Philosophy for Children
"The aim of a thinking skills program such as P4C is not to turn children into philosophers or decision makers, but to help them become more thoughtful, more reflective, more considerate and more reasonable individuals." Matthew Lipman (founder of P4C).
P4C is a key part of our curriculum at St Joseph's as it allows our children to develop critical thinking and gives them the ability to show mutual respect and understanding for different view points.
In EYFS, children explore the basic principles of P4C which involve taking turns and listening respectfully. In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 the children look at answering questions around a stimulus and also giving reasons for their thinking. When children reach Upper Key Stage 2, they are encouraged to think more critically and question theirs and others ideas respectfully in a trusted enivronment. We want to channel children’s natural curiosity of the world around them to inspire them to question and investigate their ideas and thoughts!