2014 NAACI CONFERENCE

The Community of Philosophical Inquiry and its diverse applications

Laval University, Québec City, Québec, Canada

June 25-27, 2014

The conference will focus on the unique pedagogical model developed by Philosophy for Children (P4C) founders Matthew Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp at Montclair State University. P4C is based on philosophical dialogue within a community of inquiry. This year, the NAACI conference will examine the multifaceted, diverse applications of the Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CPI) in various settings. Since P4C’s beginnings, many fresh and original applications of the CPI have emerged. In recent years, the CPI model has been used in myriad ways for a range of populations and purposes: from prison-based and popular literacy programs to distance education and teacher training, from informal discussion groups in nursing homes and family care facilities to schools for children with exceptionalities, from religion and ethics education to health promotion and mathematics classes.

The 2014 NAACI conference aims to explore these rich possibilities for CPI application as both extensions to its potential as an educative tool and as promising avenues for cultivating philosophical thought in diverse people and circumstances. What challenges arise for those who attempt to use the CPI in contexts that differ from Lipman and Sharp’s original vision? What form do these challenges take in terms of curriculum materials, pedagogical goals and facilitation styles, moral obligations to different audiences, and the varying psychological and learning needs of participants? What common opportunities and obstacles do these practices share? What successes and difficulties can be highlighted overall and within particular approaches? What perspectives and insights do these “new” CPI applications offer?

Although the conference will focus on these fresh and diverse CPI applications, participants who are interested in exploring the community of inquiry in its original context with children and adolescents are also welcome to contribute.

For more information: http://www.naaci-philo.org/2014_Conference.html