PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN: A NOVEL DESIGN FOR EDUCATIONAL THEORY AND K-12 CURRICULUM

Since the early 1970s Philosophy for Children has emerged as a dynamic curricular movement in elementary and secondary schools. The core of this program consists of a series of philosophical children's novels written by Matthew Lipman, Professor of Philosophy and Founder and Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) at Montclair State College in Montclair, New Jersey. The design of this program provides a model for the inclusion of philosophy in the classroom grades K-12.;The approach of the study is to provide a theoretical framework and to describe the content and methodology of the novels. This framework consists first of an introduction to Lipman's program within the context of recent pre-college curricula in American education. It also includes a discussion of the underlying assumptions in Philosophy for Children which are consistent with and illuminated by major principles in the educational theory of John Dewey. These assumptions will be seen to be embodied consistently in the content and structure of Lipman's novels. The discussion proceeds finally to a thorough descriptive exposition of the novels and other IAPC materials in order to assess the extent to which this curriculum is based upon a coherent educational philosophy and a consistent methodology. The method of describing the content and structure of the novels is primarily that of content and critical analysis.;A careful reading of the novels, and their manuals, and selected primary sources of Lipman, Dewey and other pragmatists reveals that Philosophy for Children is a systematic, cohesive and comprehensive model for the inclusion of philosophy in the curriculum K-12. The content of the novels raises genuine philosophical issues and the pedagogy of the program requires reconsideration of teacher education. The educational design of Philosophy for Children reflects both a coherent philosophy of education suggestive of Dewey and a persuasive theory of childhood.;The rationale, content and methodology of Philosophy for Children is predicated upon a number of presuppositions about the nature of philosophy, education, and childhood. There has been no systematic examination of these underlying assumptions, nor has there been an attempt to place this program within the context of twentieth century American educational theory. The author's purposes in this dissertation are to examine and evaluate the design and goals of Philosophy for Children as a general educational theory or philosophy of education; to describe and discuss the content of the novels and the methodology of the program; and to inquire into the contributions that Lipman makes to philosophy of childhood and teacher education.