Collaboration using philosophy for children

This chapter discusses the process and findings in a Scottish initiative that encouraged collaborative dialogue in elementary school classrooms. For 16 months, 10-and 11-year-old children participated in one hour of weekly inquiry in which philosophical themes were identified in a series of stories and discussed. The evaluation of this study used mixed methods (standardised tests, analysis of video recordings and questionnaire analysis). A follow-up evaluation took place two years after the original study. A key finding was that this type of intervention could result in sustainable cognitive gains in children involved in regular collaborative classroom dialogue. There was also evidence that the inquiry process could lead to increased participation in discussion, enhancement of critical thinking and socio-emotional developments. The implications of these findings for teachers and educational administrators are identified and discussed. © 2015 Nova Science Publishers, Inc