Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Curriculum and Social Inquiry

PDF

Portland State University

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Education

Toward A Critical Philosophy For Children, James Funston Jun 2017

Toward A Critical Philosophy For Children, James Funston

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

I explore the role of Philosophy for Children (P4C) and critical pedagogy in pre-college education--what is the purpose of engaging with children on philosophical questions and how ought teachers ask such questions? This paper examines the current and past approaches of P4C through the work Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, and attempts to situate P4C within the framework of critical pedagogy, resulting in a synthesis I call "critical P4C." Implementing critical P4C has the capacity to create communities of inquiry around questions of agency and freedom that are central to critical pedagogy. Critical P4C offers strategies for engaging students in discussions …