In testing times such as these, is there really space in the timetable to teach philosophy? The great German philosopher Hegel (1770-1831) said: "Education to independence demands that young people should be accustomed early to consult their own sense of propriety and their own reason. To regard study as mere receptivity and memory work is to have a most incomplete view of what instruction means."

Perhaps Michael Gove wouldn't agree, but for those who are interested the Guardian Teacher Network has resources to help young people think about philosophical questions and come to some coherent conclusions – and there is some evidence to indicate a powerful knock-on effect on student achievement in other subjects, not to mention the capacity to reflect on life choices.

We start with an educational movement Philosophy for Children (P4C). Its roots began in 1972 with the work of Prof Matthew Lipman, who wrote a series of philosophical novels for use with children and manuals of accompanying resources. Now Philosophy for Children is practised in more than 30 countries around the world using a wide variety of materials to instigate questioning and inquiry. Thanks so much to Steve Williams from the P4C Co-operative for sharing some of these resources on the Guardian Teacher Network.

It just happened asks students to consider some statements and decide whether they could be explained causally or be better categorised as chance happenings, with a starting point of that commonly used phrase: "It just happened!" The resource explores how our understanding of actions can depend on our use of related families of concepts rather than one single concept.

Another often-heard phrase is explored in It's just a matter of opinion, prompting children to explore concepts such as fact, opinion, truth, knowledge and belief.

And now a couple of ideas for using popular picture books that teachers are likely to have in class as a way into a bit of deeper thinking. These lesson ideas on Dragons and Giants will prompt primary readers to discuss the concepts of bravery and virtue in general. The Story of the Little Mole is a great one to get children thinking about revenge, assumptions and alternatives.

The science of Louis Pasteur provides a stimulus for pupils to raise questions about causation, animal rights, identity and conflicts between theories in science. It also covers the development of vaccines and Pasteur's lesser-known work in Australia to exterminate the rabbit population.

Concepts of fairness are explored in The workers in the vineyard and The fairest teacher of them all, a resource by Jason Buckley AKA The Philosophy Man, which looks at the distinctions between treating people the same, equally and fairly.

Questions on friendship will be stimulated via a story in PowerPoint format called Fizz and Shine: Friends.

Teachers and other interested adults can find a wide range of resources, including radio programmes made by children, and find out more about the P4C cooperative and methods of teaching philosophy on the P4C website.

The Philosophy Foundation is an educational charity working to raise aspirations and attainment through philosophical enquiry in the classroom, particularly working with schools in disadvantaged areas.

First of all, hear Peter Worley, co-founder of The Philosophy Foundation, talking about whether children can understand philosophy, whether schools should teach it and how it should be done in this radio broadcast.

As well as training philosophy graduates to teach philosophy in schools, and working with teachers, The Philosophy Foundation has published several books from which they have shared a number of great standalone extracts with the GTN.

Start with some resources from the If Machine: Philosophical Enquiry in the classroom. The Chair is a great introduction to philosophy and metaphysics. It asks students to consider things and what they are to us, perception, points of view, names and referring terms. Thinking about Nothing looks at existence, language, reference, meaning, numbers, maths and Ancient Greece. It's also a great introduction to the Ancient Greek philosopher Parmenides.

From the fantastically stimulating Philosophy Shop (well deserved winner of Best Philosophy Book and Best Educational Book 2013) find Only Human, which looks at the philosophy of artificial intelligence (AI) and love. Also check out Louis Goodness detector, which explores what it is to be good and how to live and Immy's Interesting Invention, which looks at Kant and the categorical imperative and moral absolutism.

The Odyssey is 3,000 years old, but it is still relevant to philosophy lessons today. Find out how to use Greek myths in your classroom and see Circe and the Pig Men, an activity from the If Odyssey, which asks students to consider ideas around happiness and value in life.

Now some fascinating extracts from the forthcoming Once Upon An If: Stories and Storytelling for Thinking. Find Sinbad and the Valley of the Diamonds, which explores solitude, laws and rules, despair, value and wealth and The Promise Slippers, which looks at promise-keeping, intentionality, free will, autonomy, compulsion, moral obligation, love, plus inner and outer beauty.

And now some stimulating poems from Thoughtings: Puzzles, Problems and Paradoxes in Poetry. Find Wicked Which, Mostly Made of Space and What is happiness? – all are guaranteed to perplex minds young and old and inspire thinking and philosophical enquiry in class.

Any teacher thinking of investigating using philosophy in the classroom should also explore SAPERE, an educational charity established in the early 1990s that provides P4C training, resources, projects, research, and school award scheme. The school awards give a structure and pathway for whole school quality P4C practice and progression. Check out SAPERE's useful an online resource guide.

Also see the excellent What Makes Me Me? It was created to go with the BBC Learning series of the same name and provides a springboard into wider philosophical exploration and debate, considering concepts such as morality, identity and fairness.

And finally a new book, A Sneetch is a Sneetch and Other Philosophical Discoveries by Thomas Wartenberg (founder of the Teaching Children Philosophy), on finding wisdom in children's literature, makes interesting reading. Find free downloads of chapters including: The Important Book, Knuffle Bunny and The Giving Tree.

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