Dr. Jonathan Wurtz and Dr. Brett A. Fulkerson-Smith, seated, respectively, gather for a photo with course participants during a January 2023 training on Philosophy for Children at the University of Guam. ()
How can teachers encourage students in their kindergarten through high school years to put on their thinking caps more often, and unlock their curiosity by freely sharing ideas in classrooms?
The Philosophy Program at the University of Guam College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is offering a course to help more classroom educators mentor other teachers in the use of a teaching method that encourages students to develop their critical thinking abilities.
This teaching method is aligned with the “Philosophy for Children,” also called the P4C movement, and the UOG Philosophy Department is teaching it to more educators. The UOG Global Learning and Engagement Department and the Guam Department of Education are collaborating to make the course possible.
“P4C is an effective teaching strategy to promote higher-order learning and critical thinking in K-12 classrooms,” said Dr. Brett A. Fulkerson-Smith, Associate Professor in the UOG Philosophy Program.
The joint efforts to engage the public — including children — in philosophical reflection fall under a broader effort for community engagement with the theme “Hinasson I Taotao Håya” or communal thinking about community issues.
In January 2023, a cohort of GDOE educators began an advanced course in P4C at UOG.
The course was intended for K-12 educators already familiar with the fundamentals of P4C and who wish to mentor other schoolteachers as they begin to practice philosophy with children.
Dr. Jonathan Wurtz, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at UOG, said research at the University of Hawaii shows that P4C creates an intellectually safe environment that is conducive to learning. The approach also has helped to improve test scores, the research found.
In addition to federal funding through GDOE, the course is getting support from The Berry Fund, administered by the American Philosophical Association Committee on Public Philosophy.
In March 2023, the UOG Philosophy Program’s faculty will again offer its Introduction to P4C course to a new batch of K-12 educators in Guam.
Teachers and parents who are interested in learning more about P4C are invited to reach out to Fulkerson-Smith or Wurtz through the Guam Philosophy Network, the Philosophy Program's outreach arm, at GPN@triton.uog.edu.
