Philosophy for Children (P4C): Cultivating Inquiry, Dialogue, and Collaborative Civic Space
Monday, November 18, 2019
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
At the Hanahau’oli School Professional Development Center
Philosophy for Children (P4C) is a worldwide movement that aims to transform the schooling experience of children by engaging them in the activity of philosophy. Locally, the University of Hawai‘i Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education is the home of philosophy for children Hawai‘i (p4c Hawai‘i). The p4c Hawai‘i approach aids students and teachers in converting traditional classrooms into intellectually safe communities of inquiry. Together, they develop their ability to think for themselves in responsible ways by exploring “big questions” that arise from their interests, experiences, and learning contexts. When practiced with fidelity, p4c Hawai‘i cultivates and nurtures a collaborative civic space in classrooms where individuals “experience of dialoguing with others as equals, [and] participating in shared public inquiry [so] that they [are] able to eventually take an active role in the shaping of a democratic society’ (Sharp 1993: 343). In this workshop, participants will learn about p4c Hawai‘i from Uehiro Academy faculty and become a part of an intellectually safe professional community of inquiry. They will engage in a number of p4c Hawai‘i’s hallmark activities and reflect on ways to apply the classroom strategies to their diverse teaching contexts.
This workshop is designed for K-12 educators, higher education faculty, and community educators who are interested in exploring how p4c Hawai‘i can be applied to contexts outside of the regular classroom setting. It is also designed for teachers who are interested in interdisciplinary and integrated approaches to education, as well as teachers who want to apply the practice to traditional subject areas and coursework.
Workshop Objectives:
Participants will:
Build an intellectually safe professional community of inquiry.
Be introduced to the history, theoretical and practical frameworks behind the philosophy for children Hawai‘i (p4c Hawai‘i) movement, including:
The four pillars
Key activities and strategies
Role of the teacher
Participant outcomes
Connections between p4cHI and other national movements in education
Define and practice Intellectual Safety
Create and use a Community Ball
Explore and apply the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit
Engage in a Plain Vanilla philosophical inquiry
Reflect on experience and brainstorm future applications
Workshop Agenda:
8:30 am – 9:00 am: Sign In
9:00 am – 9:10 am: Welcome & Agenda
9:10 am – 9:30 am: Overview of the p4c Hawai‘i Approach to Education
9:30 am – 10:00 am: Intellectual Safety: Co-Constructing a Concept Map
10:00 am – 11:00 am: Making a Community Ball
11:00 am – 11:15 am: Break
11:15 am – 12:30 pm: Introducing the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Plain Vanilla Inquiry
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Applying the Practice to Your Particular Teaching Context: Break into Grade Level Teams
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Large Group Reflection
About the Presenters:
Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) is Director of the UH Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education. In 1979 he received his doctorate in Comparative Philosophy from the University of Hawai’i. In 1984 he learned of the work of Dr. Matthew Lipman, creator of the now world-recognized initiative Philosophy for Children (P4C). Inspired by a three-week training at Montclair State College which was conducted by Dr. Lipman & Ann Margaret Sharp, and attended by some 30 international educators, Dr. J returned to Hawai’i, intent on bringing this incredibly rich, promising initiative to Hawai’i. philosophy for children Hawai’i (p4cHawai’i) is our own “home grown” expression of Lipman’s original inspiration.
Dr. Benjamin Lukey received his doctorate in comparative philosophy from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His interests in philosophy of disability, comparative philosophy, and philosophy for children (p4c) have developed from his broader goal of including more voices in philosophical discourse. Since 2007, he has been part the p4c Hawai‘i initiative at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, piloting and developing a Philosopher in Residence project at Hawaii public high schools. Dr. Lukey continues to support p4c Hawaii teachers and students at Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate School, Kailua High School, Waikiki Elementary, Ka’elepulu Elementary, and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He is currently Associate Director for the UH Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education.
Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau is an Associate Specialist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education Institute for Teacher Education Secondary Program. She is also the Director of the Hanahau’oli School Professional Development Center and the Director of Curriculum and Research at the University of Hawai‘i Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education. She is a dedicated practitioner of philosophy for children Hawai‘i who achieved National Board Certification while teaching secondary social studies in the Hawaii State Department of Education for over ten years. Her current projects include carrying out progressive, multicultural, social justice, and democratic approaches to pre-service social studies teacher education, using self-study research methodologies to promote international collaboration, and developing the emergent field of deliberative pedagogy.
Dr. Chad Miller is the 2012 Hawaiʻi Teacher of the Year, a National Board Certified teacher, and is currently an Associate Specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Institute for Teacher Education. Dr. Miller also serves as the Director of Teacher Development at the University’s Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education and in this “hybrid” role, he teaches Language Arts methods courses, as well as “Philosophy for Children (p4c)” courses in the College of Education to secondary teacher candidates. He also serves as a Philosopher in Residence, where he collaborates with and supports teacher candidates and veteran K-12 teachers as they incorporate the activity of philosophy into their classroom practice through the use of the “Philosopher’s Pedagogy.” Dr. Miller received his BA in philosophy from John Carroll University and PhD in education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Dr. Thomas “Toby” Yos is a part-time Assistant Specialist at the Uehiro Academy. His primary focus is on designing and coordinating Academy outreach programs. He is also a philosopher-in-residence at Waikiki Elementary School. Situation in the school’s counseling department, Dr. Yos incorporates philosophy for children Hawai’i (p4cHI) into a variety of mentoring initiatives. Dr. Yos received his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. His dissertation, entitled “Educating for Good Judgment,” was the first in the Philosophy Department to concentrate on p4cHI. Dr. Yos began his work with p4cHI in 1991 and has, over the course of the past decades, done p4cHI with thousands of students in a broad variety of schools and settings.