Dear Colleagues

We would like to invite you to the 16th ICPIC 2013 conference which will take place between 30 August – 2 September 2013, University of Cape Town, South Africa. The conference will examine the theory and practice of teaching critical thinking, enquiry-based learning and philosophy with children for all phases of schooling as well as informal educational contexts. How can philosophical perspectives benefit education? How can other educational research contribute to teaching thinking and reasoning, particularly in the mainstream curriculum subjects: information technology, literacy, mathematics, sciences, life skills/orientation, the arts, drama, citizenship, physical and moral education?

This biennial, non-profit-making event for delegates worldwide offers a unique opportunity for academics, teachers, principals, parents, social workers, psychologists and students to meet, present and discuss their practice and research together with established scholars and internationally well-known practitioners and authors.

INSTITUTE OF PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES (France)

8th International Summer Seminar
"Practicing Philosophy"
La Chapelle St André - Burgundy, France
August 5th -  11th  2013

Every summer, in the little village of La Chapelle St André (Burgundy - France), gather about 30-40 persons involved in philosophical practice (students, teachers, professors, counselors, trainers) in order to reflect on their work and improve professionally. For seven days, in English, these philosophy practitioners coming from the five continents will participate to different workshops, lead workshops, analyze and evaluate them, theorize about the different issues involved.

In this context, philosophy is not any more an academic activity centered on the history of ideas, and one does not come simply to narrate what he does in his home country, but get acquainted with the many ways of philosophizing, as an activity constitutive of the mind and the self. Philosophy with children, philosophical consultation, philosophy workshops, Socratic dialogue, etc., one is introduced to the many forms and variants of such an endeavor. It is not so much knowledge that is at stake here, but acquiring and developing skills. How to conceptualize, how to problematize, how to deepen understanding of given ideas, and especially how to create a situation where this activity can be induced, is the main focus of the work.

Of course, Socratic maieutic is a key methodological point, but as well dialectics, analytics, community of enquiry, constitute as many entries and matrices to define the work. If they wish so, participants can facilitate a workshop, a situation which provides an occasion for a practitioner to show how he works and get some critical feed-back on his work and his methodology, so one becomes more conscious of his own options and activity. Since the atmosphere of this seminar is open, inclined to both rigor and diversity, it creates a context where one can really express his view instead of hiding behind the usual pseudo-consensus where "everything is fine and we are all great". In this sense, the idea is to recreate the context of antique philosophical schools, or the gymnasium as described by Plato, where one could challenge other's ideas and oneself be challenged. In the peaceful atmosphere of a small French village, accompanied with good food and good wine, walks in the beautiful surrounding woods and visit to the medieval site of Vezelay, one can truly devote oneself to philosophical encounters and reflection.

All practitioners interested in presenting their work and holding a workshop during this event are invited to send their proposal. The purpose of this seminar is to exchange, discover, experiment and develop practices.

This seminar does not require previous philosophical training. It can be an initiation to philosophical practice, or a deepening of the activity. Participants come from different parts of the world, and join for professional or personal reasons, in order to work on a practice that is applicable to many contexts: teaching children or adults, management, individual consultation, N. G. O. activities...
The duration will be one whole week, from August 5h - 11th, and the cost will be 600 Euros, including the workshops, food and accommodation in a private room. For people who are on a tight budget, this can be reduced to 350 Euros if you accept "camping style" accommodation. Our Institute can accept some people free of charge who have financial difficulties, but are highly motivated.

You can read theoretical texts and watch videos of the practice on the following websites - English section:

www.brenifier.com
http://www.pratiques-philosophiques.com/

If you wish to be informed of the seminar and workshops of the Institute of Philosophical Practice, you can send an email to Isabelle Millon at the following address: i.millon[at]club-internet.fr

Training at distance with I.P.P.

For those who are interested in training in philosophical practice with the I.P.P., this is now possible at distance through the utilization of the Skype technique and by proposing diverse exercises. Anyone willing to engage in such a program can contact us at: i.millon[at]club-internet.fr The work can take place either on an individual or group basis.

The Centro de Estudos Filosóficos (Center for Philosophical Studies) is organizing courses on P4C in three islands from the Azorean archipelago: S. Miguel Island in April and March; Terceira Island in July, and Faial Island in September.

These courses have an interdisciplinary structure, having sessions on Philosophy, on Philosophy for Children, on Literature for Children and on Education and Artistic Expressions.

The courses addresses teachers, degree students and anyone with interest on children’s education. Each course has 25 to 30 hours, with theory sessions and practical sessions.

Further information can be request to: magdac[at]uac.pt

Recent years have seen the passing of the three great pioneers in the Philosophy for Children (P4C) movement: Matthew Lipman (2010), Ann Margaret Sharp (2010), and Gareth Mathews (2011).  In appraising their monumental work and legacy, scholars have tended to focus solely on the impact Lipman, Sharp, and Matthews have had on educational philosophy and theory.  In addition to these areas of scholarly contribution, however, all three devoted considerable effort to the construction and reconstruction of the philosophical curriculum.  In this regard, Matthews experimented with short philosophical stories and offered interpretations of countless works by other authors in the light of his view that good literature provides children with the material for forming philosophical questions and dialogue, while Lipman and Sharp both pioneered the intentional use of the philosophical novel as a way of both initiating and teaching children to do philosophy in classroom settings.  But important questions remain about the philosophical novel for children, not only with regard to its function as the curricular centerpiece of P4C, but about the theory and practice of narrative in both education and philosophy, the location of the novel within the history of philosophy, and the future of the philosophical novel and curriculum in pre-college philosophy.

Lipman saw his own philosophical novels for children as “models of doing philosophy that are clear, practical, and specific.”  In this sense, teaching philosophy requires more than exposing students to its logical form—that is, it’s most distinctive and essential qualities—but also to its function and the circumstances of its emergence and practice.  Thus philosophical novels are a way of “dramatizing philosophy” that allow students to both recognize and assimilate its praxis.  This Lipmanian understanding of the philosophical role and its role in education has been celebrated and championed by some scholars (eg., De Marzio, Kennedy, et al), while criticized and tempered by others (eg., Murris, Hand, et al).  Given the diversity of current perspectives on the philosophical novel, the time is ripe for furthering the conversation on the history, theory, and prospect of this highly significant and contested area of philosophical and educational inquiry.

The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) is calling for papers that explore the theoretical and pedagogical significance of the philosophical novel for children, to be presented at the IAPC group session of the 2013 American Philosophical Association Eastern Division Annual Meeting, December 27-30, in Baltimore, MD. Presented papers will also be considered as part of a proposal for an edited book collection published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Possible Topics Include:

• Theories and forms of narrative and narrativity that support and/or challenge the theory and practice of children’s philosophy

• The construction and/or reconstruction of the history of philosophy via the philosophical novel / stories

• The relationship between philosophical argument and philosophical narrative

• The question of whether philosophical novels are sufficient for the teaching of philosophy

• The philosophical novel / story as model of/for philosophical praxis

• Qualitative and/or quantitative research studies of philosophical novels

Electronic submissions are required and should be sent to Darryl De Marzio at darryl.demarzio[at]scranton.edu. Papers must be in MS Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). Papers may not exceed 3,000 words in length. Submissions should include a word count and 150 word abstract (not counted in total word count) on the title page. Papers should not contain any information identifying the author of the submission. In a separate title page document, please submit the following: title of the paper, abstract of the paper, author’s name, affiliation, e-mail address and phone number. Papers must be received by Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

The purpose of this book is to develop a theory and practice of education from Karl Popper’s falsificationist philosophy for promoting an open society.  Specifically, the book is designed to develop an educational programme for achieving Popper’s ideal of fostering critical thinking in children for full participation in an open democratic society.

Arguing that Matthew Lipman’s Philosophy for Children (P4C) programme can fulfil the requirements of Popper’s educational ideal in schools, this study conducted an experiment to assess the effectiveness of the programme in promoting students’ critical thinking in Hong Kong, China – arguably a Confucian heritage society. The students who were taught P4C were found to perform better in the reasoning test than those who were not, to be capable of discussing philosophical problems in a competent way, and to have a very positive attitude towards doing philosophy in the classroom. It was also found that P4C played a major role in developing the students’ critical thinking.

Considering that the construction of children by adults as incompetent in the sense of lacking reason, maturity, or independence reinforces the traditional structure of adult authority over children in society, it runs counter to the goal of fostering critical thinking in children. As a way to return justice to childhood and to effectively promote critical thinking in children, this study suggested reconstructing the concept of childhood, highlighting the importance of establishing a coherent public policy on promotion of agency in children and also the importance of empowering them to participate actively in research, legal, and educational institutions.

• Finnes det en svart fisk som svømmer like fort som Svømme? (4)

• Hvorfor kjennes glassmaneter ut som gele? (11)

• Finnes det fisk som blir trukket av en usynlig tråd? (2)

• Var de røde fiskene Svømmes brødre og søstre? (1)

• Hvorfor var Svømme den eneste som var svart? (7)

• Hvor stor kan en tunfisk bli? (6)

• Hvordan kan vi svømme som en fisk når vi ikke blir trukket av en usynlig tråd? (0)

• Hvordan kan Svømme fly opp til øyet der han skal være? (3)

• Hvordan skal tunfisken spise oss? (2)

• Hvordan kan vi bli levende igjen når vi først er blitt spist opp? (7)

• Hvorfor er Svømme svart? (2)

• Hvorfor er Svømme raskere enn de andre? (8)

• Hvorfor skal en dukke være Svømme? (2)

• Skal de som ble spist være de samme som møter Svømme? (12)

• Hvorfor møter Svømme forskjellige dyr og ting? (0)

• Hvorfor er det slik at det som det er én av er en skygge? (2)

Montclair State University is considering a major reconstruction of the focus and the delivery of its Ed.D. in Pedagogy and Philosophy. The purpose of this survey is to gauge interest in the new program. We ask you to read the description below and answer the following questions. The survey should only take a few minutes to complete. Your responses will be completely anonymous, will not commit you to any further involvement and will not place your name on any email lists. We appreciate your help.

Montclair State University is now developing an Ed.D. in Pedagogical Studies. This program will be one of a very few in the country that is focused on philosophical and empirical research into three overlapping but distinct forms of democratic pedagogy: community of inquiry, critical pedagogy, and contemplative/existential practice. It will also offer in-state tuition for all out of state and international graduate students.

The innovative, hybrid delivery format will offer cohorts of students from around the world flexibility to remain educational practitioners in their communities while also completing a doctoral degree in philosophy, theory, and research. Seminars will be held online in a virtual environment, and each semester, students will be offered the opportunity to engage in week-long, intensive residencies in a variety of international settings where they will present their work in student conferences; meet with advisors and faculty to facilitate independent research; practice community of inquiry, critical pedagogy, and mindfulness; and attend lectures by local scholars, educators, and intellectuals.

Overall, an Ed.D. in Pedagogical Studies will provide a unique opportunity for those who wish to participate in the highest level of theoretical and empirical research, to apply that scholarship to the work of teacher education, and/or to integrate transformative and democratic pedagogical theories into their practices.

Graduates from the Ed.D. in Pedagogical Studies will be able to:

1) Bring together pedagogical practice and theory to become a philosophical educator, counselor, or consultant
2) Promote democracy and social justice through transformative approaches to education in a variety of settings
3) Understand educational issues within a global perspective
4) Develop the skills and dispositions necessary for conducting philosophical and empirical research into pedagogy and curriculum

ON WORLD PHILOSOPHY DAY, UN HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING AND REFLECTION

The diversity of philosophies prevalent around the world is humanity's greatest asset to building an inclusive and tolerant global citizenry, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said today, marking the tenth edition of World Philosophy Day.

In her message for the Day, UNESCO's Director-General, Irina Bokova, called on nations to invest more in philosophical training for schoolchildren while stressing the "urgent need" to pass on to the world's youth "the taste for philosophy, its rigour and its joys, from the earliest age."

"UNESCO reaffirms the power of philosophy to change the world, because it can help us to change ourselves by giving weight to our indignation before injustice, lucidity to ask the right questions, and conviction to defend human dignity," Ms. Bokova said.

"In all these ways, it holds the key to a new humanism," she added, underlining the significance of philosophy in making "sense of questions of peace and sustainable development."

World Philosophy Day is celebrated every third Thursday of November since 2002, with the aim of making philosophical reflection accessible to all -- professors and students, scholars and the general public -- thereby enlarging the opportunities and spaces for the stimulation of critical thinking and debate.

The Day -- for which the theme this year is 'future generations' -- is being celebrated with a number of events, including roundtables, debates and concerts, held in Paris, where UNESCO is headquartered, and at other venues around the world. In addition, a group of schoolchildren will place messages in a time capsule destined to be eventually opened by children of their own age in the year 2062.

Ms. Bokova pointed out that the philosophical tradition was both a meeting point and a culmination of UNESCO's mandate, providing meaning to the content of culture and science and drawing on the free movement of ideas.

"Beyond all of our differences, we are all equal in the exercise of reason," she continued. "This is the sure way to build fairer, more equitable societies, sustained by the energy of critical thinking."

• Holde på med PC/Playstation

• Se på TV

• Sminke seg (bare jenter)

• Høre på musikk

• Snakke i telefon / sende SMS

• Leke med ting/sne

• Leke (huske, hoppe tau/paradis)

• Legge puslespill

• Plukke blomster/epler/blåbær

• Sove

• Lese

• Danse

• Spise

• Tegne

• Leke

• Se på film

• Snakke i telefon/SMS

• Fortelle hverandre ting

• Bli glade

• Lære ting

• Tenke

• Se

• Svømme (!)

• Fortelle

• Bli glad

• Leke

• Lære (å forme en stim som ser ut som en stor, farlig fisk)

• Jana Mohr Lone: Questions and the Community Of Philosophical Inquiry

• Maughn Gregory: A Behavioral Pedagogy for the Community of Inquiry

• Anne Sharp: The Classroom Community of Inquiry as Ritual: How we can Cultivate Wisdom

• David Kennedy: The Community of Inquiry and Educational Structure

• Samuel Scolnicov: The problematic Community of Inquiry: The Socrates and Kant of Lipman and Dewey

• Philip Cam: Pragmatism and the Community Of Inquiry

The P4C Co-operative has just created the first edition of 'If .. then:  An Online Compilation Journal for P4C'.

Philosophy for Children has a long tradition of scholarship that should be more widely known. Articles have not always been easy to access and a long-standing journals are now discontinued. We thought it would be interesting and useful to select articles from the last thirty years and organise them around significant themes. We hope this will stimulate new thinking, discussion and writing.

The theme of the first edition is: 'The Community of Inquiry". Read the journal at: www.p4c.com/if-then.

INSTITUTE OF PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES (France)

International Winter Seminar 2013

"Practicing Philosophy"

Argenteuil - France

February 18th - 23rd,  2013

Last summer, after increasing the attendance of our seminar to the maximum number allowed by the local facilities, about forty persons, we had the regrettable obligation to refuse quite a few later applications for attendance. This meant already that we had to hold numerous workshops in two different halls, in order to give everyone a chance to show his work and not crowd the halls too much.

Because of this, and because we do not wish to go beyond this size of attendance, we have decided to hold a winter seminar, not in La Chapelle St André (Burgundy) where the season creates harsh living conditions, but in Argenteuil, at the seat of the I.P.P., in the suburbs of Paris. Of course, persons that were denied attendance at the summer seminar will have a priority. Again for practical reasons, we do not wish to receive too many persons, in order for the seminar to remain a seminar and not become a conference.

So we intend to receive maximum 20 persons, interested or involved in philosophical practice: students, teachers, professors, counselors, trainers, etc. Like in the summer seminar, the purpose will be for these participants to reflect on their work and improve professionally. For seven days, in English, these practitioners coming from very diverse countries will participate to different workshops, lead workshops, analyze and evaluate them, theorize about the different issues involved.

In this context, philosophy is not an academic activity centered on the history of ideas, and one does not come simply to narrate what he does in his home country, but get acquainted with the many ways of philosophizing, as an activity constitutive of the mind and the self. Philosophy with children, philosophical consultation, philosophy workshops, Socratic dialogue, etc., one is introduced to the many forms and variants of such an endeavor. It is not so much knowledge that is at stake here, but acquiring and developing skills. How to conceptualize, how to problematize, how to deepen understanding of given ideas, and especially how to create a situation where this activity can be induced, are the main focus of the work.

Of course, Socratic maieutic is a key methodological point, but as well dialectics, analytics, community of enquiry, constitute as many entries and matrices to define the work. If they wish so, participants can facilitate a workshop, a situation that provides an occasion for a practitioner to show how he works and get some critical feed-back on his work and his methodology, so one becomes more conscious of his own options and activity. Since the atmosphere of this seminar is open, inclined to both rigor and diversity, it creates a context where one can really express his view instead of hiding behind the usual pseudo-consensus where "everything is fine and we are all great". In this sense, the idea is to recreate the context of antique philosophical schools, or the gymnasium as described by Plato, where one could challenge other's ideas and oneself be challenged.

All practitioners interested in presenting their work and holding a workshop during this event are invited to send in their proposal. The purpose of this seminar is to exchange, discover, experiment and develop practices.

This seminar does not require previous philosophical training. It can be an initiation to philosophical practice, or a deepening of the activity. Participants come from different parts of the world, and join for professional or personal reasons, in order to work on a practice that is applicable to many contexts: teaching children or adults, management, individual consultation, N. G. O. activities…

The duration will be almost a week, from February 18th – 23rd 2012, and the cost will be 500 EUR, including the workshops, food and accommodation in a private room. For people who are on a tight budget, this can be reduced to 300 EUR if you accept "camping style" accommodation. Our Institute can accept some people free of charge who have financial difficulties, but are highly motivated.

You can read theoretical texts and watch videos of the practice on the following websites' English sections:

http://www.brenifier.com
http://www.pratiques-philosophiques.com/

• hvem er jeg

• mitt og ditt

• vennskap

• raushet og gjestfrihet

• tanker

• følelser

• leve sammen

• liv og død

• En kort presentasjon av hvert tema, beregnet på de voksne.

• Samantas superblikk: Barn og voksne observerer tegningen med Samantas skarpe forskerblikk.

• Lexingtons grublespørsmål: Kan brukes direkte i samtalen med barna, men også ment som en forberedelse for den voksne.

• Busters tenkeleker: Her skal barna gruble med utgangspunkt i noe praktisk: bilder, figurer, en lek osv.

• Lesetips: Forslag til relevant barnelitteratur.