Prevent for Schools

P4C- Philosophy for Children

‘P4C’ is the shortened name for Philosophy for Children, a methodology developed in the US and now practised in many countries, also under the names philosophical enquiry , philosophy with children, or philosophy for communities.

It’s unique because it develops speaking and listening as well as thinking skills in a collaborative setting. Students work together to reach a better understanding of a question that they’ve chosen themselves- hence they are motivated, engaged, and achieve more.

Because P4C is skills based, it’s a way of learning suitable for all ages and most settings. We find it especially suitable for exploring areas related to the global dimension, but it can be useful in any curriculum area.
 

Philosophical Enquiry (P4C); promoting community cohesion and Preventing

Extremism and Terrorism

Professor Lipmann, seeing the unrest in American universities, developed a programme designed to develop the skills of reasoned and respectful thinking, and the attitude of ‘reasonableness’- starting with young children and continuing into high schools.

This methodology is now practised in many different countries and in many different contexts, including schools and community groups.

This  approach  has  particular  relevance  for  developing  community  cohesion  in schools and addressing the issues raised by Extremism and Terrorism.

In 2008 the DCSF toolkit, ‘Learning Together to be Safe’, offered advice to schools on how to address the issues raised by the Extremism and Terrorism agenda. The toolkit suggests the following actions:

Leadership and Values

Promote critical scholarship and informed moral purpose- Develop critical personal thinking skills

Exploring and promoting shared values

Modelling participatory democracy and freedom of speech

Develop teaching skills for dealing with controversial issues
 

Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum

Develop personal, learning and thinking skills so that pupils become independent enquirers and effective participators

Teaching and learning strategies which develop- questioning techniques to open up

debate…promoting open and respectful dialogue
 

You can get more information by clicking on the link below

P4C - Philosophy for Children 
P4C current website

Philosophy in Communities Project

Young people from Ripley St. Thomas High School, and older people from the Friendship Centre attended an event held by Global Link at the Ashton Memorial. The participants shared food, learnt about the history of migration into the Lancaster area, and went through the ‘Witch Hunts, Then and Now’ exhibition. They used the exhibition as a stimulus for a joint philosophical enquiry into why it is that people feel the need to scape goat others.

More information