Philosophy for Children

Abstract

Philosophy for Children is an educational movement that was originally associated with the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) at Montclair State University (formerly Montclair State College) in the United States beginning in the early 1970s. The term was coined by Matthew Lipman, who was primarily responsible for setting up the institute, after moving from Columbia University in New York, where he first began this work. Lipman and his colleague, Ann Margaret Sharp, promoted Philosophy for Children in the United States and then internationally. It has since attracted the attention of philosophers and educationalists in many parts of the world and both it and its offshoots have become widely represented in schools. Philosophy for Children adapts philosophical subject matter and modes of inquiry for use in school education, either as a separate intervention or by way of integration into existing school subjects. Although philosophy has been traditionally restricted to the senior years, Philosophy for Children is to be found throughout all levels of schooling. This reflects the fact that, while not neglecting the intrinsic value of moral, epistemological, metaphysical, and other philosophical subject matter, it has broader educational objectives. Philosophy for Children is committed to the development of active democratic citizens who have an open inquiring outlook and are prepared to arrive at judgments on the basis of reason and evidence. It supports this outcome through collaborative inquiry-based teaching and learning, treating the classroom as an inquiring community, where emphasis is placed on critical, creative, and caring thinking and the development of associated cognitive and social skills, abilities, and dispositions. A wide array of books for teachers and classroom materials have been produced along with a growing body of research and academic publications in monographs, anthologies, and journals.