How Philosophy for Children Will Benefit Africans -By Leo Igwe

I traveled to the US in March/April where I met with facilitators of Philosophy for Children(P4C). An executive member of the International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children introduced me to the community in the US. The facilitators are a part of the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organisation (PLATO). PLATO is an organization that aims to “nurture young people’s curiosity, critical thinking and the desire to explore big questions through philosophy and ethics programs for students, educations and families”. The website has some big questions- “Are numbers real? Do trees think? Who am I?”

PLATO’s mission is to ensure access to philosophy programs for all students of any age, providing support and resources for philosophy programs across the country. It was a delight to learn about this organization and its commitment to fostering P4C. I came in touch with PLATO while trying to understand how P4C is done across the globe. My goal was to understand the resources that exist out there, compare notes, and explore how P4C programs as delivered in other places could enrich efforts to introduce P4C in Nigeria.

Before arriving in the US, I had an online meeting with two facilitators. First, I had a Zoom meeting with Dustin Webster. He directs a project for Philosophy for the Young at the University of Pennsylvania. He informed me about the two ways that P4C is done in the US: first, as a subject and then as a way of teaching other subjects. We will explore the two ways of delivering the program in Nigeria.

Next, I had an online meeting with the executive director of PLATO, Jana Mohr Lone. It was a positive and productive interaction. She expressed PLATO’s readiness to cooperate, train teachers and educators, and support other initiatives to introduce philosophy for children in Nigeria. While in the US, I visited a private school, Qualia. It is in Los Angeles. The school describes itself as a “school for deeper learning”. JC teaches philosophy from 4th to 12th grade at the school. I observed a philosophy for children’s class. After the class, I spent some time with JC, the school head, and my host Jim, discussing the philosophy children program and how this program could add value to schooling in the US. Before leaving the school, the head teacher gave us a souvenir, Alfie Kohn’s book, What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated? This book, which has essays on standards, grading, and other follies, questions the fundamental assumptions about education. In chapter one, Kohn drew attention to John Dewey’s suggestion that an educated person is one who: “gained the power of reflective attention, the power to hold problems, questions, before the mind”.

Then he referred to Meier’s five habits of the mind: the value of raising questions about evidence(How do we know what we know?), point of view(Whose perspective does this represent?”), connection(” How is this related”), supposition (“How might things have been otherwise?”), and relevance (“Why is this important?”). He concluded the chapter by saying, “To be well educated, then, is to have the desire as well as the means to make sure that learning never ends”.

In the introduction, Kohn made a point that resonated with my frustration with the educational system in Nigeria. He drew attention to the discrepancy between objectives and actions. The author told an interviewer that for a living, he went around calling the attention of people to this discrepancy and inviting them to begin to question their actions: “You seem to want this. So how come you’re doing that?” I believe that school authorities in Nigeria should be told this to their faces.

Next, I traveled to Philadelphia where I met with another facilitator of P4C, Rhea. Rhea is a school teacher from India, who is doing a postgraduate program on P4C in the US. We shared experiences about the teaching and learning culture in India and Nigeria, including some of the challenges to inquiry-based learning. Rhea came to the meeting with a friend and also a co-facilitator of P4C. I told them about our critical thinking programs, the books, and other materials we are developing and using to foster these skills.

I discussed the critical thinking/philosophy for children project when I presented at the State Department in DC.
My last in-person meeting with the facilitators of P4C took place at College Station in Texas. A university professor in Texas, Claire Katz, arranged the meeting with David Anderson and Charles Carlson. Prof Claire could not attend due to other engagements. David and Charles shared their experiences facilitating P4C in the state. I look forward to drawing from their experiences and expertise in the months and years ahead. Charles notified me about the summer program of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children at Montclair State University. The certificate course takes place in August (11-18) at St. Marguerite’s Retreat House in Mendham, New Jersey. If I can raise the funds, I will participate in the summer course this year or next.

Before I left the US, a student from the University of Lagos contacted me. She got my contact from the director of PLATO. The student is doing a doctoral program on epistemology with a focus on philosophy for children. I was excited to know that there was a doctoral student focusing on P4C. P4C is a largely explored area of study. I hope more students would come on board. I look forward to working with this student to facilitate P4C in schools in Nigeria.

Although I had my first and second degrees in philosophy, the idea of philosophy for children was never discussed. I never heard about it while studying philosophy. Philosophy, as I knew it, was not for children, not a child’s play. However, my project to facilitate the teaching of critical thinking in primary schools has led me to rediscovering philosophy. It has been exciting to know that philosophy for and by children could be done. P4C will change the way children are taught in schools, and facilitate the realization of an educational renaissance. It will make learning an active and inquiry-based process. I hope to draw from existing resources to facilitate the introduction of P4C in Nigerian schools. I will reach out to colleges of education, and departments of philosophy to discuss this program. To facilitate P4C in schools, tertiary institutions must come on board. They should offer courses on P4C. Colleges and universities should help develop and facilitate training programs for school teachers, educators, and managers. They should become partners in fostering inquiry-based learning in schools.

Leo Igwe is a member of the International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children.