Philosophy for Children
Philosophy for Children (P4C) is an approach to teaching in which pupils participate in group dialogues focused on philosophical issues.
Dialogues are prompted by a stimulus (for example, a story or a video) and are based around a concept such as 'truth', 'fairness' or 'bullying'. The aim of P4C is to help children become more willing and able to ask questions, construct arguments, and engage in reasoned discussion.
P4C was originally developed in the 1970s by Professor Matthew Lipman. The Society for the Advancement of Philosophical Enquiry and Reflection in Education (SAPERE), a non-profit society, promotes the use of P4C in UK schools. SAPERE provide teaching resources, teacher training courses and an accredited programme. P4C is practised across all education age ranges and is usually delivered through weekly 45 minute sessions. Our research is evaluating P4C within the primary sector (KS2).