EQUITY AND INQUIRY
PLATO CONFERENCE 2015


The Third Biennial PLATO Conference will be held at the University of Washington, Seattle, on June 29 and 30, 2015. The conference is funded in part by the Squire Family Foundation, the Teagle Foundation and the University of Washington.

 

Registration

To register for the conference:

  1. Please download the conference registration sheet, fill out the registration information, and email the sheet as an attachment to info@plato-philosophy.org. Then, submit the registration fee by using the dropdown menu and Paypal button below.
  2. Alternatively,  you may mail your registration sheet and a check to
    PLATO
    P.O. Box 85251
    Seattle, WA 98145-1251
  3. To attend Jonathan Kozol’s keynote address only, Monday, June 29, from 9-10:30 am in the Walker-Ames room at Kane Hall, University of Washington, please follow this link: $15 Keynote Only Registration (preregistration required)

Conference Registration



Accommodations

Hotel rooms have been set aside at the Hotel Deca, a few blocks from University of Washington. We advise reserving rooms as soon as possible.
For details follow this link: Hotel Information

 

Conference Program and Schedule

(To read abstracts for the presentations and presenter bios please visit: https://plato-philosophy.org/2015-plato-conference-program-with-abstracts/)

Monday, June 29

Bagels and fruit, coffee and tea available at 8:30 am

9:00 – 10:30 am Keynote Address by Jonathan Kozol
Walker Ames Room, Kane Hall

The Big Questions Are Already There in the Hearts of Children

The Role of Philosophy in the Classrooms of Our Public Schools in an Age when Standardized Instruction is Crowding out the Domain of Inquiry

Jonathan Kozol received the National Book Award in Science, Philosophy, and Religion for Death at an Early Age; the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for Rachel and Her Children; and countless other honors for Savage Inequalities,Amazing Grace, and his most recent writings about poverty and justice. When he’s not with children and their teachers in classrooms, he is likely to be found at colleges and universities, where he lectures on the urgent need to let our children ask the big questions – – including questions about ethics and identity and how we frame our purpose in life – – that are often already in their hearts.

Concurrent Sessions I: 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Elementary School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 241

Chair: Janice Moskalik, University of Washington

Philosophy Cafes in Elementary Schools: Just How Fantastic Was Fantastic Mr. Fox? A Case Study of An 8-week Philosophy Café for Elementary School Students – Kate Kennedy White, Director of Kinder Philosophy, Australia

“Draw a brave person!” – “Um, That’s a rainbow”: The Challenges (and Benefits) of Doing Philosophy with Young English Language Learners – Sara Goering, University of Washington

Middle School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 251

Chair: Wendy Turgeon, St. Joseph’s College

Philosothons: An Inclusive Event That Engages Students in Philosophical Discussion – Susan Paff, Northern New South Wales, Australia, and Michelle Rocca and Bonnie Zuidland, Victoria, Australia

Philosophy You Can See and Touch: How to Enhance the Visual and Tactile Experience of Inquiry for Children – Natalie M. Fletcher, Concordia University

High School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 271

Chair: Allison Cohen, Langley High School, Virginia

Building a Philosophy Program Through Solitude and Collaboration – Diana Senechal, Columbia Secondary School, New York

Establishing an Ethos of Inquiry – Carl Rosin, Radnor High School, Pennsylvania

Theoretical Issues Track, Mary Gates Hall room 231

Chair: Susan Gardner, Capilano University

Blending Pre-College Philosophy with New Movements in Education – Amy Leask, Enable Education/Enable Publishing

Philosophical Inquiry in Teacher Education – Debi Talukdar, University of Washington


12:15-1:30 pm Lunch (on your own)

From 12:15-12:50, Tom Wartenberg will present and discuss the PBS documentary Big Ideas for Little Kids, which is about his college course and has been nominated for a regional Emmy – Mary Gates Hall Commons (135)


Concurrent Sessions II: 1:30
2:45 pm

Elementary School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 241

Chair: Natalie M. Fletcher, Concordia University

The Straw that Breaks the Camel’s Back? Arguing for the Inclusion of Philosophy in the Already Over-stretched English Primary Curriculum – Rhiannon Love, University of Winchester

Agora, Leeds Philosophy Exchange – Grace Robinson, University of Leeds

Middle School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 251

Chair: Sara Goering, University of Washington

The Play’s the Thing: Why Two-minute Plays, and Role Play Simulations Can Be Exciting Alternatives to Children’s Books as Discussion Prompts – Paul Bodin and Anna Cook, University of Oregon

Using Film to Teach Philosophy in Middle School – Thomas Wartenberg, Mount Holyoke College

High School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 271

Chair: Karen Emmerman, University of Washington

Academic Engagement in Perspectives: Broadening The Organization of Student-led Equitable Philosophical Inquiry – Stacey Cabrera and Hira Shah, Mira Costa High School, California

Socratic Aporia in the Classroom and the Development of Resilience – Stephen Kekoa Miller, Oakwood Friends School & Marist College, New York

Theoretical Issues Track, Mary Gates Hall room 231

Chair: Jessica Davis, Teachers College, Columbia University

The Inventive Schoolmaster: We Invent or We Err – Walter Omar Kohan, State University of Rio de Janeiro

From Equality to Dialogue – Keren Sadan, The Minerva Humanities Center, Tel Aviv University

 

Coffee and snacks available at 2:45 pm – Mary Gates Hall Commons (135)

At 2:50 pm, Jana Mohr Lone and Sara Goering will present the 15-minute film Philosophical Children, showcasing children engaged in philosophical inquiry in classes lead by the UW Center for Philosophy for Children – Mary Gates Hall Commons (135)

Concurrent Sessions III: 3:15 4:30 pm

Elementary School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 241

Chair: Chris Ng, San Francisco Bay Area Outreach

Philosophy for Easily Distracted Third Graders: “Philosopher Kids” at the Good Shepherd School of New Orleans – Jon Altschul, Loyola University

Philosophical Bookends: Beginning and Ending Philosophy Lessons for College Students and Second Graders in the Same Way – David Shapiro, Cascadia College and the University of Washington Center for Philosophy for Children

High School Track

Session 1, Mary Gates Hall room 251

Chair: Steve Goldberg, Oak Park and River Forest High School, Chicago

The Usefulness (or not) of Teaching Normative Ethical Theory in Pre-College Philosophy – Vanya Kovach, Discipline of Philosophy, University of Auckland, New Zealand and Philosophy for Children New Zealand

What Is “Relevance” in a Philosophy Curriculum? – Ron Gunczler and Nicholas Pape, Columbia Secondary School, New York

Session 2, Mary Gates Hall room 271

Chair: Di’Anna Duran, University of Washington

Citizen-Students: Using Social Contract Theory to Foster an Inclusive and Cooperative Classroom – James R. Davis, Boston University Academy

Teaching Political Economy in the High School Classroom – Michael Schleeter , Pacific Lutheran University

Theoretical Issues Track, Mary Gates Hall room 231

Chair: Bridget DuRuz, University of Washington

Authenticity: It Should and Can Be Nurtured – Susan T. Gardner, Capilano University, and Daniel Anderson, Vancouver Institute of Philosophy for Children and Think Fun Camps

Poetry and Truth: Inviting Children to Think About Animals and Experience – Wendy C. Turgeon, St. Joseph’s College

4:30-6 pm Drinks and light appetizers – Mary Gates Hall Commons

 

Tuesday, June 30

Bagels and fruit, coffee and tea available at 8:30 am

9:00–10:30 am Fishbowl Session: The Goals of Precollege Philosophy
Mary Gates Hall Commons (135)

This session will be devoted to an interactive group discussion about some of the central issues pertaining to pre-college philosophy and its future. Fishbowl discussions generally begin with brief framing comments from a pre-selected group; following these initial comments, attendees are encouraged to step forward and actively participate in the discussion, whether by raising a question or offering comment or idea for the group to consider. The discussion then proceeds in dialogic fashion. In our fishbowl session, a group of faculty, teachers, and students who are all involved in pre-college philosophy initiatives will offer framing comments.

Some initial questions for group consideration will include:

  1. As a community of philosophers, teachers, and students, what should serve as (some) common guiding goals for pre-college philosophy over the next 5 years?
  2. What makes for a successful pre-college philosophy class, project, or program? By what terms, goals, or metrics do we understand or measure the success (or failure) of this work with children? With teachers? In schools more generally?

Facilitated by Michael Burroughs, Rock Ethics Institute, Pennsylvania State University


Concurrent Sessions IV: 11:00 am 12:15 pm

Elementary School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 241

Chair: Mark Balawender, Michigan State University

Philosophy for Children and Ecocritical Pedagogy – Ezgi Sertler, Michigan State University

Philosophy and Endless Connections: Weaving Philosophy into the Curriculum and Everyday Life – Lin Josephson, South Mountain Elementary School, New Jersey

Middle School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 251

Chair: Thomas Wartenberg, Mount Holyoke College

Building Peace, from Mali to Michigan – Stephen L. Esquith, Michigan State University

Philosophy with Children and Adolescents and Virtual Memorial Sites – Arie Kizel, Haifa University, Israel

High School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 271

Chair: James Davis, Boston University Academy, Boston

Older and Younger Students “Doing” Philosophy Together – Edwin Marks, William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia

“We are philosophers!” The Kailua High Complex’s K-12 Philosophical Schooling Experience – Chad Miller, University of Hawaii Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education

Theoretical Issues Track, Mary Gates Hall room 231

Chair: Michael Burroughs, Rock Ethics Institute, Pennsylvania State University

Philosophy in Public Places – Janette Poulton, Victorian Association for Philosophy in Schools

The Role of Agreement in Public Participatory Philosophy: Rational Consensus at Café Philosophy – Michael Picard, Simon Fraser University


12:15-1:30 pm Lunch (on your own)


Concurrent Sessions V: 1:30 – 2:45 pm

Elementary School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 241

Chair: Debi Talukdar, University of Washington

Learning Equity through Experience – Gilbert Burgh and Simone Thornton, The University of Queensland

Culturally Responsive Philosophy: Observations with Contrasting Student Populations – Di’Anna Duran, University of Washington

Middle School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 251

Chair: David Shapiro, Cascadia College and the University of Washington Center for Philosophy for Children

Identity Crisis: Philosophy in the Middle School Classroom – Jesse Walsh, Boston University

Learning Skills of Inquiry Through Playing Games – Chris Ng, San Francisco Bay Area Outreach, and Jessica Yusaitis Pike and Justin Devane, Teachers College, Columbia University

High School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 271

Chair: Allison Cohen, Langley High School, Virginia

Using Film to Understand the Categorical Imperative – Kerry Bader, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Connecticut

Creating Communities of Philosophical Inquiry: An International Approach – Jennifer Cattaneo, Santa Fe Christian School, California

Philosophy Outside the High School Classroom: A Case Study of Philosophical Inquiry with a Diverse Group – Lena Green, University of the Western Cape

Theoretical Issues Track, Mary Gates Hall room 231

Chair: Janice Moskalik, University of Washington

The Gated Community of Inquiry? – Darren Chetty, UCL Institute of Education, London

Children’s Philosophical Encounters: Taking Seriously the Role of Privilege in Classrooms – Jana Mohr Lone, University of Washington

 

Concurrent Sessions VI: 3:15 4:30 pm

Elementary School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 241

Chair: Amy Leask, Enable Education/Enable Publishing

Argumentation Rating Tool: An Instructional Resource To Improve The Quality of Classroom Discussions – Alina Reznitskaya, Montclair State University

Why It’s Good to Teach Philosophical Reasoning – Janice Moskalik, University of Washington

High School Track, Mary Gates Hall room 251

Chair: Susan Gardner, Capilano University

Ethics Bowl as an Effective Pedagogical Strategy for Teaching Ethics – Karen Mizell, Utah Valley University

Reflections on the First Annual Long Island High School Philosophy Conference – Sean Riley, The Stony Brook School

Theoretical Issues Track, Mary Gates Hall room 271

Chair: Jana Mohr Lone, University of Washington

Doing What a Virtuous Person Would Do: Investigating the Role of Authority in the Development and Motivation of Virtue in School-aged Children – Nicholas Shudak, University of South Dakota, and Paul Anders, Mount Marty College, South Dakota

Education, Research, and the Advancement of Pre-College Philosophy – Michael D. Burroughs, Rock Ethics Institute, Pennsylvania State University

Poster Session, Mary Gates Hall room 231

Chair: Peter Worley, The Philosophy Foundation, UK

Counterfactual Thinking and Moral Judgment in Ethical and Equity Inquiry – Alessia Marabini, University of Bologna

Teachers’ Experiences of a Learning Styles Approach to Curriculum Implementation: Dunn and Done? –Desiree Moodley, Cape Town

Teaching Justice and Equity Among Children: Matthew Lipman’s Philosophy for Children and the Place for Philosophy in the Philippine K-12 Curriculum – Marella Ada V. Mancenido–Bolaños, University of Santo Tomas, Manila

Kevin and the Virtue Hikes: A Logic-Based Therapy Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum for K-2 Students – Laura Newhart, Eastern Kentucky University

Philosophy for Children in the American Frontier – Abraham Monteros, University of Texas, El Paso


4:30
5:00 pm Final Session: Goals and aspirations: Where do we go from here?
Mary Gates Hall room 241

A group discussion facilitated by Jana Mohr Lone, University of Washington

 

MAKE THE MOST OF IT!

ICPIC, The International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children, will be holding its 17th international conference in Vancouver immediately before the PLATO conference, from June 25-27, 2015, at the University of British Columbia. The ICPIC conference theme is “Identity and Philosophical Inquiry in the Age of Diversity.”

For more details, including the call for papers, see: http://icpic2015.educ.ubc.ca/ 

There is a shuttle bus between Vancouver and Seattle that costs approximately $45 one way or $70 round trip. It is our hope that many participants will come to both conferences and, in the process, take the opportunity to explore both of these two beautiful West Coast North American cities.


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Suzanne

Fantastic that there is the opportunity for those working with children and philosophy to meet and to inspire each other… but where are preschools in all of this?
I work at Filosofiska Preschool in Stockholm, Sweden and we work philsophically with the children… many elements are pre-philosophy.

I have been to Canada recently and shared our journey with teachers there… since there are many skills children need to be able to particiapte in a philsophical dialogue… listening being an important one…
I think it would be interesting to have preschool and pre-philosophy as a part of this conference

WGAdmin

We would love to have a session about preschool and pre-philosophy skills. Hope you can join us!

To Whom it may concern,
Cefilni Consulting from Norway is going to present the research Phd project named Adel Alas in Wonderl-anguage.
We will present the same paper to Plato conference.
http://adel-alas.jimdo.com

Mr Esheya Greg

I wish to know according to your guideline if full papers for the conference will be developed along with the proposal or after January, 2015 when you must have communicated authors about the status of their proposals?

Joanna Haynes

How much is registration for the conference. I’m sorry I can’t see that information

Jana Mohr Lone

Full papers are not necessary until after notifications about acceptance of the proposals have been communicated. Registration information and fees will be up in the next week. The registration fee is $150 or $115 for PLATO members.

LAURANCE SPLITTER

I should like to know if it is too late to offer to present something at the PLATO conference. I realize i am very late. I am planning to attend the ICPIC conference. My new book entitled “Identity and Persons: Confusions and Clarifications across Disciplines” will be published soon and deals, in part, with both equity and inquiry.

Gary Bartlett

Will there soon be an outline of the schedule? I’m trying to plan travel and accommodation, and it’s a bit hard when I don’t know exactly when (on the 29th) the conference starts or exactly when (on the 30th) it ends. (Since I live in Washington state, it may be feasible for me to travel home on the evening of the 30th; but I need to know the timing.)