Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis

Editor’s Welcome

2026-03-02T21:57:41+00:00

Introduction: This issue of AT&PP (Vol. 45) includes three articles, and two ‘fieldnotes,’ that provide practical advice for implementing different learning activities informed by Philosophy for/with Children (P4wC) pedagogy. Three of the contributions come from individuals who participated in the highly successful NAACI-Brila conference on Creative Engagement in P4wC, held at the University of Montreal in August, 2025.

Improving Teaching and Learning in Philosophy Through Process-Oriented Feedback

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Introduction: In this article, I argue that process-oriented feedback is one of the most critical factors for effective teaching and learning in philosophy. Given that extensive research on pedagogical practices demonstrates that feedback is the single most powerful predictor of learning across subjects and tasks, we can justifiably infer that this also holds true in philosophy. Admittedly, teachers and students of philosophy routinely engage in certain types of feedback practices. The problem is that process-oriented feedback is usually absent or understood and applied through the lens of pedagogical strategies that weaken its effectiveness. One reason is that many philosophy teachers possess an insufficient understanding of feedback, its types, and its impact. By better understanding and incorporating feedback, especially process-oriented feedback, into philosophy, philosophy teachers and learners can improve the effectiveness of their learning and teaching practices.

How Grace, Forgiveness, and Charity Can Be Reinvigorated Through Promoting Objective Reasoning

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Grace, forgiveness, and charity are near unto death in the narcissistic culture that we now inhabit and though narcissists think that engaging in a constant battle to ensure that me and mine are always the top dogs is the best of all life strategies, Twenge & Campbell, in their 2013 book The Narcissism Epidemic, argue that ultimately, it leads to chronic anxiety, depression, and the war of all against all. And though they flirt with the idea of perhaps rescuing religious thought—after all, Christianity and Confucianism both teach that you should treat others as you would like to be treated, a dictum that clearly counters the narcissistic ethos (p. 246) — we suggest that ramping up young people’s capacity to think objectively in the practical arena is the preferable approach.

Many will be deeply suspicious of this suggestion due to the assumption that the more rational we become, the less emotional, and importantly, the less empathetic we will be. Such an assumption is faulty since objectivity in the practical arena does not leave behind one’s sensuous nature but rather creates a sieve via which the rougher elements of your sensuous nature are filtered out, allowing your “finer” intentions to direct your actions.

Using the works of Frankfurt, Taylor and Frankl, a case will be made that, though essential for moving towards truth, objective reasoning is also critical for nurturing the characteristics of grace, forgiveness, and charity. Along the way, we will reflect on the danger of trying to take the short cut of directly promoting objective reason’s main contender, i.e., empathy.

Ultimately, it will be argued that, in the name of a kinder gentler world, i.e., in the name of promoting grace, forgiveness, and charity, educators ought to nurture the propensity to engage in objective practical reasoning by consistently inviting students to participate in facilitated communal inquiry (the pedagogical touchstone of Philosophy for Children) so that they can experience first-hand the glory of an objective vision as it emerges in the give and take of respectful dialogue on issues that are otherwise highly contentious and divisive.

How Can We Promote the Treatment of Philosophical Questions in Primary School? The Perspective of Experienced Teachers

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At the international level, philosophical questions are increasingly used to develop students’ critical thinking, particularly in elementary school. Yet, despite this growing interest, their implementation in the classroom remains complex and raises several challenges for teachers. This article aims to support teaching practices by identifying the elements that foster philosophical inquiry in elementary school. To do so, we conducted a qualitative analysis of six interviews carried out with teachers experienced in philosophy with children. Based on the multi-agenda theoretical model (Bucheton and Soulé, 2009), the study highlights several elements which, when combined, foster a successful process of philosophical inquiry. The results presented offer promising avenues for teachers to effectively address philosophical questions in the classroom while ensuring the continuity of research and the validity and updating of recommendations formulated for teachers.

Comment Favoriser Le Traitement Des Questions Philosophiques à l’école Primaire ? Le Point De Vue D’enseignantes et D’enseignants Expérimentés

2026-03-02T22:08:14+00:00

À l’échelle internationale, les questions philosophiques sont de plus en plus mobilisées pour développer l’esprit critique des élèves, notamment dès l’école primaire. Pourtant, malgré cet intérêt croissant, leur mise en oeuvre en classe demeure complexe et soulève plusieurs défis pour les enseignants. Cet article vise à soutenir les pratiques enseignantes en identifiant les éléments favorisant le traitement des questions philosophiques au primaire. Pour ce faire, nous avons mené une analyse qualitative de six entretiens réalisés auprès d’enseignants expérimentés en philosophie avec les enfants. S’appuyant sur le modèle théorique du multi-agenda (Bucheton et Soulé, 2009), l’étude met en lumière plusieurs éléments, qui lorsqu’ils sont associés, favorisent une démarche de traitement philosophique réussie. Les résultats présentés fournissent des pistes prometteuses aux enseignants pour aborder et traiter de manière efficace les questions philosophiques en classe et permettent d’assurer la continuité de la recherche, la validité ainsi que l’actualisation des recommandations formulées à l’intention des enseignants.

Fieldnotes: Integrating AI Ethics in Philosophy for Children–Account of a Data-Privacy Lesson

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This Fieldnotes article documents the design and implementation of a Philosophy for Children (P4C) lesson aimed at introducing children aged 8–12 to the ethical dimensions of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a particular focus on data privacy. Drawing on the Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI) methodology—specifically the “Plain Vanilla” model associated with Thomas Jackson and disseminated by the IAPC (Yarmel & Gregory, 2023)—the session employed an illustrated narrative stimulus, “Liam’s Secret Base,” followed by student‑generated dialogue and a collaborative “Safe Sharing Scenario” activity. These components were designed to foster critical, creative, and caring thinking (Lipman, 2003) about digital life. This article demonstrates that engaging young learners in ethical inquiry about AI technologies is both timely—given the global call for age‑appropriate AI‑ethics education (UNICEF, 2021; Dabbagh et al., 2025)—and feasible, since most children already interact with AI‑mediated platforms. Classroom reflections showed that the lesson supported higher‑order reasoning, metacognitive awareness, and collaborative dialogue in a supportive environment, outcomes consistent with reported benefits of P4C (Adams et al., 2023; Ab Wahab et al., 2022). Rather than prescribing a list of “don’ts,” educators used open‑ended questions and realistic digital‑life scenarios to nurture children’s autonomy in ethical decision‑making, echoing participatory design approaches from the MIT Media Lab’s AI + Ethics curriculum (Wu, 2020; Williams et al., 2022). We conclude that P4C—co‑founded by Matthew Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp (Gregory & Laverty, 2017)—provides an effective pedagogical framework for integrating digital‑ethics learning into childhood education, enabling students to become thoughtful, informed, and responsible digital citizens capable of navigating an increasingly data‑driven world (Floridi, 2023/2024; Turner, 2019).

Fieldnotes: From Artistic Gesture to Philosophical Thought

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Within the field of emerging philosophical practices, this publication introduces a distinctive methodology in which creative artistic processes—both vocal and corporeal – intertwine with the play of thought.
“Art does not think any less than philosophy, but it thinks through affects and percepts” (Deleuze G., Guattari F., 1991, p. 198).

Notes de Terrain: Du Geste Artistique à la Pensée Philosophique

2026-03-02T22:17:33+00:00

Dans le cadre des nouvelles pratiques philosophiques, cette publication propose une méthodologie singulière où le processus créatif artistique vocal et corporel s’invite au jeu de la pensée.
« L’art ne pense pas moins que la philosophie, mais il pense par affects et percepts » (Deleuze G., Guattari F., 1991, 198).