and others yet to be restored to their place of rightful recognition.

Resources listed on this page are provided by practicing educators and are placed here by VAPS in good faith. VAPS cannot vouch for them meeting VCAA study design nor any other standards.

VCE Philosophy Unit 1 and Unit 2 (previous course)

1. A school assessed task on Ethics click here

2. PowerPoint overview/intro to Free will versus Determinism issue Warning: this file is 1.6 MB so down load may take some time click here

3. Admitting Descartes' demon into the classroom click here

4. Rubric for assessing essays in Philosophy click here

5. Rubric for assessing a student's website in Philosophy click here

6. Melbourne Zoo: Animal Rites/Animal Rights
Melbourne Zoo is running a program entitled Animal Rites/Animal Rights for VCE Philosophy Unit 1, satisfying Areas of Study 1 and 2. 
Students apply philosophical thinking to a range of issues raised during a
visit to the Zoo. As they interact with animals in the classroom, discussion
will centre on animal rights and the status of the animals kept in the
Melbourne Zoo.
While observing an animal being fed live invertebrates, students explore
their responses and discuss the issue of feeding live vertebrates at the
Zoo.
A walk into the Orang-Utan exhibit built in 1927 provides a vivid experience
for students to begin their thinking about the changing role of the Zoo.
Archival photographs from the 1920's and 1950's are available for
comparison.
Students conduct a behaviour study on an arboreal monkey of their choice and
consider the basic differences between animals and humans based on their
observations.
This excursion provides material for completing Outcome 2.
Contact: Dianne Gordon, Education Officer, Discovery and Learning, Melbourne Zoo, (03) 9285 9468

VCE Philosophy Unit 3 (previous course)

1. Iris Murdoch: The Sovereignty of Good notes click here

2. Unit 3 Outcome 3 contemporary society quotes click here

3. Unit 3 SAC 1 click here

4. UNIT 3 - OUTCOME 3 click here

5. Nietzsche and mercy click here

6. Ethical points of view - a way to compare texts click here

7. Christian teaching - outcome 3 click here

8. Christianity – Earthing the Bible - outcome 3 click here

9. Aristotle and Homer Simpson click here

10. Aristotle and potential click here

11. Aristotle and Jane Goodall - Reason for Hope click here

12. Aristotle and Aesop - The Ant and the Grasshopper click here

13. Unit 3 Outcome 2 possible essay topics from non-Greek texts click here

14. Winged Sandals A Greek Mythology Website produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in association with The University of Melbourne's Centre for Classics and Archaeology click here

15. Slow reading Some advice on reading texts click here

16. Penny Davies: On Aristotle, at the Philosophers' Forum May 2004 click here

17. Mind Maps "Mention was made at VCE network meeting of mind maps. More detail here: For the visually inclined learner, a visual map of the reasoning of some of the Unit 3 texts has come as some relief. These can be done by the student to help with their own essay preparation, but I modelled for them maps of the texts, using a software program called MindManager. As well as providing a visual flow of the reasoning, I found another advantage of its use in that it encourages 'the next step' , or 'where would you take the reasoning from here', and 'couldn't some other reasoning flow from that', thinking steps that students barely initiated into thinking philosophically need to learn rather quickly for Units 3-4.

Melbourne suppliers are Teamlink Australia Pty Ltd in Mount Eliza: Phone 03 9787 6107; Fax 03 9787 6137, and of course the website www.mindsystems.com.au" a VCE Philosophy teacher.

18. On Iris Murdoch: Chris Cordner at VAPS Philosophers' Forum May 2005 overheads click here

19. Unit 3 SAC 3 click here

20. Unit 3 SAC 2 click here

21. Aristotle's Theory of a Good Life: Penelope Davies at VAPS Philosophers' Forum May 2005 click here

22. Aristotle Study questions click here

23. Plato's Gorgias Study questions click here

24. Penelope Davies at VAPS Philosophers' Forum May 2006: Notes on Aristotle click here

25. Jo Faulkner at VAPS Philosophers' Forum May 2006: Nietzsche PowerPoint presentation click here: Nietzsche notes click here

26. Chris Cordner at VAPS Philosophers' Forum May 2006: On Kantian Man in Sartre and Iris Murdoch click here

27. Gorgias review: five key questions click here

28. Jean Paul Sartre Being and Nothingness questions click here

29. A Unit 3 and 4 course outline week by week click here

30. Notice to parents re purchase of an anthology of texts click here

31. Martin Luther King Biography click here

32. SAC Overview click here

33. Aristotle quiz click here

34. Jean Paul Sartre text notes click here

35. Epicurus quiz click here

36. Iris Murdoch background information click here

37. Friedrich Nietzsche notes click here

38. The Joyful Wisdom: a presentation by Robert Miller at the VAPS Forum "The Good Life" 16th June 2007 click here

39. Kantian man in Sartre and Murdoch: a presentation by Chris Cordner at the VAPS Philosophers' Forum "The Good Life" 16th June 2007 click here

40. Epicurus: a presentation by Emmanuel Skoutas at the VAPS Philosophers' Forum "The Good Life" 16th June 2007 Warning: this file is almost 2Mg click here

VCE Philosophy Unit 4 and Exam (previous course)

1. Ross Phillips, David Armstrong notes from Philosophers' Forum September 2003 click here

2. Answering essay questions in the Philosophy exam click here

3. Unit 4 SAC 3 click here

4. Unit 4 SAC 2 click here

5. Answering extended questions in the Philosophy exam click here

6. Barry Taylor on the Mind/Body problem at Philosophers' Forum August 2004 lecture slides click here

7. Rubric for assessing essays in Philosophy click here

8. Unit 4 SAC2 click here

9. Ross Phillips, David Armstrong PowerPoint from Philosophers' Forum September 2006 click here

10. Neil Thomason, Kuhn and Popper from Philosophers' Forum September 2006 click here

11. Fiona Leigh, Plato v Kuhn and Popper from Philosophers' Forum September 2006 click here

12. Philosophy of Science - Popper and Kuhn click here

13. SAC Overview click here

14. Popper basic info click here

15. Short answer exam questions 2001-2005 click here

16. Some Questions on Popper, “Science: Conjectures and Refutations” click here

Later years Philosophy General

1. Admitting Descartes' demon into the classroom click here

2. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCE Philosophy resources

3. Videos which teachers have found useful in their school level Philosophy teaching please contribute to this list

4. La Trobe University VCE Philosophy Support Program
The aim of the Program is to provide support for teachers who intend to offer any of the VCE Philosophy Units 1 to 4.
The package consists of the following elements:
1. Intensive four day program (10.00am to 4.00pm daily). A certificate of attendance will be available for people who complete the Intensive.
2. Support Forums held during the teaching year. The dates and times of these will be determined after consultation with the participants. The aim of these forums is for teachers to share their difficulties and successes and to receive specific support from the La Trobe Philosophy Program staff. They will be held on Sundays between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
3. A phone-in or e-mail service for teachers who need advice-on-the-run when the teaching year has begun. This service will be available on a "reasonable use" basis throughout the teaching year.

Year 10 Philosophy

1. A semester length COI course click here

2. Questions which a member has found useful in discussing ‘Education' with students click here

3. Culture of Fear: explore and reflect on the topic of fear and anxiety click here

4. Admitting Descartes' demon into the classroom click here