Introducing Philosophy for Children to a Conservative Australian State: The Mission of a Novice Philosopher

Abstract

Introduction:  Eighteen months ago I agreed to take on a the mission of introducing the Philosophy for Children program to a rather conservative state of Australia. This presented quite a challenge for me particularly since I am not a philosopher (in the professional sense) but a mathematics educator. My reasons for accepting this challenge were two-fold. Firstly, I was attracted to the program because it gives children credit for being able to think. In contrast to may traditional programs, Philosophy for Children does not use cildren's cognitive "deficits" as the yardstick for designing learning experiences. Secondly, I could see the program having the potential to enrich all curriculum areas, and in my case, to provide new avenues for exploring the teaching of problem solving and the development of mathematical thinking.