Abstract

GAGNON, Mathieu et al. Implanting philosophy for children in the classroom: an exploratory study in teacher formation. child.philo [online]. 2012, vol.8, n.16, pp.291-325. ISSN 1984-5987.  https://doi.org/10.12957/childphilo.2012.16291.

P4C is now recognized by UNESCO as an approach that foster the development of the fundamental competencies of critical, creative and caring thinking. International interest in the approach has been increasing for a decade, but this growing interest has a corollary: new challenges for the initial training of teachers. Among these challenges, the fact that the philosophy is still not included as an official school subject in primary school curricula has had a major impact on the possibility of inserting P4C courses into the context of initial teacher training. However, in Quebec, the Pedagogical Renewal implemented by the Ministry of Education in 2001 suggests possible links with P4C. The new program has several points in common with the objectives pursued by P4C, including the development of higher order thinking skills, and especially the development of critical thinking through the practice of dialogue. With the implementation of this reform, all Quebec universities were obliged to revise their initial training programs for teaching, which might suggest that teachers have developed useful skills for the facilitation of a community of philosophical inquiry (CPI). But are we justified in making this assumption? How does initial teacher training allow students to acquire the skills related to facilitation in P4C? Our exploratory study focused on this question. Ten student teachers experimented with P4C with their pupils. Through the reports they produced as well as a semi-structured interview, our results suggest that student teachers tend to apply strategies developed during their initial training, like the recurrent use of a "top-down" approach, the systematic application of preparatory activities, and the division of skills into a series of components--strategies that are not always suitable for P4C. These student teachers also had difficulty in identifying the thinking skills implemented by their pupils. This study raise questions about how future teachers are prepared, not only to lead philosophical discussions but also, more broadly, to develop pupils' thinking.

Keywords : Philosophy for children; Initial teacher formation.

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