ABSTRACT
Debriefing is an opportunity to clear the air and even to explore why falsity was defended. In history and geography there is no problem in introducing children to the delights of falsity, without teacher complicity. There is a sense of conspiracy in a class that is let loose on falsity. This sense of conspiracy is heightened when they discover that their display is for use not just in the classroom but in the corridor where it will be seen by others who will not understand, who have no truck with authorized falsity. There is a sense of release for children told that they can write sentences that are false. The release is akin to humour, and indeed leads to real humour. Some of the same educational value can be striven for by raising the issue hypothetically. The values have to do with defending a position in mathematics, and with deepening one's conceptions of maths concepts.
