P4C Pocketbook

Book excerpt: Philosophy for Children (P4C) was conceived by Professor Matthew Lipman in the late 1960s. Here's what he said about it: 'The aim of a thinking skills program such as P4C is to help children become more thoughtful, more reflective, more considerate and more reasonable individuals. 'Who wouldn't want to offer their pupils that opportunity? In the P4C Pocketbook, Barry Hymer and Roger Sutcliffe explain how to use P4C in your own classroom to sustain and develop in all children the curiosity that is so evident in the young. They introduce and explain 'communities of enquiry', outline a broad ten-step process for P4C sessions, provide plenty of practical examples, and show how P4C can be used to explore key concepts. Chapters are devoted to choosing a stimulus, questions, the Socratic Method, facilitating an enquiry, and review. There is an excellent resource section at the end of the book spanning Foundation Stage to KS5.