History, Theory and Practice of Philosophy for Children ― International Perspectives

This book on Philosophy for Children (P4C) is a compilation of articles written by its founders and the movement‘s leaders worldwide. These articles have been prepared in the dialogue and interview format. Part I explains the genesis of the movement, its philosophical and theoretical foundations. Part II examines the specialized uses of philosophical dialogues in teaching philosophy, morality, ethics and sciences. Part III examines the theoretical concerns such as the aims of the method in regards to the search for truth or sense of meaning, or the debate on the novel or short stories and its characteristics. Part IV explains the practices of P4C worldwide and the issue of cultural differences, the ways of the community of inquiry and the necessary adaptation to suit local concerns. The book concludes with a notable review of the progress of P4C, the obstacles, and its international spread to over 60 countries. These penetrating insights make the book an incredibly rich resource for anyone interested in or involved with implementing a P4C programme.

• Brave Old Subject, Brave New World
• Teaching Science and Morality Via P4C
• Showing Children can do Philosophy

Saeed Naji is an Iranian scholar, trained in physics and philosophy of science, and is a faculty member at the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies (IHCS ) in Tehran and a specialist in Philosophy for Children. He and various colleagues introduced P4C in Iran around the turn of the century, and he founded the Philosophy for Children Research Department (FABAK) at IHCS, with the goal of producing an appropriate version of the program for the Iranian people, as well as organizing academic activities in this area. Dr. Naji, founder of the Philosophy for Children (P4C) movement in Iran, trains teachers and school administrators in P4C, provides workshops for students in schools, university students and professors, and has co-founded a peer review journal, Thinking and Children under the aegis of FABAK. He has written nine books in Persian about P4C. Naji's Iranian P4C website is: www.p4c.ir.

Rosnani Hashim is Professor of Social Foundations of Education at the Faculty of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia. She founded the Centre for Philosophical Inquiry in Education in 2006 which has now been renamed The Centre for Teaching Thinking. The Centre actively promotes the Wisdom (Hikmah) Pedagogy which is a version of the P4C Program in Malaysia. She has translated Lipman’s Pixie and Elfie, authored three P4C story books and a monograph for teachers on using the Hikmah Pedagogy. Her other works include Educational Dualism in Malaysia (1996), Teaching Thinking in Malaysia (2003) and Reclaiming the Conversation: Islamic Intellectual Tradition in the Malay Archipelago (2010). She is presently the chief editor of the IIUM Journal of Educational Studies.