Philosophy for Children : Theories and Praxis in Teacher Education

Philosophy for Children (P4C) is a movement that teaches reasoning and argumentative skills to children of all ages. This book looks at the progress that P4C has made in the UK in addressing issues of literacy, critical thinking, PSHE, education for sustainable development and wider issues such as bullying. Chapters identify the different theories and practices that have emerged and discuss the necessity for a reflective approach that P4C brings to education. The book highlights how this movement can fit into the early years, primary and secondary curriculum and the challenges and rewards that come with it. Chapters include: * The Evolution of Philosophy for Children in the UK * Pedagogical Judgement * Negotiating meaning in classrooms: P4C as an exemplar of dialogic pedagogy * The impact of P4C on teacher educators * Being and becoming a philosophical teacher This will be an invaluable guide for all those interested in P4C and studying courses on Early Childhood Studies, Education Studies and Initial Teacher Training courses. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of Contributors 8 Foreword 12 Part 1 The context 14 1 The evolution of Philosophy for Children in the UK 16 2 Education as a philosophical endeavour 27 Part 2 P4C as a pedagogical approach 36 3 The construct of the child: the ‘C’ in PwC 38 4 Pedagogical judgement 50 5 Negotiating meaning in classrooms: P4C as an exemplar of dialogic pedagogy 59 Part 3 P4C in school 68 6 P4C in early childhood education 70 7 P4C in the primary school 79 8 P4C in science education 85 9 An evaluation of P4C 96 10 P4C and education for diversity 106 Part 4 The higher education context 118 11 Philosophy for Children in higher education 120 12 The praxis of P4C in teacher education 128 13 Challenging assumptions and making progress 135 14 The impact of P4C on teacher educators 144 15 Being and becoming a philosophical teacher 149 Index 160