Ann Margaret Sharp, A View from the Classroom: Reviewing Gregory and Laverty's (eds.) In Community of Inquiry with Ann Margaret Sharp

Abstract

"The educator must consciously take it upon himself to liberate, rather than indoctrinate." -Sharp, (ICI, 80)¹.  In Community of Inquiry with Ann Margaret Sharp, is an anthology of essays collated under a variety of themes. Each section starts with an essay on the theme by another academic in the field of Community of Inquiry (CoI) or Philosophy for Children (P4C)², most of whom either knew and/or worked with Ann Margaret Sharp and themselves have made significant contributions to the theory and practice of CoI/P4C. Inspired by the title of the book, this article is going to attempt to be 'in communal inquiry'³ with Sharp and the other authors. I intend to present a case for how Sharp's work has influenced the philosophy of education through the lens of my own practice and experience with the CoI methodology, and explain why it is still relevant today.