(SCROLL TO END FOR CLASS TOPICS SCHEDULE)
Class Goals:  Critical Thinking, Philosophy, Class Discussion, Problem Solving, and Asking Questions

**PLEASE NOTE - This is a free-thinking class and all views are welcome, which means peers may respectfully share personal views about politics, faith, or social justice issues so long as it is relevant to the discussion and their thinking on the topic.  The teacher will NOT share personal views on politics, faith, or social justice topics in class. Parents should ask questions about the stimuli (web resources and video clips) that I will be showing during class if they are concerned.  Please consider your child's personal maturity level and sensitivities when considering this class.**

In our current world we are witnessing clashing ideas in politics, world views, and health that have resulted in many negative interactions.  Needless to say, critical thinking skills, open mindedness, effective communication, and diplomatic discussion are much needed skills in our world today.  Why not teach our children these skills early so that the future society that they engage with will be more open to new ideas, collaborative problem solving, conflict resolution,  and peace?

🌺One goal for this class is to provide students with stimulating and challenging discussion topics that challenge them to think critically and to articulate their thinking using reasoning and inquiry.  

🌺WEEKLY CLASS FORMAT: (times are approximate and may vary with class size)
The week's topic, and a video link to get students thinking will be posted to the classroom page at the start of each week.  Students are encouraged to visit the classroom page each week to see the topic/stimulus posted.  

~10 min
Warm-Up Discussion Question / Community Building

~30 min
Exposure to stimuli (lesson portion) to help students build background knowledge about the topic.  Students will be invited to share thoughts and reactions to each stimulus during this portion.  

~15 min
Students will be presented with five teacher-made philosophical questions related to the topic. Each student votes on the 2 questions they most want to discuss, and the question with the most votes will be discussed as a group. 

🌺OPTIONAL JOURNAL:  An optional printable journal pdf will be provided for note-taking and reflection.  This is also helpful for tracking which of the 24 topics have been completed.  (Print double-sided, flipped on short-edge, to make a half-sheet booklet)

🌺TOPIC SCHEDULE:   *updated 2023 schedule*
Schedule subject to change - All attempts will be made to keep this schedule updated and accurate.

Week 23: 2/13-2/18,  Social Emotional Learning Robots
Week 24: 2/20-2/25,  Colonizing Mars & Space Tourism
(END OF CYCLE/NEW CYCLE BEGINS)
Week 1: 2/27-3/4, Animal Sentience & Self-Awareness
Week 2: 3/6-3/11, Animal Intelligence & Problem Solving
Week 3: 3/13-3/18, Cellular Agriculture & No Kill Lab Grown Meat
Week 4: 3/20-3/25, Cloning Technology
Week 5: 3/27-4/1, Gene Editing Technology (CRISPR & CAS-9)
Week 6: 4/3-4/8, Animal Communication
Week 7: 4/10-4/15, Animals Seeking Help
Week 8: 4/17-4/22, Autonomous & Self-Driving Vehicles
Week 9: 4/24-4/29, Transportation of the Future
Week 10: 5/1-5/6, Automation & Industrial Robots
Week 11: 5/8-5/13, Poverty & Global Inequality
Week 12: 5/15-5/20, Savants and Geniuses
Week 13: 5/22-5/27, Aging and Growing Old
Week 14: 5/29-6/3, Artificial Womb Technology
Week 15: 6/5-6/10, Nanotechnology
Week 16: 6/12-6/17, Power of Positivity
Week 17: 6/19-6/24, Alternative Home Designs
Week 18: 6/26-7/1 - Plastic Pollution 
Week 19: 7/3-7/8, Food Production and Sustainability
Week 20: 7/10-7/15, Energies of the Future
Week 21 : 7/24-7/29, AR/VR Technology
Week 22: 7/31-8/5, AI Technology and Humanoid Robots