Sofia Nikolidaki

The popularisation of the Philosophy for/with Children (P4/wC) pedagogical method has given rise to a range of diverse training programs for prospective philosophical dialogue facilitators. This raises questions around what types of standards and practices are being targeted in these programs, as well as around the sorts of facilitator competencies being valued, identified and developed. What, for instance, are some of the similarities and dissimilarities between providers of training programs? A questionnaire was developed by the authors, each experienced in P4/wC facilitation, and forwarded to seventeen established P4/wC facilitator training providers across nine countries. An analysis of responses revealed that while facilitator competencies, such as ‘listening skills’, figured in responses, references to sound ‘management skills’ featured more frequently than ‘facilitation skills’. Additionally, while the possession of a philosophical or pedagogical background of facilitator candidates was typically not required, responses were suggestive that facilitators could in time attain the desired pedagogical and philosophical knowledge and experience to effectively facilitate the P4/wC method. In this study, we examine these and other findings.

Este artículo presenta un estudio cualitativo que explora cómo la capacitación en escucha filosófica mejora la capacidad de futuros docentes para identificar y comprometerse con momentos filosóficos de niñas y niños pequeños. Esto forma parte de una investigación más amplia (2021–2022) en jardines de infancia locales en Rethymno, Creta, Grecia; sin embargo, los hallazgos presentados en este artículo se publican por primera vez. El estudio involucró a 125 estudiantes de pregrado de segundo año que realizaron prácticas semestrales como parte de su programa de Bachelor of Arts en Educación Preescolar en la Universidad de Creta. A través de sesiones estructuradas en laboratorio, se capacitó a los futuros docentes para observar atentamente los diálogos de los niños, identificar conceptos abstractos y formular preguntas filosóficas. Las observaciones se centraron en momentos de las conversaciones infantiles que revelaron pensamiento crítico, originalidad y razonamiento colaborativo. Los resultados destacan el potencial transformador de esta capacitación. Los futuros docentes demostraron una mayor sensibilidad para escuchar e identificar elementos filosóficos en los comentarios de niñas y niños, así como la capacidad para diseñar actividades que fomenten una indagación más profunda. Las reflexiones sobre su rol evidenciaron la importancia de equilibrar la intervención docente con la creación de un espacio que favorezca la autorregulación de niñas y niños. Este estudio enfatiza el valor de integrar prácticas filosóficas en la formación docente, subrayando cómo dotar a los futuros educadores de las habilidades para una escucha atenta y la facilitación de la indagación puede potenciar las capacidades de razonamiento de niñas y niños y promover un diálogo significativo en la educación infantil.

Prospective preschool teachers often incorporate picturebooks into their teaching practices in kindergartens as part of their training. However, they often rely heavily on asking children numerous questions while reading picturebooks, such as identifying the protagonists of the story, detailing the sequence of events, and exploring the who, what, when, where, and why. This approach may result in a superficial interrogation of the text, overlooking (i) the nuanced messages conveyed through illustrations or the synergy of text and imagery, and (ii) the potential opportunities that could arise if children were encouraged to pose their own inquiries through philosophical exploration, delving deeper into the themes presented in picturebooks. This research was conducted in 2023 with 36 prospective preschool teachers from the University of Crete, Greece. The research comprises two phases. In the initial phase, the student teachers established a philosophical community of inquiry and acquired several philosophical inquiry skills. Following each inquiry session, student teachers engaged in self-reflection and assessed their contributions, identifying aspects of their experience that are applicable to using picturebooks with kindergarten children. They then developed lesson plans centred around the philosophical exploration of these picturebooks. In the subsequent phase, student teachers received supervision as they implemented their lesson plans in a kindergarten and subsequently reflected on their teaching experiences. The findings illustrate both the advantages and challenges encountered by prospective preschool teachers when approaching literature from a philosophical perspective. Additionally, the student teachers reflected on the interconnectedness of literature and philosophy, as well as the potential benefits for both educators and children through this integrated approach. A correction to this article was published on 22 January 2025.

This paper aims at introducing the idea of Emerging Philosophizing as a way of naming, describing, developing and further understanding the process of having philosophical moments occurring instantly and coming directly from children in the classroom. On this ground, the main characteristics of philosophizing as developed in the frame of EmPhil along with its differences among other forms of philosophizing are briefly discussed. The conceptualization of EmPhil can be grounded in philosophies that explore the process of thinking as emergence, doing and a way of life. EmPhil is an ongoing idea still developing, changing, and shaping both philosophically and practically in classroom as an experience and a process forming a way of philosophizing that allows children’s thinking to unblock and unlock. Children’s thinking and EmPhil as extension to it, are inevitably and fundamentally related to their own activity, incorporated to it, following the stream of this activity, as EmPhil follows the stream of thinking of this very activity and dives in it. EmPhil opens up systematically the space for children to view their own thoughts, as important that need to be questioned, discussed and not left aside. EmPhil celebrates the “instant”, the “fresh”, the “unfinished”, the “ongoing” process of thinking which keeps changing, altering and developing.

Presupposing that children are able to philosophize within the frame of P4C approaches, this paper argues in favor of adults’ paying philosophical attention into children’s ways of thinking. It is argued that not only adults but also children can offer stimuli for philosophizing. Children’s ways of thinking should be explored philosophically not only in the way that adults would do by linking children’s ideas with existing philosophical matters, but also in the ways that children might indicate. Such approach could not only create new philosophical considerations that adults have not yet thought about but also lead at viewing afresh philosophy. An example of children’s philosophy during their play exemplifies further the importance of adults’ listening to them thinking critically and creatively.