About 'Philosophy in Schools'

Decades of research in 'Philosophy with Children' (PwC) pedagogy reveal the importance of collective, critical enquiry for nurturing both a child's wellbeing and skills in logical and empathetic reasoning. By facilitating opportunities for children to work together through some of the thorniest ethical and philosophical issues of today, we can help them navigate the realities of what is a rapidly changing world.

The primary-level strand of The Critical Civility Project, launched in January 2024, aims to explore the potential role philosophical discussion can play in enhancing key parts of the curriculum, including Personal Development and Mutual Understanding, Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities, and Communication.

The child-centred, enquiry-led approach of the Project stresses the role of the teacher as facilitating dialogue, rather than imparting knowledge 'top-down'. Here, structured discussion, opened up by practices of Socratic questioning, are used to encourage children to gain confidence in sharing their own voice and perspective. At the same time, they will work collaboratively through problems with classmates of differing views, thereby offering opportunities to practice empathy, independence of thought, and mutual understanding. 

What We Did

From January-March 2024, The Critical Civility Project delivered a six-week pilot consisting of weekly one-hour long sessions to ten KS2 primary classes across Northern Ireland. Sessions included both warm-up activities in addition to structured enquiries, organised by themes such as friendship, tolerance, trust, and understanding difference. This was followed by both all-school teacher training and curriculum development support with participating schools. Results of the pilot are currently being prepared for publication.

What We Offer

We are currently looking for opportunities to expand the project further, and so welcome expressions of interest from new schools curious about adding philosophy to their curriculum.

Please get in touch (suzanne.whitten@qub.ac.uk) if you would like to discuss any of the following opportunities:

• One-off or block weekly sessions, facilitated by a trained 'Philosophy with Children' educator. 
• Advice on how to integrate philosophical teaching into the existing curriculum. 
• Advice on introducing philosophy as a Shared Education activity with partner schools.