P4C Basics

What is philosophy for children?

It’s actually a funny question because it, among other things, is exactly what it says it is: philosophy for a group of young people. But because of the phrase’s linguistic ambiguity, it can be interpreted in at least two ways:

1. So-called “proper” philosophy reduced in complexity for the consumption of children.
2. “Proper” philosophy taught to children.

Some P4C practitioners hold the first interpretation. But I believe it’s selling both the pedagogy and the students short. Children are capable of learning philosophy: they need not be able to explain various theories of knowledge or ethics or metaphysics; in some ways, to do so is not even to “do” philosophy at all. Rather, to “do” philosophy is to (among other things) ask questions about knowledge, consider the problems of ethics, and to wonder about the nature of existence and our place in it. This is my vision of P4C, and why I believe children are more than capable of meaningful learning.

But what does a P4C lesson actually look like?

It usually starts with a provocation in the form of a text, though in today’s classroom it could also be a YouTube video, piece of music, artifact, or podcast. Choosing an appropriate and fruitful provocation is key to a successful session. In a future blog entry, this point will be discussed in more detail. This is a great opportunity to bring in books and stories from a variety of perspectives. Because the problems that philosophy deals with it are perennial and universal, books and stories from all cultures can be relevant and valuable. Teachers in British Columbia should aim to utilize resources that reflect the makeup of their classrooms and communities, as well as the First Peoples of the area.

Next, give students time to reflect on the text, and ask them to come up with questions they have about the text. Students then vote on which questions they think are most interesting.

The next step is a facilitated class discussion. During this time, the teacher must try and guide the students in the desired direction; that is, towards asking philosophical questions and thinking philosophically.

What is a philosophical question? First, it doesn’t have a yes/no answer. Second, the question invites deeper thinking and analysis. And third, the question leads to more questions.

It must be pointed out, however, that these steps are part of the “official” P4C framework. I believe this framework can be modified to suit the teacher and class. It is not a requirement that the students come up with questions, however. In fact, when a class is just starting out with philosophy, it is likely advantageous to model the types of questions you are looking for.

And while P4C is flexible, what cannot be removed are its inquiry and philosophical aspects: there has to be something being investigated, and it must be investigated philosophically (i.e. with reason and curiosity). This will be discussed more in a future blog post.

Resources:

The P4C Cooperative (UK): https://p4c.com/

The Vancouver Institute of Philosophy for Children: http://vip4c.ca/

Engaged Philosophical Inquiry Consortium (UBC): http://blogs.ubc.ca/epic/affiliations/vip4c/

Philosophy for Children Alberta: http://p4c.ualberta.ca/

University of Washington Center for Philosophy for Children: https://www.philosophyforchildren.org/