What is P4C?

P4C is 'Philosophy for Children.  The aim of P4C is to engage children into a community of enquiry, this allows children to think deeply about issues, where they can argue their opinion, using evidence to support their ideas.  The aim is for the children to explore different lines of enquiry, using contributions to reach a conclusion on the focus question being discussed.   P4C helps children to develop the skills and dispositions that will enable them to contribute as responsible citizens of the future.  This supports the school’s inclusive ethos and values of creating a caring school and classroom environment where children learn to listen to and respect each other.

How does P4C help children learn?

• To learn to think before they speak and give reasons for what they say.
• To value their views and the views of others.
• Not taking things personally.
• To learn respect and negotiation.
• To learn not to be fearful.

**There is no right or wrong answer during an enquiry.  All children are encouraged to participate, enabling pupils to develop their talking and listening skills.

What impact does P4C have on children?

• Lots of ideas for creative writing. (Develop green hat thinking)
• Creates an enquiring classroom in all areas of the curriculum.
• Affects personal skills, and behaviour in the playground.
• Develops skills necessary for positions of responsibility (school council, eco council etc).
• Listening and reasoning skills.
• Independence.

What happens during a P4C lesson?

The children will usually sit in a circle where they can see everyone in the group enabling them to engage in a community of enquiry.  The teacher will present a warm-up activity, which engages the children in thinking from the onset.  Next, a stimulus will be presented to the class, this can take the form of a story, poem, object, video clip etc.  The children will work with a partner to discuss anything which interests or puzzles them. This will be followed by a short quiet time where pupils will reflect on their thoughts and think about possible questions which they could ask.  Each child will be given a post-it-note where they will record their question.  Then the children will sort the questions on a grid into open, closed, factual or philosophical. 

Once the questions have been sorted, the class will vote on one philosophical question.  The chosen question will lead the focused discussion where children will offer their viewpoint, using evidence to justify their opinion.  During the community of enquiry, the children can agree or disagree with another person's viewpoint, and they can also challenge each other.

During the plenary, the class will summarise the discussion and reflect on the 4'C which they used during the session.  This self-reflection is a good starter point for the next P4C session as it will highlight specific skills which each child should aim to improve.