introducing a philosophical discussion in your classroom : an example of a community of enquiry in a greek primary school

Philosophy for Children (P4C) is implemented in different countries, but there are not many studies which examine P4C in Greek primary schools. This research examines a P4C intervention in a primary school in northern Greece. This study can be used as a guide for educators who are interested in starting implementing P4C, because it describes the structure of the initial P4C session in an untrained classroom and it provides an analysis of easily implemented formative assessment practices. The research questions are similar to the questions that educators could set when they initially implement P4C: Do the students raise philosophical questions? Are the students engaged in the dialogue? Do students provide concrete reasons to support their opinions? Are students willing to listen to the different opinions of their classmates? Do they enjoy participating in the sessions? Does P4C intervention have an impact on the students’ opinion concerning the discussed topic after the intervention? The conducted research used Shel Silverstein’s, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1976/ 2006) as an introductory stimulus. The participants were twenty Year 6 students. The research design is experimental with pre-testing and posttesting of the students’ opinion about fulfilment before and after the sessions. The findings cannot be generalized, but they clearly demonstrate that the participating students wonder about philosophical issues and they developed a dialogue on fulfilment. All the students in our sample were engaged in this dialogue and the post-tests showed a modification in the expressed opinion after P4C sessions. keywords: philosophy for children; primary school; Greece; formative assessment. introduciendo la discusión filosófica en su aula: un ejemplo de comunidad de investigación en una escuela primaria griega resumen Filosofía para Niños (FpN) está implementada en distintos países, pero no hay muchos estudios que examinan FpN en las escuelas primarias de Grecia. Esta investigación examina una intervención de FpN en una escuela primaria del norte de Grecia. Este estudio puede ser usado como una guía para educadores que están interesados en comenzar a implementar FpN, porque describe la estructura del inicio de una sesión de FpN en una clase sin experiencia y provee un análisis de las prácticas de evaluación formativa fácilmente implementadas. Las preguntas de esta investigación son similares a las preguntas que los educadores pueden hacerse cuando inician la implementación de FpN: ¿Los estudiantes plantean preguntas filosóficas? ¿Los estudiantes están involucrados 1 We would like to express our deep gratitude to Prof Stephen Gorard, Dr Nadia Siddiqui and Mr Steve Williams for their comments which greatly improved the manuscript. 2 E-mail: [email protected] 3 E-mail: [email protected] introducing a philosophical discussion in your classroom: an example of a community of enquiry in a greek primary school 612 childhood & philosophy, rio de janeiro, v. 12, n. 25, set.-dez. 2016, pp. 611-629 issn 1984-5987 en el diálogo? ¿Los estudiantes dan razones concretas para sostener sus opiniones? ¿Los estudiantes están dispuestos a escuchar a las diferentes opiniones de sus compañeros de clase? ¿Disfrutan de participar en las sesiones? ¿La intervención de FpN tiene impacto en la opinión de los estudiantes sobre el tema discutido después de la intervención? Dicha investigación utilizó la obra de Shel Silverstein, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1976/2006) como estímulo introductorio. Eran veinte participantes de 6 años de edad. El proyecto de investigación es experimental con pruebas de opinión de los alumnos, realizados antes y después de las sesiones. Los resultados no pueden ser generalizados, pero demuestran claramente que los alumnos participantes se preguntan sobre cuestiones filosóficas y desarrollan un diálogo satisfactoriamente. Todos los alumnos de nuestra muestra participaron de dicho diálogo y las pruebas posteriores evidencian un cambio en la opinión expresada después de las sesiones de FpN. palabras clave: filosofía para niños; escuela primaria; Grecia; evaluación formativa. introduzindo a discussão filosófica na sua sala de aula: um exemplo de comunidade de investigação em uma escola primária grega resumo Filosofia para Crianças (FpC) foi implementado em diferentes países, mas não há muitos estudos que examinam FpC nas escolas primárias gregas. Essa pesquisa investiga a intervenção de FpC em uma escola primária no norte da Grécia. Esse estudo pode ser usado como um roteiro para educadores interessados em começar a implementar FpC, porque descreve a estrutura de uma sessão inicial de FpC em uma sala de aula inexperiente e proporciona uma análise de práticas de avaliação formativa facilmente implementadas. As perguntas da pesquisa são similares às perguntas que os educadores podem fazer quando estão iniciando a implementação da FpC: Os estudantes levantam questões filosóficas? Os estudantes estão envolvidos no diálogo? Os estudantes fornecem razões concretas para apoiar suas opiniões? Os estudantes estão dispostos a ouvir as opiniões diferentes de seus colegas de classe? Eles gostam de participar das sessões? A intervenção da FpC tem impacto na opinião dos alunos sobre o tema discutido após a intervenção? A pesquisa conduzida utilizou Shel Silverstein, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1976/2006) como estímulo introdutório. Os participantes eram vinte estudantes de 6 anos. O projeto de pesquisa é experimental com testes de opinião dos alunos realizados antes e após as sessões. Os resultados não podem ser generalizados, mas eles demonstram claramente que os alunos participantes se fazem perguntas filosóficas e desenvolveram satisfatoriamente um diálogo. Todos os alunos da nossa amostra participaram deste diálogo e os testes posteriores mostraram uma modificação na opinião expressa após as sessões FpC. palavras-chave: filosofia para crianças; escola primária; Grécia; avaliação formativa. ourania maria ventista; marita paparoussi childhood & philosophy, rio de janeiro, v. 12, n. 25, set.-dez. 2016, pp. 611-629 issn 1984-5987 613 introducing a philosophical discussion in your classroom: an example of a community of enquiry in a greek primary school Children’s ability to philosophise has been widely questioned over the last decades. It has been argued that ‘real’ philosophy can be done solely by adults because philosophy demands mental maturity, knowledge, and ‘higher-order thinking’ (KITCHENER, 1990, p. 422) –characteristics that children might not have. As logical as this view seems, however, one ought to question the meaning of the term ‘real’ philosophy. Indeed a difficult subject to define, our working definition of philosophy is ‘an activity of thought which systematically explores basic assumptions, ideas, and beliefs’. Philosophy, in simple terms, is about making sense of what there is. It is a discipline concerned with ‘fundamental questions’; ‘questions which increase the interest of the world, and show the strangeness and wonder lying just below the surface even in the commonest things of daily life’ (RUSSELL 1959, p. 16) –making philosophy an essential part of the activities of both intellectual and emotional growth. Furthermore, philosophy is associated with the principles that underlie the human existence and it cannot be restricted merely to mental maturity and higher-order thinking. Viewing philosophy in this way, the question should not be “whether children can do philosophy?”, but “how philosophy can be taught and practised most effectively in education?” Primary school philosophy education, therefore, is about giving children the opportunity to explore fundamental aspects of their experiences that are already meaningful for them, in order to become more sensitive to their philosophical dimensions (ethical, logical, metaphysical, epistemological). It is also about developing the ability to question; to formulate an argument; to wonder about things that are taken for granted; to appreciate the views of others; and, to be able to work collaboratively. Matthew Lipman4, the Philosophy for Children 4 Matthew Lipman was the first to write novels in order to introduce philosophical thinking to children. The protagonists of the novels are children raising philosophical problems and engaging in philosophical dialogue. Karin Murris and Joanna Haynes prefer doing philosophy with picture books because pictures parallel to the narrative invite an intellectual and an emotional response which enables children to make meaning for themselves in a playful and imaginative manner. As introducing a philosophical discussion in your classroom: an example of a community of enquiry in a greek primary school 614 childhood & philosophy, rio de janeiro, v. 12, n. 25, set.-dez. 2016, pp. 611-629 issn 1984-5987 (P4C)5 pioneer, summarizes the point well when explains that Philosophy for Children encourages students to think critically, creatively, and caringly (LIPMAN, 2003). The central aim of P4C is to help children develop their thinking for themselves and their thinking in a community. Our work draws its theoretical inspiration from this body of work. To be more precise, our views are in accordance with the work of P4C tradition, as well as on the work of ‘secondgeneration’ P4C proponents, especially those who argue the value of using children’s literature as a stimulus for philosophical discussion in the primary school because it explores topics which can catch children’s interest in issues related to their own life (HAYNES, 2008; MURRIS, 1992). We understand P4C as a movement that promotes a forum for discussions in which children are encouraged to think and reflect together, to justify their beliefs and ideas, to develop appropriate language for a dialogue and argumentation, and to become aware of their capacity for discussion. Here, a crucial point to consider is that P4C involves the engagement of students in a philosophical Community of Enquiry and highlights the dialogical character of enquiry and the primacy of questioning.2 As Lipman noted: “[...] In any event, this recognition of the elevated status of the question (and the reduced status of the answer) will help the students remember that questioning is the leading edge of inquiry; it opens the door to dialogue, to self-criticism, and to self-correction” (LIPMAN, 2009, p. 32). In line with Lipman’s emphasis on the primacy of questioning, we view literature as being central to the philosophical community’s discussions in the sense that asking questions is a spontaneous response to literary texts that offer the reader thoughts to reflect on, new perspectives to consider, and assumptions to verify. Literary texts explore they point out in Picturebooks, Pedagogy, and Philosophy, “Literature that contains both the everyday and the strange and unfamiliar mediates philosophical understanding. Philosophical enquiry requires delicate facilitation between the abstract and the concrete, otherwise learners and teachers lose themselves in meaningless abstraction” (HAYNES; MURRIS, 2012, p. 62). 5 P4C recommends the engagement of students in a philosophical Community of Enquiry, in which “students listen to each other with respect, build on one another’s ideas, challenge one another to supply reasons for otherwise unsupported opinions, assist each other in drawing inferences from what has been said, and seek to identify one another’s assumptions” (LIPMAN, 2003, p. 18). ourania maria ventista; marita paparoussi childhood & philosophy, rio de janeiro, v. 12, n. 25, set.-dez. 2016, pp. 611-629 issn 1984-5987 615 issues that matter to us as human beings and as they present ‘gaps’ and indeterminacies that offer the opportunity for discussions of multiple alternative interpretations, they can influence readers into cultivating their interest in questions rather than answers. As Hilary Putnam asserts in Meaning and the Moral Sciences (talking more specifically about moral philosophy): ‘Literature does not, or does not often, depict solutions. What especially the novel does is aid us in the imaginative re-creation of moral perplexities, in the widest sense’ (PUTNAM,