Philosophy tn Schools
An lntroduction for Philosophers

fl lthiltlr*tlPhic*l Rules of tin14ilStitll*nt'

I'ltrrttlcl$ J utksort

and Teachers

ttdited by Sara Goeringn
Nicholas J. Shudak, and'l'homas E. Wartenberg

doing phito
learnroi;_;;,i,;"f,;;hld; tp+il. I began and have continued
thc tcachil,,*,,,i si'cc 19g4. f ibn" *tt"r"p4c has made possible for me.andnrainlattd
thein
Hawaii'f,ri, ',tlrrl(:nts, and educatort *itil whom I havi met
I l'vrSwitzerland'
andi,,,,,",1 statcs, China, J"p"n, Brazil, Korea, Austria,
st'l*xrl
in
thcm
for
does
roiou* p4c; what it,r,ra"ntto,*, ,rr.-tr"o"orn" their iives; and, for the teachcrs' hrtw il"naenrichingand.,,,,,
changingo,ul
in I litw;rit
theil piofesrional praitice as-they internalize what wc
inthc K*lJ",,,i,,,r",j*llrw r;tll "the plilosopttttt p"dagogy'' l love thc excitemenr
tltc
whcrr
basis
rLr,,\r(x)nrs I get to rp"nd ti'*" *i'[-on a regular wee.kl-f
will
wr:
whc.redme
a spccial
rr ,r, lrt'r altd students realize that it's "p4c timcj'
devchrped.
;;,;;,;;r;.;;";il in ttt" ittt"iteaually safe community we havcariscrt
otll ,lhave
thati,,rl, r,,pi.Jand questions theyhaveihosen,.que-stions
trisc
that
orquelioll*1,,,,, i,,t*rotr, b. i. in English, Social Studies, Math,thcntsclves"
find
they
,,rrr .l thcir rr*n *ona"riigt ;G", the worldin whicht"ndscape from 'Could Santa die?" (K) rrnd

lil rlrt^ ft,iKlcr of rhis chapter: I love the work I do, learning and do p4c in

I lrr. rlrrcstions range

do,,wlr0 rrude numbers".r"tr"itu. . . because they never end!'(1st grade) to''why
gradc)'(8th
etc'?"
act'*h", by the way they look'
I rrl,, ltavc to
iudge

"""i
stodents with whom I work' therc 'nr
lirr most of tt t""|il"r,"nd"together' Indeed,' togcthcr',,,','" q,,*ritn of the value of what we are doing
our schools rtrttl
thtoughoot
ih. i*p".t of p4c\r.(. ;rrc working ,oworks and hrts"*p""aapproach
this
addition, tnt "n"ti data'ihat,'rrrrunities.In
well'
as
grow
to
test scores continues
is

lrtt'

;,";;;;bt;nd standardized

to share with you the framework we have clcvcl'
What follow, i,"fiortthis framcwork"r,,,1u*t und some of ,t r-.*".*. strategies for implementing
assumc tltitl
willI
above.
,ri,,,' i, proaucing the ;;.iti* results" indicatedand s.'
time
first
the
p4c
for
,,,,,,,y o? you ,.Jaing ,hit;t; encountering
11,,pr:fully, begin at the beginning.

llll,I,ARS OF P4C

tt *fr,*l,T'*s,:*,f ll

w Yillilr ANI ) I ( )Nt x )NSats

r\t p4c Hawaii we have found that the adventure of doing philosophyis
adventurc
rvitlr children (K-8) is supported and enhanced when the

100 Thomas Jackson

I'bibsophical Rules of Engagemut l0l

conceptualizcd in llillar forrrr. As tlris chaptcr will show, thc pillars wc u
arc Cammunity, Inquiry, ftsfiection, and I'hilosophy.In the space that f,lows, each of thcsc pillars ilrc cxplainctl irr tcrnrs of b<lth why and how th
are part of doing philosophy for childrcn.
It is not an accidcnt that Conrnlunity conrss first in this list. As indicat
above, the intcntion of doing philoserplry in ir classroom scffing is ro inquitogcther into topics that arisc from thc intcrcsts of thc communiry (stude
and thcir teacher) in philosophically rcsp()nsiblc ways. For this to hap
it is essential to begin by building and su$raining arr intcllcctually safe conrunity conducivc to philosophical irrquiry.

rirnc, where theirthoughts and ideas are central. It is not about what theIt:acher thinks, or about a predetermined answer the teacher is looking for
Irut what the community {teacher and students) can develop together outof their thoughts about what matters to them. Some examples will follow

lltcr!

Pillar 1: Comrnunity
At the outset, it is uscful to think of your conlnllulity as $omcthing that wigrow and develop through stagcs of bcgirurirrg, emerging, and maturc corlg
rnunitics. This is important bccausc, as this dcvcktpmcnt occurs, the r(of the tcachcr will shift from teachcr/facilitator/parricipant to participrrn
tcache rlfacilitator. In other words, as thc commuuity matures, the stuclr
mernbers will intcrnalize the roles, vocabulary, and prorocols (social flH
cognitivc) that are the hallmarks of an intellectually safe philosophical in-i
quiry community. Students will become co-facilitators as well as partici*:
pants, allowing the teacher to becorne a participanr among parriciparrt*i
Indeed, in a rnature community, apart from the tcachcr's physical sizc, idc
tifying thc teacher would not be an easy task. In a beginning commurrit
the teacher's rolc will be strong and direct as smdcnts gradually leam rh*i
"rules" of thc community.
At thc outser it is also important to be rnindful of the nature of your cclrt
munity. Two important factors are age and backgrounds of your studcntfin\Wc have found that bcginnirg to do p4c at thc prc-K, K-1 lcvcls is inrptp
tantly different from latcr grade levels. Wc have dcveloped a "Srart-Up Kit*
for prc-K and K*1 levcls preciscly bccause of thc widc range of devclopnrrno
tal expcriences young students bring to the classroom. For examplc, it nrrly:
or may not bc their first experience in a group setting. Thcy may or nlay nut.
have attended preschool. They may or may not havc cxpcrienccd sitting in *,circle, taking turns, and so on. They also will have come from a widc varir.tf
of family and cultural backgrounds. All of this just adds to thc adventurtl ,At the upper end of the age level, in middlc school, a diffcrcnt sct of r:lr;rl-''ilenges presents itsclf, Depending on thc school expcricnces to thar poirrtl
studcnts may resist the idea of sitting in a circlc, taking turns, spe:rkirtl]
out in front of thcir pecrs, or rcsponding to qucstiorrs to which thcy rrny:
not know thc answcrs. 'fhc vcry idca of an inquiry wherc n() ()re klrowl
in advancc wlrt:rc thc discotrrsc rniry g() carr brl corrfusirrll, frrrstrutirrg, cvr'fl
thrcatcnirrg firr sonrc sturlclrts. l)on't be tliscour:r13,rl!'l'lrr.r.c is p[r'rrty rd
cvirlt'ltt't'ol'sttcr'.css onr'r,$llr(l('nl$ c()nr(' to lt.r. llt.rt rlrir "y',;rrrrr'" ir vt,ry rlif*
It'f't'llt.'l'ltt'irriti.ll ft'liul,urd'r'tilr.ll\;tt tltt'! rnnt(,t{}.rrr tlt.tl lr'lr lullt' tyi tltcrlf
I

The beginning of the p4c Hawaii classroom experience is seating everyonc in a circle. For this first and most, if not every subsequent session forp4c time, the class, including teacher, sit in a circle. For many this may betlrcir 6rst experience in such a configuration. The importance of the circle
f.irnnot be overemphasized! In a circleo each parficipate is able to see eachorhcr, to make eye contact with each other, to see directly the impact on eachufhcr of what is being said or done. The circle creates the possibilities for
Irrore intimate engagement and commitment, vulnerability and trust. Parricipants are better able to hear what others are saying and also to set how
t lrey are saying it; in other words, the facial expressions and mannerisms ofrhrxe who are speaking. The circle also facilitates seeing the impact on eachof hcr of the interaction. What is the impact of acceptance or reiection? Of
lrrreful listening as opposed to indifference?
Your first activity togetheq an experience central to every beginning p4c()rnmunity
in Hawaii (K-University) is thc making of a Community Ballr(r:ll), The CB will become a moving source of focus and energy that facili'r,rtes weaving together the voices that will contribute to each inquiry thrrt
rrrrlolds in all rhe sessions to follow. Here are the materials you'll need torrurkc your first CB: (1) an empty cardboard paper towel core, (2), a skein rrf
ruulticolored yarn, (3) one zip-tie, (4) scissors.
I lcre is the procedure:(l) Place the zip-tie through the center of the paper towel core- 'l'hc
teacher begins wrapping the yarn around the paper towel core whilc
the student next to him/her feeds the yarn from the skein. As thc
tcacher is wrapping, he/she is responding to the questions she has
prepared for this first session. These questions can be anything the*Whatis yourteacher thinks will draw out the children, such as,
favnrite food {or music)?' or "What do you like best about school?"
The obiective is to select questions that will be easS yet engaging,drawing out each student in some degree. Whcn the teacher finishes
spcaking, he/she passes the cardboard to the student beside httr, wltp
$cgins to wrep and respond to the questions as the teachcr titkcs ttvrr
fccding the yarn. This process-one pcrson wrapping attcl s;rcrtkittli'
and hil neighbor feeding the yarn--conrinucs until nll hilvc h,rcl t6c(,pportunity to speak to the question, This activity cr(:iltur it sttlsr nllltystery and excitemcnt and often thc beginnings <tf ilttitttrtcy its riltt
dcnls slrirrt sotuc surprising responscs to thc qucstiotts.
(J) Whrrr lilrishetl wrnppirtg, hgld onf<; thc zip-tic whilc prrllirlli tlte ylrrt
off thc r rrrt'.

r{l'},{l{t\frt,ft|("i) '/,i1t-tit' tttttst r(rntilin

irt tlrr ecutrr nl thr y,u rr ,,,r1.
(4) Loop itrttl fitstcn the zill-tit:r pulling ir us t rglrr ,th pnssihle ,, lprurirrp
bagcl shape from thc yarn.
(5) Cut through the yarn at the outcr cdgc, crcating your ()wp porn*p(lCB!

Therc is oftcn delight whcn thc CB emergcs as the end result of t1

efforts .

Once the group has made the ball, the teacher presenrs rwo rules:t
the person with the ball is the speaker of the momenr. Thar pcrsotr, whfinished, may pass the ball to whomever he or shc wishcs . (21 Ii one recciv
thc ball, one always hlt the right to pass. In a beginning communiry, rl
tcachcr, of coursc, has thc right and responsibility t,rlnt*rvcne, even withg
thc CB, if circumstance requires.
This activity anticipates many of thc features that will be cenrral ro r
community. First, cveryonc is scatcd in a circlc. (\Wc'vc donc this with u
to 40 high school studcnts in thc circlc.) Secondo cach person has thc g
portunity to spcak, allowing everyone in the circlc to hcar evcry other voi
in thc circle rcsponding to questions that invirc an casily acc.rribl* respor
tt cach participan! including the teachcr. Third, upon complctign, r
CB bccomes a symbol of a powerful symbolic shifr in thc circle regardir
the authorization of the righr to speak.
This activity has proven effecdve with groups frorn kindergaffen rhrsul
univcrsity, and in placcs as diverse as China, Japan, Brazil, Ausrria, *t

1,1 llrr"n!'l

t

!,

id

..r"1ritivt, ttl thr. 1tl1tr,,*l,r ul lltt'crXlulturtity: tlrlrt iso l(l liilY, ttt r {}ltrlttr t .t 1l"lt

lrrrlttiry.

trillirr 2: p4c Inquiry
l'lrc iclca of Inquiry covers a large territory. Thcrc arc diffcrcrrt disciplilrt',,pccific forms of inquiry such as mathematical, scientitic, historical, psy,ir.rlogical, and philosophical, each with its own critcria. A p4c llawai'i
philosophical inquiry has the following five charactcristicsr(l ) The souice of the inquiry-Whenever possiblc, thc inquiry :trisc'',,,,, ,rf the questions and interests of the community, tregins whcrtt lht cottt'
trrrrnity is in its understanding, and moves in directions that thc crxunttrtrily
irrtlicatcs. A salient feature of p4c inquiry is its sensitivity to thc iltlrrt'sls;rn(l questions of the community, their thoughts, and whcrc_thc'y take thrt,,pic. ln an intellectually safe community, even very yotltlg childrcn gcnt'r()rrt'.rrc sophisticated lines of inquiry from deceptivcly sin4rlc begirrnirrgs.
liirrdcrgartner, in response to the question, "lWhat d<l yort wgrtdcr ahrttll",,,,**.i"d, 'The ottter nighq while I was gazirrg at thc stars' I wottdt'rcrl

wlrt:thcr anything came beforc space.' In thc cliscrtssiott that cnsttctl, llrr

I-Iaving complcted thc making of a CB, which can rake morc than on(, rlsq
riod, an cil116 vitall ct>nccpr to introducc and cxplorc rogcrher with the.,i,rm
tlrttrriry is rhat tlf "ltltcllcctual Safcty": Allparticipants in the comrnwnttystf*
frrc ttt osk uirtually any questien (,r state any uiiw sa long ds respect 1rr, *ii
is bonrtr(d.lt is ittrportetnt to sharc this statemcnt with if,r community i*rlHr itPpr()prilrtc ways arrd to discuss together bchaviors thar c<lnrributc ttll
itrtd dctritct ltrtlttt intcllcctual safcty in the community. The prescnce or lore*
tlf safcry is tlttc critcrion of a "succcssful" session that is discusscd latc.r ifi,lrildren's exploration rangcd fronr dinrxilllni to (kil. Othcr iltr;ltiri*rlr.rvc cxplori such topics as "Could therc bc ll grt.il1cst nutttlrcr?" (.lrtl;Vlh"t consrirutes a right?" and *Whnt is thc purposc of rililrtrl"
lrrrdc);(t'tlti'i,t.t gi"a"h and "Sfhat is more important*fricncls, iitlltc, or ftlrtttrtcl"
thr:tlt
frorttrtr,r.li). Once children realize that the topics cittt ittdccd contc,it,.l lre pursued along lines they are intercstcd itt, tltt tprrrlitg crcativity, irrtrl
rnsight in their thinking is truly astounding.
'ithat"a wide variety of possible sourccs, pccitsigns, ancl trlpics lor
ohow to" fttr tinding ir ropic rtrttl"r"rrrrluiry. Plain Vanilla is one sttategy or*Plain Vanilla' was inspirctl hy
rlr.:n giving shape to an inquiry. The namefor inquiry, so l(tr)r ht. idia that ;ust as there are a variety of possible triggcrs*Varicty,' ls tltcy,rrt: thcre a variety of ice creams, vanilla being only onc.
,r;ry, "is the spice of life!' There are lots of ways to bcgin an inquiry! A I'lirirr
Virnilla sequence proceeds as follows:

crcating and maintaining intellectual safety alrows for thoughts t. bg

Read-The community reads a paragraph or tw(), an episodc', il t'ltltl)l(.t',Kcnya.

this chaptcr.

cxpressed that might nor be exprcssed otherwise. ..Raw rh'ughis"; t*rrir,

tive, not yet formcd thoughts; *spontaneous cloquence" all 6eco'rc;r***isible, in an inrellectually safc communiry. Intellectual safery does No'r''iurrn jparticipants are simply being "nice" and *polite' with cach othcr. lrrtcl^,
lectual safety makes possible intellectual .ourag" (to speak onc's irrrrhcqti$,
thoughts). Speaking one's authentic thoughts then brings wirh ir rhc inrclh*L-utual responsibility to clarify, to ask for and givc ,*ur.rus firr wfiar gpc ri;r],*,(see "G'od Thinker's Toolkir secrion bclow.)
Thc intcntion in creating and maintilining this intcllccru;rlly srrlt- f.()pt,unlunity is trl prtlviclc: a fotlnclatit>lral contcxt firr in(luirirrli irrrr,,r,irl rrclrit*virrg
il tlt't Pt'r ttlltlt'rst;rrttlirrg tlf t1u('st ion,s iutrl lrllrir'-, ilr,rt ,,,'ir,. 911 1;l lrrttl ,*rii

or a whole story. Alternatively, the community could look at a pititrlittf,,
watch a video, read a poern, listen to a piccc of music, or sclcct rl l(tlllt
from a "wonder box" into which qucstions havc lrcen placcd.
eucstisn-fach member of the community is askcd to posc tl tlttcsl iutt()r comment based on the reading or other option mcnti()ncd '*llx tvt'.
'fhese questions are then posted for all to sec. (Optional: each pcrs(tllalso writes his or her narne next to his or her question or c()mlncllt.)
Votc*Thc community votes for the qucstion or couuncnt thcy wtlttld lil'it'
to irtqrtirc into first.

lrrquirc**'l'[t. ('( ]nlnlunity inquircs into the qucsf i()tr sclccted' ttsirlpi\)fl{AI l'l;t (lr"*rrrr thc "ftxrlkit).

I().1 'l'lt, rnrttr f.lr"li,tult(2) Co-inquiry*lrr 1l4c irtrltriry., n() {ulr-., nul {'vrrr tlrt' tr*.rr. llt't"., Lttuwr *thcr "thc" answcr to thc qucstion (if rhc itttlnu)' lt,'l',rrrn lvillr ;r rlttt'stirttt
or where the inquiry will lcad. Any cffrlrt to 1;tridt'iur irrtluiry to rt 1rrt,riff
termincd answcr or outcomc will comprclmisc thc: pr"()r'ess frortt thc strt
A p4c inquiry dcvelops its own intcgrity, its own rnovcnlcnt, going wlr"it" wants or needs to go. At various points it may lrog down and nrrcd s
occasional nudge, but in thc main, the inquiry emcrges from the cr>nfcst. i
p4c inquiry is co-inquiry in thc best sense. The tcacher is an inrportit
but not a privilegcd knower. In such inquiries, the childrcn arc not iuf
quently ahead of the thinking in the community, opening thc inquiry duw'What
someone alrcady "knows" too confidently irt *uncxpccted paths.
vance can interfcre with participation in the unfolding irrquiry.
(3) Thc self-corrective nature of the inquiry-Matthew Lipman, follnw
ing in the pragmatist tradition of the American philosopher Charlcs Sarre.lePcircc, emphasized the centrality of self-correctivc inquiry. In classrtxt
wlrere inquiry has lrecome an csscntial and ongoing activity, comnlurtif
mcmbers will change and develop their thought about a particular t(lFi"Bcfore I thought.. ,, but now I realize that...." becomes an incrqrtl
ingly common commcnt in a maturing inquiry community in thc cour.+ic
a school year.

(a) Inquiry tools (WRAITEC)-p4c inquiry is morc than a convcrsirtirt$or sharing of ideas within a group. It is characterizcd lry an intellcctuitl ri51uf;that certain cognitive tools help facilitate. Thesc seven tools comprisc t"Good 'fhinkcr's Tirolkit." They arc an impclrtant mcans for giving slr*ffi
and dircctir>rr to thc notion that, althclugh we arcn't in a rush to gcf irrlf*
wlrcrc, wc r/o hrrvc an cxpcctation that we will gct somewhere.

I,lltlttitt|tt.ltt,tll|\''tf".\f l/

l r? r1".''tt{{}i' !''l 'r''lil*'lttlltpittr ynlt ;ll't' tlrt' t*';l* llt't'
lrlltcricr. llt l t{r",tlnuu,r, tu tltg strrrlclrts, ll117.,(]ll
A sttrrfi-rrr t1r.1\ 1r lr honlcw(]rk assigtttttettt lilftl. Wlr;tt wtttrlrl ytul tsidcr il g(xxl ruilstlrt and whY?"'lir practicc lAlAssurne Sc tll If . . . then... aIJd ['l'l 'li.tlt:, tn tltr stttrlt'tttl,'Ass4tme children were in chargc of thc worlcl. t/ttris wtlrt'l'['f llttr',
sily,what might happen?

'lir practice [El H,xample & tcl Counterexample, p()rtc thr qrtrsliutt;'*Al"t'all drug, d"ngerous? Can you give an examplc <lf a tlang,cr{}llri drtrl',1 t '.tlt
you give a counterexamPle?"As famifiariry and facility with the various toolkit lettcrs growti, stt ltt{f tltx'r

thc deptlr of questions and the inquiries, both cltrritrtr4 thr F"lr 'l1(*\\r{trl'r
and in other content area s and life beyond the cla.s$rrtotru!

(q) Rcflcct-Using the criteria below, the community trvilltt;ttt's ltuw tltt',r*o,riipp wcnt, bothi|1 terms of community (intellccttutl sltl'(lty., t't'.'") ;lllrl lll
rlyl"|.'I-he following criteria are suggcsted. Thc tcachcr ciltl pr('st'tll lllt"',t'ttr
rlrr.gg)sp prior to i*ginning rhe inquiry cyclc attcl agilitt ltt tllt't'tl+l *l *'.t, ll"1{"rrritltl' T'he criteria rau into two t*i*gt'rics' th'sc clttitlirrg with lt*lv \r{'(lltl,r*, .r c()rnmunity and thosc dealing with thc illqtliry itscll'.
I lqrw did we do as a communitY?
l,istening-\Was I listening to othcrs?

tt\ilttrrrc nf ltt'rs lixtt-ttirrl', t*t tllt-fl)articipitiot-Did most peoplc trrarticipnfr: r;ttltrr tltittt irrtl .r lt'\to wlt*'

dominated?

t Safcty-\ilas it a safe environment?
I low was our inquirY?

'l'h(: (lood 'l"hinkcr's '[ixrl kit (WRAITHC)0lWl ,. Whtt tlo yott/wc lllrlltl by . . .?
ll{I '. Arr ltcrtsorrs bcing offcrcd to support claims?
lAl '= Arc wc irwarc ol and identifying kcy Assumptiorts being nradcl
lll ;; Arc wc Llwarc of lnferences being madc and possibl e lmltlicatiutrs r#
what is bcing said?

lTl = Is what is being said Trne? How could we find out?
[El = Arc Examples bcing given, or is Euidence bcing offcrcd to supp()r.t {trillustrate claims?

Kl = Are therc any Counterexamples to the claim lreing madc]
As soon as pclssible, it is important to introduce mcmlrcrs of thc ct)rnnrrrrrity
to the individual letters of the Toolkit, the importernt skills thcy rcprrst"ut,
and thcir intcrconncctions. Scssions should bcdcvotcd to cach r<xrl urtrl tlrrir

intcrplay. Many tcachcrs havc cach studcnt nrakc his t)wn'lixrll<il for u*#
during scssi<lts. I-lcrc arc a cor.rplc of cxitrrtplcs ol' lrrir('l iu(' lt'ssons tlr;rt ;rfs
klt's nf lturr to rkr!

t Focus-Did we maintain a focus?
r l)cpth-Did our discussions scratch bencath rltt: titlrl;lt't' { tl' }ltt'l t ll ll{

the topic?

t Undcrstanding-Did I increase my undcrstartdilrg of tltt' lupit I

r 'fhinking-Did I challenge my own thinking or work lt;trtl ,tl it I

I lntercst-\fas it intercsting?

r\r r5c end of the session, mcmbers of thc c()nlnlurrity (:rlll ltt',trkt'*l l' llt
rlr.rrtc lly a "thumb-*p, thumb-middlc, or thunr[l-dr)\Mtl," tltt'ir rt'sl](tll"r' l{ |{-,r('lr of thc above criteria.
lrr aclclition ro the abovc criteria, with a nraturirrg c()llllltlrrrity ir in lrrlilrlt'(}lt wltt'tltrt ilt
r{.r,{)lnrncnded to ask each student to writc a writtcrr rctltlctir}lt,rl'lltt- Ill(ltlll'v.
rr.rr lrc cxpcricnced any progress in his own thinking ils tl rr$tllt()vrrllrPlrirry,kilrtl"' illllrt,r(. :trc at lcast three possiblc., diffcrcnt, s()mctinl(:sencountcr witlt lt cillttPlt'x 1ilPtr , t'n'lrr.{rl',r(:ss: (1) crlnrplcxity/confr"rsion: anyr('c{r1ilrizt't'{rttlttr;iutt lll
1,o"r"i,rlly irr t6c ht'iiiruring, can lcad to confusiort"'li),,,,r,n*,li,,,trl r:r.lt-lrr';ttr. nnc's c:ortraf{c fo lrr: wirh tlris t'()tlltttsi{tlt it, "llt itttlx}l'l'llllItlfrI'lt,tttkth,1,1r'A,snlr

I'urtn ul' 1rrnfir{'slll r'ril}ricirrlly itt it scltrxrl {*rit inpt *- rrlt nr r' t lr,rl r.r uvr:t'tvltt'ltttitt
t[xnrt singkr c()rr(:ct lrrtswcrs; (2) conncctiurt nf trit',rsr *rll*-u ill -rn irttlttiry* tt
will hcar pcrspcctivcs not thought of bcfor*, lr*r,lirr11 t u ltt'w !'()llllcctl(ltl$
oncsclf; {3) crncrgencc of an answer: at any poirrt rur illl$wrr; hr)wcvcr tftl
tive, can emerge.
At the end of any givcn session, individual participants may cxpcri*
any or some combination of these forms of progresq depcndirtg on th*'quiry. It is important to stress that individuals can experience very diftri
forrns of progress in any inquiry depending on their starting point witlr t

topic or question.

:

Pillar 3; Reflection
Rcflcction as a pillar of p4c Hawai'i refers not only to thc rcflectiou t
occurs at the end of cach inquiry, as indicated above, but also to reflcmi
on the entire proce$s of p4c, the pillars themselvcs, and the fidelity of t
participants to the values that the pillars represent. One such reflection cr
cerns the role of the teacher/facilitator.
The teacher/facilitator is pivotal to the success of p4c inquiry. In theginning it will be the teacher/facilitator who introduces the idcas bchind s
inquiry. He/she will be responsible for establishing, monitoring, and nl;li
taining the safety within the group. This will include monitoring the prrl
use of the CB and calling on each other and seeing that mcrnbers have arrllnitially,l,*.11.gg|tcr/hcilitatornccdstonrakethecrucialiudgmcntsabout.fhinkcr,sis the one who asks forusing Goodthatat the same time displaying lettersrcasons, exanrples,
highlighdng
andmodeling""alr-"rin""don;at oncercpresent tt p"nirot"'-it"I-t-q*tlU;i;i"'iil";her/facilitator"
tnT#l;*o"r/fac*itatorolh"' comment

would it follow ttrat '-' 'i" o' making 'o*ta maioraefiJ"t" and challenging because+lialogue along. This is'especiafty
thos t"kJoier these skills and.biective is for the .frifar.l * i"iernalize "rrd
try them ouq andlrciraviors. They needili"*tr' oppo"*1*t.* n"tsiulg L9providing th"r" oppo,tunitia it ittt teacher's.responsibility- a- close-r^-^ and seesa giveri.ession to.
tt is the teacher/fa.itir"*o, who brings
long are inquiry sessions?
rr it that the group"n"lo"iioo'-How
more than an hour'"nminuteslofrom 10V/ith kindergaften.friii}" rn"y iastof length'
to be mo'e p'"dictable. in terms
licssions with older tiiiii""'""dof ihe schoor day and curriculum'
r*rt also more subiec;;;-;;;;*" demandsrole is to be pedagogicallyln this kind of rrq"rry, ,l"iea"rr"rlta.itir*rorr
teacher/facilitator should besrrons but
content of the inquiry tolirmly in control|*"al':* the";;;;t;phitosopiiliil#-ff;;* It"*'tt'pi*"J***;.fi 5il:*i;1'l'$;i::lgii:.'{l!i$:1;i1;:$i',#itrf tor'iUl.itJ"i'r."*greater responsibility
ultimatlly

opportunity to speak as well as permission to remain silent. With youn
grades, frlr cxample, onc problcm that often appcars initially is that lrtrp
only call on boys, girls call <ln girlso or close friends call on each othcr.
lrt n bcginning conlnrunity, thc teachcrlfacilitator conducts the lesst
tltirt irrvolvc ntak iug thc 'lixrlkit and follow-up lessons that focus on er Fit
tirtrliu" trxrl" l;nr nrosf studcrtrs and many tcachcrs, "inferencc' and *tt
rirunlllitlrr" nr$ littlt lu()rc tharr vtrcabulary words. Thc group needs to sprtirrrt'trrr rL'vrJkrlling tlrepcr undcrstanding of what thcse terms mean. Sirnl,rr'ly, wlurt ntukrs a rcfis()n a good rcason, how counterexamples functin
it rrd how orre rnight go about finding out whether a given claim or statertu

assumesince ir is asking

forthesuccesstt,tt"-*ti""t't"dee$'itcannoto"cot-ithouttheiractive'

willing acceptance of this responsibility'.
in creating this more active parA strategy'n., *"lru"-iJ"na effective
playful*t l"u "Magic words'" fhese wordsofare
ticipadon is theasession'sloiv or disrupt the flow*.slrorthand, fo, .i*iio", it"r """
one-Person at a Time-" In a
I lcrc are r"*of turn' even with"*"ilrlr,"";&;Ar:tlerase" thereis a strong t"*pt"tioi to speak 9ut
livcly session
CB hasiodi""* thai this function of theprotocol
rhc presence of tn. Cil iOfrinf
pOreAf is uttered' thell:cn forgotte" Uy tiJt"**""1'y' Vl'""for thet9 b-eqin again only when respect
rs for cveryon" ,oteacherlfacilitator
ilIr[."" ?"rr*"a. nl* ,iI role of therlcsignated ,p""trule infringes on
this",observingnotit * ,or.. N"r. thar
*GOS-Goingr{} vigilantlyOff
isuse;;;;

is rruc nlay bc ilreas where understanditrg is currently quite shallow. In citrl
scssions the tcacher should call attentioil to uses of the various tools lrrt

cncourage their use.
It is the teacher/facilitrtor, especially in the beginnirg, who scts thc pitm
for the group. "Not being in a rush' depends on a teachcr bcing sufficicrrtll
comfortable with silence and 'wait time' beyond what is typical in nxrgf
classrooms. It requires a teacher/facilitator whose ovr'n scnse of wondcr is stitti
alive and who is keenly interested in what the authcntic thoughts of thc curr+i
munity are on a given topic; one who is comfortablc with unccrtainty, ruq;
eager to push for closurc but willing to allow an inquiry to rn()vr wlrcrc "it*land the community seem to want to take it. He/she nrusr bc willing to ri*hJ
not knowing the answer, to indecd lrc a co-illquircr in tlrc tlur:st lirr inr iurswm{

intoassists in weaving threads of conversationo' h"' other thoughts about the
tlialogue, asking who agrees or disagrees"lf what Tanya said is true'
ropic at hand, offering;?;;t;;;*:pL' "tni"gto nudge the"'fiilitil;;iI"rrtor."rhc lntellecrual Safety on *6. sessio"'en"ttt"it*"tptihrtricct!"GOsindicatesthatthep""o"o'houtt"t-"ditsensesthatinquiry
u-d* at this point
ffi.i" Jor*?*"r. Th" "o**.rntty
Ir.s moved
to the"r"yto .orrriio" utirtt ,tt GOS or-returnIr) scc if it agrees
indicatesLM.
"rd;il;;Gni"i *"r.pf" ig "LMO-iet's Move On!' in our session
rr ir ir l question. A
downboggedwe'reurnr.. tharrlurt thc person d;'il;;-i,votes to see if they
Again, rfr.
;;";-i;;"rd.
toi'r(l it,s rime""*tni"ityor quesit moves on' perhaps to a n€w topic.tl',rc{i. lf thc nrai<J'yword'"g'"""'.
pos'e'sion of the CB to say a magic
tiotr' Nott thitt tuto 'i"ino'-b" inr

As tlrc colttlttttrtity $,r()ws iurd urirlrrrcr il wrll rrtrvc lrorrr lxliirrrun!,, l(!
cmcrging, whcrc thc othcr rtrcttrbcrs of thc {r)nlnlurrly irrrt,rrurlizc rlrt. prtr'
tocols' call on each other, and spontancously lxgirr ro ust. llrc'lixrlkit lt:itrrl
and so on' Finallp in a mature communitg thc tcirehcr/fircilitator will lrr $coeq ua I facilitator/pa rtic ipanr.

l.ittle p Activity rclcrs t() thc fact that wc d<xr't pirssivcly actptirc this cutr
tcnt but cngagc it ahnost from the beginning. Arising froru our ittrtitte
scnse of wonder, with the acquisition of language questions stxxr itrise
naturally with the persistent "But why?'rJ0c are thusly born philosophical, eager to wonder, engage, questioo,

Pillar 4: Philosophy

In my experiencc, for a variery of complex reasons, many educat,r.r unS
parents I've met in my work around the world have a neutral to negativ(r fg*
sponse to the word Philosophy, particularly when conncctcd with chil{rcn*Thcy see philosophy as something rather esoreric, removed from cvcryd*$cxpcricnce and concerns, difficult to understand, perhaps not evcn suitrrlr$
for children. As a result, in working with teachers and parcnts in re.ccrtg
ycars I have fnund it uscful ro clarify philosophy and its connection with1
childrcn in thc following way: first, if it's a "live" audicncc, I like ro a1;kthosc present werc ar some point in their life a child. This is met wirh snrildof acknowledgment and raised hands. Next, I ask how many stillthink rhep
have something of the child within them. Thc response is the same. I rrcr#
ask them how many wonder abour rhings. I then point out thar a phikrr4+i
pher well known to some of them-Plato-pointcd out long ago rhat ph$i
losophg wharcver else ir is, begins in twonder! To elaboratc, I then playfull$suggest that philosophy, whatcver else it is, first, involvcs both content and,Activity; and second, that philosophy comes in two ..varierics.: Big p rurd
little p, each of which has both contenr and Activity. It is Big p contcnt nn*
Activity that Inost people tend to associate with philosophy.
BiS P Content includes Philosophers likc Socrarcs, Arisrotle, Kant, Wirtu
gcnstcin, Nagarjuna, Sanrkara, Cclnfucius, Lao-uu, Ibn Sipa, etc.; Ar;enilr
such as Mctaphysics, F.pisternolog6 H,thics; and Schools, Movcncntfrx
and Worldvicws such as Daoism, Ernpiricism, Feminisffi, Phcnomr.rrpfr*
ogy, Hermcncutics, etc.
BiS P Activity refers primarily to professionals rcaching, studying, rcading*i
writing, publislring, and presenting their work at confcrcnces bascd {fft'thc aforemenrioned contenr.
Little p Content refers to thc set of belicfs wc bcgin ro acquirc at birrh rlr*p
continue to inform our experience, bccomirrg thc framcwork wirh wlriuh
we tnake sensc of our world. To the extent that wc have belicfs, wc hitu#
a philosophy. 'We are social beings from thc bcginning, and rhc firrrrily I
and culture which mcets and greets us makcs possiblc our growth irrrgi
the human community. 'We are, however, not passivc in this cllcosrrt$q
as anyone with young children knows. Thc youngcr we arc, rhc ntors
pcrsistcnt are the "But why's?" that grcet our adult rcsp{)pscs r() rlrcnl
in our cfforts to answcr thcir increasingly dccp qucstions. A collcrrpuu
pointcd out to me reccntly in conncctiorr with hcr grapclchilcl rlrat *A iy()urrg child can takc y()u vcry dccp, vcry r}rickly!".

lcarn from and challenge the world around us. It is this child-like encrgy
that p4c taps into and is the primary sourc€ of its joy for parents, teachcrs,
rurd students. Perhaps one of the most important *lessons" of rediscovcrittll
onc's own "little p" philosophical capacity is, in an €ncountcr with txtc's
own child or students, to resist the temptation to imrnediately answer thcir
questions, but rather to see it as an invitation to an inquiry and resportdby asking first "\U7hat do you think?" Children and students, sensing yourgenuine interest, soon jump at the occasion!
In the practice of p4c Hawai'i, the center of gravity is on little p phikrso"
phy. That is, the emphasis is on the beliefs, questions, and topics that ariscfrom the students themselves (Inquiry, First Characteristic). Philosophicrrl
activity then grows from these initial beliefs and questions in the ftrrnt o[inquiry as has been outlined above. They are co-inquiries, self-corrcctive,
informed by the active use of the Good Thinker's Toolkit. Teachcrs srxrn
arc applying the Plain Vanilla structure to a wide range of contcnt nnrl
subject areas. This has been particularly important in teachers being rrble
ro practice philosophy in their middle and high school classrooms. Phi
k>sophy is no longer an oextra.' It is now seen primarily as an activity,
a particularly effective way of engaging any content that prescnts itsclf"
Sccn and practiced this way as little p, it does not require prior expcricnr:tr
with Big P. (This, of course, is in no way to diminish the importattcc ttf
llig P in its own right and as a resource to be drawn upon if desired.) Phikrsophy com€s to be seen, when applied in a classroom context as I havc
cndcavored to present in this chapter, as what we are now referring t() ir$
rr *philosopher's pedagogp' Perhaps most satisfying of all is that whcrt
this pedagogy is applied to oneself, it leads to what Socrates called *'thc
r:xirmined life."
I hope, as a result of reading this, you will be inspired to give p4c I try.
'l'hciourney of p4c will have its ups and downs. It is most challenging if yorr
theonly one at your school doing p4c. It is imperative that you hitvt
irrc
support all along the way if possible. The more teachers and grade lcvrls
rhrt are involved, the better it is. In Hawai'i we have rwo model schrxtls.
t0flaikiki Elementary School, where we've been working tor tZ years, hitr
:rlrrrost 100 percent participation. This means that after kindergarten, you
hirvc students who "know the routine.o At Kailua High School, wherc wt
Iravc becn working for 8 years, whole departments are embracing thc phi"
Iosophcr's pedagogy, buoyed up by students who also embrace the approat:hrrrrd actively participate in making it work. This book contains lots of sug1gt'stions from krts of good people who will no doubt be willing to help you
il you ask!