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European School Education Platform
Resource

Philosophy for Children (P4C)

This intervention is an educational approach centred on nurturing philosophical enquiry, originally developed by Professor Matthew Lipman in the USA in 1970.
Illustration: colourful mosaic
Fotocitizen / Pixabay

The aim of the programme is to create a classroom ‘community of enquiry’ and to help children become more willing and able to question, reason, construct arguments and collaborate with others.


Materials recommended by the Society for the Advancement of Philosophical Enquiry and Reflection in Education (SAPERE) include stories, poems, scripts, short films, images, artefacts, and picture books. Feedback from teachers and pupils suggested that P4C had a beneficial impact on wider outcomes such as pupils’ confidence to speak, patience when listening to others, and self-esteem.

 

Further reading

Additional information

  • Education type:
    School Education
  • Evidence:
    N/A
  • Funding source:
    National government;Private funding
  • Intervention level:
    Targeted
  • Intervention intensity:
    N/A
  • Participating countries:
    United Kingdom
  • Target audience:
    Head Teacher / Principal
    Researcher
    Teacher
  • Target audience ISCED:
    Primary education (ISCED 1)