Background and Objectives:One of the most suitable methods whose main purposes is to teach problem-solving skills is Philosophy is for children. The interest in teaching thinking skills dates back to ...the late 1960s, when Professor Lippmann was teaching philosophy at Columbia University (New York) and realized that his students lacked the power of judgment and clear reasoning. After a while, he realized that it was too late to strengthen the thinking power of these students. Strengthening these abilities should have been done in their childhood. In other words, when these students were in childhood and adolescence, they had to start a series of special courses in critical thinking or problem solving or any other skill related to formal and non-formal logic. Different educational content can be provided to learners with various tools from books and lectures to the Internet or even computers. Given the importance of philosophical content for children and considering the capacity of new technologies such as multimedia and metamedia, it is possible to use them to provide effective and continuous learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of multimedia of philosophy for children on K-6 students’ problem solving in Javanroud town. Method and Materials: To attain this aim, researchers used quasi pre-test and post-test experimental method with experimental and control groups. The statistical population included all the sixth grade elementary school students in Javanroud town studying in academic year of 2016-2017. Sixty students were selected through randomized cluster sampling to represent the experimental group (30 students) and control group (30 students). The instruments used in this study was Heppner's problem solving. Both groups were given a pretest, and at the end of the course a posttest was administered. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics including covariance analysis. Findings:The findings showed that multimedia of philosophy for children is effective on improving the assertiveness. Conclusion: Other researchers are advised to study the effectiveness of teaching philosophy to children in the context of technology on other important variables in education. It is also suggested that similar research be conducted in other educational levels. The most important limitations of the present study were the limited statistical population to sixth grade elementary school students. Also, the mere use of questionnaires and not using other methods of data collection such as observation and interviews are other limitations of this study.
The article is devoted to the world-famous program for the development of thinking skills "Philosophy for Children" by Matthew Lipman, which was formed in the early 1970s. The program is outstanding ...in that it develops three types of thinking – critical, creative and caring. The article gives a brief overview of the history of the program and its formation. In particular, the article notes that Matthew Lipman, as a professor at Columbia University, realized that students are not able to formulate their own judgments and ask questions. He saw the root of the problem in school education, which does not develop the skills of critical thinking. According to Lipman, logic is at the heart of the program which teaches these skills. He saw introducing the study of logic in the school curriculum as his task. To make it effective and interesting, Lipman wrote the philosophical novel Harry Stottlemeier’s Discovery, which was build around the exploration of Aristotle's logic. The success of an educational experiment with reading this novel at a school in Montclair (USA) in 1970 over a period of six months inspired Lipman to continue writing texts for children of all ages and to develop manuals for teachers. Lipman's educational project began to bring together fellow educators, the first of whom was Anne-Margaret Sharp. Together with her, in 1974 Lipman founded the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC). The article notes which scientists (philosophers, psychologists, linguists) influenced the formation of Lipman's theoretical views.
The second part of the article describes the step-by-step plan of the lessons and explains in detail the importance of each of its elements. Emphasis is placed on the role of the facilitator and the qualities he should possess. The context of positioning critical thinking in contemporary education in Ukraine is also analyzed.
Research purpose:The current study made an attempt to examine the effectiveness technology-enhanced program of philosophy for children on happiness and rumination thoughts of Orphaned and abused girl ...children. Methods: The design of this research was a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test with an experimental and control group. They were selected by available means and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent 8 sessions of philosophy program training for children with enrichment of digital technologies and the control group did not receive this training. To collect and measure the data of this study,was used the rumination questionnaire (Nolen Hooksma and Moro) and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Argyle and Lou) were used. To analyze the data, analysis of covariance .Findings: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of rumination and happiness of the two groups in the post-test, assuming that the pre-test variable was included (P <0.001); That is, according to the evaluation of children, the two experimental and control groups were different in the variables of rumination and happiness in the post-test stage. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the employment of technology-enhanced program of philosophy for children can make a contribution to reducing rumination thoughts and improving happiness of orphaned and abused children.
Environmental Ethics Education has in recent years emerged as a critical tool for wildlife conservation research. Despite this, Environmental Ethics Education is paradoxically predominated by ...traditional forms of western science such as the concept of the Anthropocene which appears to exclude aspects of African life-worlds where the natural environment is considered a heritage component and is linked to onto-ethical understandings of human existence. The purpose of this study is to explore how African heritage-based knowledges and practices are understood by children who identify and understand the relevance of their totems and taboos associated with them, in relation to wildlife conservation. The study from which this paper is derived utilised formative interventionist methodology complemented by a multi-voiced decolonial approach to explore whether children-participants aged 8 to 11 years understand the purposes of their totems and associated taboos. To achieve this I used an Afrophilic Philosophy for Children pedagogical approach, which foregrounds dialogical learning and development of critical reflexive thinking skills. Emerging findings indicated that children associated their totems and connected taboos as tools for protection against environmental pollution and for minimising resource over-extraction. Findings further demonstrated improved learner agency and development of ethical reasoning among children. As participants’ respect for environmental conservation and sustainability was informed by the significance placed on their totems, I recommend the need for schools to develop generativecurricula that take seriously context-based solutions to environmental problems. Future research should also consider understanding environmental conservation issues from a context-based perspective, which can inform existing heritage practices and pedagogies.Keywords: Environmental Ethics Education, Afrophilic Philosophy for Children, ethical reasoning, heritage-knowledges
Story has a very critical role in the formation of critical thinking skills. The purpose of the prison research is to explore the potential benefits of normal stories in the formation and promotion ...of critical thinking skills in children. The present research has utilized content analysis method to explore the extent and components of critical thinking skills in the view of Richard Paul in stories authored for children at the age range of “C” (10-12 years) all of which were published during 1961 -2006 and listed as appropriate books in the Council of Children’s Books. The results indicate that the components of implications and consequences, information, data, evidence, experience, purpose, moral reasoning capabilities are in a better position than other components. The weakest components are assumptions, confidence in thinking, opinions and inferences, and interpretations. Also, most of the successive growth of stories in terms of critical thinking components has occurred in the late works and in the eighties, regardless of the cross-sectional growth of the forties.
This study examines the effects of teaching philosophy for children (P4C) on the development of non-cognitive skills among students. Although the main focus of modern schooling is on attainment, ...non-cognitive skills and attitudes are still within the scope of modern education. The Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia introduced a new policy to teach critical thinking and philosophy in its public schools in 2017. Although the effects of teaching philosophy on cognitive skills have been well-researched, fewer studies have studied the effects the teaching philosophy has on non-cognitive skills. The current study is the first to explore this issue in the Saudi educational context. This paper presents findings from a quasi-experiential design using 28 students in a Saudi elementary public school. An experimental group of sixth-graders participated in Philosophy for Children (P4C) sessions for 3 months, while the other group of sixth-graders did not receive any philosophy-related training. To collect data, the researchers used a survey designed for non-cognitive outcomes. The results show that the P4C group ranked higher in measures of communication, sociability, self-confidence, determination, willingness to try new things, happiness, and solving problems. On the other hand, the results show that the P4C group lagged behind in terms of empathy, democracy, and diversity compared to the experimental group. However, the differences are minor, and the sample is small. Nonetheless, the results are promising in indicating that P4C can improve students’ non-cognitive skills.
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This study investigates the development of positive school culture and climate at a mid-sized public elementary school in urban Oahu, Hawai’i, over fifteen years. Researchers ask: what key people, ...initiatives, and programs positively impacted the school culture and climate at Waikiki Elementary School? Qualitative methods are applied to design and carry out a portrait study, which included interviewing 22 members of the school community. Analysis of the data reveals how one particular school initiative—philosophy for children Hawai’i (p4cHI)—had a positive impact. p4cHI helped create a school culture and climate characterised by intellectual safety, learner-centred inquiry, integration of experience, and a reputation to be proud of. While no one school community is the same, this study sheds light on the factors that might help cultivate and nurture a more positive elementary school culture and climate in other contexts.
The article reveals the Ukrainian experience of the transition from an exclusive to a democratic model of the implementation of the right to philosophical education. While the first model provides ...limited access to philosophy in the interests of the ruling state-party groups, in the second one, citizens are guaranteed an equal right to study philosophy as potential subjects of philosophizing. The coverage of this transition is conducted in the light of research and recommendations of UNESCO and relevant international experience. The current state of Ukrainian philosophical education is analyzed and evaluated. Existing obstacles in ensuring equal access to philosophy are identified and, accordingly, conceptual guidelines for the formation of a democratic model of the implementation of the right to philosophical education in contemporary Ukraine are determined.
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The paper reports on a case study addressing the question of how young children think about the living/non-living distinction before and after their engagement in a 'Philosophy for Children'-inspired ...learning environment. The aim of the learning environment was to help children come up with a better identification of living and non-living things by grasping certain biological functions as the main identification criteria. Our participants were 15, conveniently selected, 4-5 years old pupils of a public kindergarten. In order to evaluate the learning gains, we carried out our pre-/post-tests with semi-structured individual interviews. The results were rather promising and will be discussed thoroughly in the paper.
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