should you be quiet and agree to be best man?
Read the full article on KNKX
 
 

Playdough to Plato

Published On: March 3, 2018
Excerpt: Center-led classroom philosophy discussions are tinged with the flavors of Descartes, Confucius, and Kant, and have recently covered topics such as race, human rights and fairness. “Because they are so new to the world,” says Jana Mohr Lone, “children really wonder a lot. Often they’re asking what we think of as philosophical questions without the context of these thousands of-years-old conversations.”
Read the full article on UW Columns

No Narrow Thing podcast – Episode 10 Philosophy for Children with Jana Mohr Lone

Published On: January 3, 2018
Excerpt: Center director Jana Mohr Lone discusses philosophy for children: What does a philosophical education for children look like? How might the world change if everyone was a little more philosophical? How do you navigate difficult topics like violence and religion with children?
Read the full article on No Narrow Thing

Can we (Or Should We) Teach Children Philosophy? with Jana Mohr Lone

Published On: December 29, 2017
Excerpt: The questions we tackle today are: “Do you have to be a grownup to study those questions? Can kids think about them? Should kids think about them?” Plug in and listen as we discuss how teaching kids philosophy could impact the entire world.
Read the full article on Paul Gibbons

Playdoh’s Republic: Children as Natural Philosophers

Published On: December 19, 2017
Excerpt: Why were we born? Is life just a dream? What makes something wrong or right? Children often ask questions like these — sometimes to the exasperation of their parents. But children really want to know why the world is the way it is. And they want to know how we know. Maybe that's because they're open, curious and inquisitive — they're natural philosophers. In this episode of IDEAS, the Big Questions — and even some attempted answers.
Read the full article on CBC Radio Ideas with Paul Kennedy
 
 

Philosophy Bakes Bread Radio Show — Philosophy for Children

Published On: April 17, 2017
Excerpt: In this thirteenth episode of the Philosophy Bakes Bread radio show and podcast, co-hosts Dr. Anthony Cashio and Dr. Eric Thomas Weber interview Dr. Jana Mohr Lone of the University of Washington on the topic of philosophy for children.
Read the full article on Philosophy Bakes Bread

Why Not Ask Why?: Fostering Philosophical Questions in the Young

Published On: April 7, 2017
Excerpt: By and large, today philosophy is not part of the standard American educational curriculum. It is generally regarded as one item in a long list of specialized academic disciplines which intellectually-minded people pursue, but which are of limited interest to the non-specialist.
Read the full article on Crossroads Cultural Center, New York City

How Do We Talk to Our Kids about Political Issues that are Stressing Us Out?

Published On: April 1, 2017
Excerpt: No matter where we fall on the issues, our kids are bound to pick up on our agitation. How can we alleviate their fears while still being truthful? And just how upfront should we be? Local experts offer some guidelines for parents to help our children understand the world and offer some reassurance.
Read the full article on Seattle's Child

Lt. Governor Dives into Complex Issues with High School Ethics Bowl Champions

Published On: March 16, 2017
Excerpt: All topics were fair game for debate on Thursday, when Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib met with Washington’s 2017 High School Ethics Bowl champions. Students from first-place finisher Seattle Academy, as well as award winners Chief Sealth High School and Rainier Beach High School, stopped by the lieutenant governor’s office to debate various ethical perspectives on a multitude of complicated subjects.
Read the full article on Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib Website
 
 

Teach Kids Philosophy, It Makes Them Better at Math

Published On: January 3, 2017
Excerpt: The nature of truth. Theories of fairness. The essence of bullying. These are big, weighty subjects, and apparently 9- and 10-year-olds just eat them up. As in, according to a Quartz piece by Jenny Anderson, placing grade-schoolers in weekly philosophical discussions has surprising effects on their academic performance.
Read the full article on New York Magazine

UW philosophers explore racial inequity with young students who are living it

Published On:
Excerpt: A long-running philosophers in schools program has focused on racial inequity and social justice issues at a campus with clear divisions between race and class.
Read the full article on The Seattle Times

A grade-school philosophy teacher shares the most profound things kids have ever said

Published On: September 27, 2016
Excerpt: As a philosophy teacher to grade-school students, Jana Mohr Lone is no stranger to getting her mind blown.
Read the full article on Business Insider

Schools Aren’t Teaching the Most Important Subject for Kids

Published On: August 27, 2016
Excerpt: Not too long ago, Jana Mohr Lone was at an education workshop in her hometown of Seattle when someone gave her a note.

Read the full article on Business Insider
 
 

Schools are Finally Starting to Teach Kids Philosophy

Published On: March 10, 2016
Excerpt: Schools are generally taught to teach kids what to think, but what if they taught them how to think instead?
Read the full article on Tech Insider

The Philosophical Child

Published On: February 19, 2016
Excerpt: From time to time, we all ponder life’s most difficult questions. “Is there a god?” “How can I live a good life?” “What happens when you die?”
Read the full article on New Books Network

Dear Moms & Dads: Stop Underestimating Your Children

Published On: November 13, 2015
Excerpt: The room was filled with parents eager to hear what Dr. Jana Lone, director for the Center for Philosophy for Children, had to say about understanding their philosophical children.
Read the full article on The Whole U

Do-It-Yourself

Published On: September 26, 2015
Excerpt: Sound Effect is your weekly tour of ideas, inspired by the place we live. The show is hosted by KPLU's Gabriel Spitzer.
Read the full article on KNKX
 
 

Schools are starting to teach kids philosophy – and it’s completely changing the way students think

Published On: July 31, 2015
Excerpt: America may be great at many things, but education isn't one of them. It's here that standardized testing creeps behind students like a shadow and where fun experiments take a back seat to rote memorization.
Read the full article on TECH Insider

Someone Saved My Life: Sound Effect, Episode 28

Published On: July 18, 2015
Excerpt: Jana Mohr Lone is the Director of the University of Washington Center for Philosophy for Children. She explains to Gabriel Spitzer how the book “Four Feet, Two Sandals” reveals the dilemmas of saving lives and poses questions about how we value one another.
Read the full article on KNKX

How you talk to children about death – life’s final act

Published On: June 13, 2015
Excerpt: Jana Mohr Lone discusses engaging children in conversations about death on KPLU's Sound Effect
Read the full article on KNKX

12 Best Philosophical Picture Books for Kids – And How to Get the Most Out of Them

Published On: March 27, 2015
Excerpt: Jana Mohr Lone list her 12 favorite picture books for inspiring philosophical conversation with children. Listening to stories being read aloud, an experience many of us had when we were children, is conducive to creating an open and relaxed atmosphere for thinking about deep and fundamental questions.
Read the full article on patheos.com
 
 

Innovators Among Us: Preparing Students for Life after Graduation

Published On: May 13, 2014
Excerpt: Jana Mohr Lone and Sara Goering help UW students think deeply, from multiple perspectives, and with an open-minded spirit of inquiry. In turn, their UW students help K-12 children do the same.
Read the full article on Provost Report Series on Trends and Issues

Ethics Takes Center Stage at Competition

Published On: March 19, 2014
Excerpt: Should college athletes be paid? To what extent should politicians’ sexual indiscretions be forgiven? Is it ethical to arm rebels in countries where we're not at war? These sorts of ethical questions have no easy answers, as high school students discovered at the first annual Washington State High School Ethics Bowl, held on the University of Washington campus in February.
Read the full article on UW Perspectives

UW philosophers help small children ponder life’s big questions

Published On: March 13, 2014
Excerpt: Most people think of philosophy as a subject for college, not kindergarten. But University of Washington philosopher Jana Mohr Lone believes young children benefit just as much from discussing big questions about life.
Read the full article on Seattle Times

At Seattle Elementary, Philosopher Helps Kids Explore The ‘Why’ Questions

Published On: February 18, 2014
Excerpt: Students at Seattle's John Muir Elementary School are trying to answer life's big questions. Along with reading and math, the school's curriculum includes philosophy.
Read the full article on KNKX
 
 

High-School Ethics Bowl a First for Washington State

Published On: February 1, 2014
Excerpt: In the first Washington State High School Ethics Bowl, 100 students spent their Saturday discussing topics from the legalization of marijuana to forgiving political sex scandals to supporting research on genetically engineered meat.
Read the full article on Seattle Times

Someone You Should Know: Jana Mohr Lone

Published On: November 24, 2013
Excerpt: Jana Mohr Lone doesn't have answers for kids, just many questions. As the founder and director of the University of Washington Center for Philosophy for Children, she is committed to bring philosophy into young people's lives.
Read the full article on ParentMap

Experts: ‘Selfie syndrome’ not necessarily narcissistic

Published On: October 23, 2013
Excerpt: A lot of young people seem to be obsessed with taking pictures of themselves and posting it to Instagram and Facebook. But some experts say, it doesn't mean they're narcissistic or vain - in fact, it's perfectly normal.
Read the full article on KOMO News

Are the humanities really in decline?

Published On: July 14, 2013
Excerpt: The Heart of the Matter” attempts to further the conversation about the importance of humanities. The report “calls on parents, teachers, scholars, the media and the public at-large to join a cohesive and constructive national discussion of these issues.” We spoke with several academics in an attempt to do just that.
Read the full article on Metro New York
 
 

SheSource Online Braintrust

Published On: July 1, 2013
Excerpt: SheSource is an online braintrust of female experts on diverse topics designed to serve journalists, producers and bookers who need female guests and sources.
Read the full article on SheSource

Encouraging critical thinking in K-12 schools

Published On: May 30, 2013
Excerpt: Are thoughts real? When professor Jana Mohr Lone's four-year-old son started asking such questions, it prompted her to consider how critical thinking and dialogical skills are taught to young children.
Read the full article on UW Front Porch

Philosophy and Children: The Art of Questioning

Published On: May 11, 2013
Excerpt: Almost all very young children are alive with questions; they seem to naturally recognize that this is the way to investigate and understand the world. At some point, however, most children absorb the message that questions are often not particularly welcome. They learn that having a question means that there is something they should have already grasped but have not.
Read the full article on ParentMap

Raising a Philosophical Child

Published On: January 24, 2013
Excerpt: Children grow up full of questions and wrestle with deep, thoughtful issues—What does it mean to be good? Why do people die? Who am I? That's natural, says Jana Mohr Lone, director of the UW's Center for Philosophy for Children and faculty at the University of Washington's Department of Philosophy, because to mature emotionally, kids must develop their desire and ability to think abstractly about themselves and their experiences. But as parents, how do we answer those questions?
Read the full article on Seattle Town Hall
 
 

‘The Philosophical Child’: A book for when your child asks, ‘Why are we here?’

Published On: January 8, 2013
Excerpt: Children are natural philosophers, says Jana Mohr Lone of the University of Washington Department of Philosophy. Lone, an affiliate faculty member and director of the Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children, says she wrote her new book, “The Philosophical Child,” to help parents, teachers and other adults conduct conversations with children about life’s mysteries.
Read the full article on UW Today

Philosophy Talk Radio Show on Philosophy for Children

Published On: December 23, 2012
Excerpt: Given their innocent approach to things, do children make good philosophers? Or do they lack the equipment for clear-thinking? Is exposure to philosophy good for children?
Read the full article on Philosophy Talk

NW Books: Parenting advice on philosophical questions

Published On: November 20, 2012
Excerpt: “The Philosophical Child” by Jana Mohr Lone (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, $32.95). University of Washington’s Jana Mohr Lone, director of the Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children, gives her advice to parents on how to approach philosophical questions with children. The book offers guidance on answering abstract questions such as “What is happiness?” and “What does it mean to be real?”
Read the full article on Seattle Times

UW|360 – November 2011: Philosophy for Children

Published On: November 1, 2011
Excerpt: Professor Jana Mohr Lone, founder of the University of Washington's Center for Philosophy for Children, brings philosophy lessons to Seattle public school students in K-12 classrooms.
Read the full article on UW 360
 
 

But Why? Raising kids who think

Published On: September 15, 2011
Excerpt: Children have the capaciry to boggle the brain of even the most intelligent adult. If something like, "Why's lying so bad?" doesn't give you pausee, "Do I have to tell the truth, if the truth isn't nice?"just might.
Read the full article on Kiwi Magazine

TEDxOverlake – Dr. Sara Goering – Philosophy for Kids: Sparking a Love of Learning

Published On: June 1, 2011
Excerpt: Dr. Sara Goering is part of a regular UW class that sends undergraduate students into the Seattle public schools to lead weekly philosophy discussions with K-12 students.
Read the full article on TEDx

Teaching Philosophy To Kids

Published On: January 20, 2011
Excerpt: Jana Mohr–Lone is the founder of the Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children, and she teaches philosophy to kids. She's also a professor at the University of Washington. She'll tell us how kids can understand and use philosophy.
Read the full article on KUOW

Fourth Grade Philosophers Hit the Airwaves

Published On: November 15, 2010
Excerpt: For 15 years, Jana Mohr-Lone (PhD, '96) has guided philosophical discussions of everything from art to happiness in K-12 classrooms. Now the rest of us can hear one of those discussions on Philosophy Talk, an hour-long radio program.
Read the full article on UW Perspectives
 
 

Why Study Philosophy?

Published On: March 15, 2010
Excerpt: The United States is one of the few countries in the world that doesn't require high school students to take philosophy, so the subject is often a mystery to students. But most of us actually start asking philosophical questions early on.
Read the full article on Imagine Magazine