p4c Hawai’i Kailua Complex Conference
Common Sessions #1 and #2
Common Session #1: Why (and how to) make a community ball? (p4c Hawai‘i facilitators)
One of the signature techniques incorporated into p4c Hawai’i classrooms is the creation of a“community ball” (Jackson, 2001, p. 461). The process of creating the community ball with students
goes far beyond establishing a “talking stick;” the purpose lies in its ability to provide students with asense of place and purpose that supports further classroom inquiry where the learning and discovery
expands far beyond the content of the text. This session aims to provide teachers with the purpose ofthe activity, as well as the mechanics in actually making a community ball.
Common Session #2: A “Plain Vanilla” Inquiry (p4c Hawai‘i facilitators)
In order to engage a classroom in philosophical inquiry, students and teachers need a structure that
supports wonderment and the activity of philosophy in the classroom. In a “Plain Vanilla” students
generate questions, vote on the question they collaboratively want to inquire into, call on each other(no longer relying on the teacher to carry out this responsibility), and use a set of assessment criteria tojudge the progress of their classroom community and inquiry. Plain Vanilla inquiries rely on the“questions and interests of the children and move in the direction that the children indicate” (Jackson,2001, p. 462). Providing this type of structure in the classroom, the students’ sense of wonder is valued
and incorporated into each inquiry, which adds relevance, meaning, and rigor to the learning process.
“Menu” for the Breakout Sessions
Topic #1: Intellectual Safety: What is it? Why is it important? How do I foster an intellectuallysafe community in the classroom? (Clint Medieros and Kiki Bush)
In order for philosophy and inquiry to become part of the students’ experience, it is imperative that theclassroom be “intellectually safe.” Although the idea of safety is not unique to p4c Hawai‘i, the addedemphasis on explicitly creating safe and caring communities of inquiry is primary and essential to itspractice. This session aims to define intellectual safety, inquire into its importance, and provide
activities to promote building an intellectually safe classroom community.
Topic #2: Introducing the Good Thinker’s Toolkit to elementary school students. (Dr. BenLukey)
The development of specific tools and evaluative criteria is also important in assisting the students todevelop habits of rigorous inquiry within an intellectually safe community. In order to learn, identify,
and evaluate the type of thinking needed to move an inquiry to an intellectually deep level or to“scratch beneath the surface,” the students are explicitly taught and given multiple opportunities topractice the seven cognitive components of the “Good Thinker’s Toolkit” (Jackson, 2001, pg. 463).
This session will provide elementary school teachers with some activities to bring the Good Thinker’s
Toolkit into their practice.
Topic #3: Introducing the Good Thinker’s Toolkit to secondary students. (Jake Nichols and AlyIha)
The development of specific tools and evaluative criteria is also important in assisting the students todevelop habits of rigorous inquiry within an intellectually safe community. In order to learn, identify,and evaluate the type of thinking needed to move an inquiry to an intellectually deep level or to“scratch beneath the surface,” the students are explicitly taught and given multiple opportunities topractice the seven cognitive components of the “Good Thinker’s Toolkit” (Jackson, 2001, pg. 463).
This session will provide secondary teachers with some activities to bring the Good Thinker’s Toolkit
into their practice.

p4c Hawai’i Kailua Complex Conference“Menu” for the Breakout Sessions
Topic #4: Rethinking our relationship with content: utilizing student’s philosophical questions
in reading, discussion, and writing. (Dr. Chad Miller and Jelly Grimble)
The focus on engaging students in classroom inquiry distinguishes p4c Hawai‘i from typicalapproaches to teaching content in schools. The intention of our content and materials should engage
students in meaningful inquiry and in the examination of beliefs, experiences, assumptions, and ideas.
This session aims to provide participants with ideas and examples of how to bring inquiry andphilosophy into a variety of core classroom activities.
Topic #5: The Necessity of Meaningful Reflection: Assessing for intellectual, emotional, andsocial growth. (Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau)
p4c Hawai‘i asserts that contemporary measures for classroom assessment must also account for theintellectual growth or philosophical progression that students experience while engaged in the processof learning. But how can we assess this? How can we assess thinking? This session provides a
background on the importance of reflection in our classrooms and gives participants some tools to aid
in the evaluation of our students’ intellectual, emotional, and social growth.
Topic #6: Incorporating the four pillars of p4c Hawai‘i into my classroom. (Jason Sahara, Kelley
Espinda, and Heidi Unten)
This session is geared towards teachers whose content areas lie outside of language arts and socialstudies, but would like to gain ideas on how to incorporate the four pillars of p4c Hawai‘i (community,inquiry, philosophy, and reflection) into their classroom. Specific examples will be shared to show its
implementation in several courses and an inquiry to follow will provide time for participants todevelop ways to incorporate p4c Hawai‘i into their practice.
Topic #7: Supporting students with special needs through the use of p4c Hawai‘i. (Katie Berger,Alder Olive, Aloha Silva, and Brett McHenry)
Seasoned p4c Hawai‘i facilitators will share activities and stories on the role p4c Hawai‘i has played insupporting their work with students with special needs. Specific examples will be shared to show its
implementation in several courses and an inquiry to follow will provide time for participants todevelop ways to incorporate p4c Hawai‘i into their practice.
Topic #8: p4c Sendai, Japan: What they have learned from the KHS complex and what we canlearn from them. (Cheriesse Shiroma, Kehau Agena, and Noeme Risner)
For the past several years, the Uehiro Foundation has sponsored educator exchanges that bring teachers
from Japan to Hawai‘i and teachers from Hawai‘i to Japan with the aim of promoting theimplementation of p4c Hawai‘i in Japanese schools. Since 2012, the explosion of p4c in Sendai can bedirectly connected to p4c’s growth in the KHS complex. This session reflects on what those educators
have learned from us and explores what we can learn from them, in order to continue to evolve p4cHawai‘i as a highly effective pedagogy.