In one sense Dr. Jackson's creation of the Good Thinker's Tool Kit was nothing new. After all, the tools in his toolkit are core practices in a philosophical tradition that stretches back thousands of years. (Everything, as they say, is a footnote on Plato.) But in another sense Dr. J's tool kit was revolutionary. It democratized P4C. Like a P4C Rosetta Stone, it unlocked the previously mysterious thinking of philosophers. It showed teachers and students how to do what philosophers do. Continue reading

Drawing from his many years of experience, p4cHI founder Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) shares some of his most memorable moments and significant realizations.  These stories provide us with a vibrant and oftentimes inspirational perspective on where p4cHI has come from, what it is, and, indeed, on what it could be. In this story Dr. J pays homage to Dr. Seuss and also shares the deep lesson that began when a class of Second Graders discussed a seemingly simply question:  Do you talk to yourself?  Continue reading

Why is p4cHI valuable? This question is a "Qq." It is a question within a question. The outer question "Why is p4cHI valuable?" assumes the truth of the inner question "Is p4cHI valuable?" In asking why p4cHI is valuable we are assuming that it is, in fact, valuable. But is this true? Is p4cHI really valuable? I, like many people, knew the answer to this question almost immediately when I first saw p4cHI in action. YES!!! But, while I knew, I didn't know how I knew. I couldn't articulate the value that I saw. Continue reading

In this video post we finish up our six video journey through the p4cHI basic, "Plain Vanilla" approach. In this video you'll get to see how we end each Community of Inquiry discussion with Step 5, Evaluation. Continue reading

Drawing from his many years of experience, p4cHI founder Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) shares some of his most memorable moments and significant realizations. These stories provide us with a vibrant and oftentimes inspirational perspective on where p4cHI has come from, what it is, and, indeed, on what it could be. In this story Dr. J tells us about a discussion in a First Grade class. The tragic death of a young boy's father prompts a profound and moving inquiry. Continue reading

Teachers at Waikiki Elementary School have been doing p4cHI for more than a dozen years. Waikiki School is, in fact, the model school for p4cHI in the state. Before you hear me talk about the reasons why I think p4cHI is worthwhile let's hear what these veteran p4cHI teachers think.   Continue reading

Welcome to this video in our series!  In this video post we get to the heart of p4cHI; the Community of Inquiry discussion.  You will see our group inquire together into a topic of their choosing. Continue reading

I always feel uncomfortable talking about Hawaiian concepts. I am not Hawaiian. Nor am I fluent in the Hawaiian language. While I have lived in Hawai‘i for the greater part of my life, I am (and always will be) in a very real sense foreign. And history has shown that all too often foreigners have usurped Hawaiian culture and concepts and have distorted them into a degraded and nearly unrecognizable form. Despite my discomfort, I still, like a humble and admittedly ignorant student paying homage to his teacher, sometimes speak of Hawaiian concepts. I do this because I have learned that deeply embedded within the culture and concepts of Hawai‘i is profound and much-needed wisdom. The Hawaiian elders of yesterday and today have something very important to tell us, but, more often than not, we don't listen to them. Continue reading

Drawing from his many years of experience, p4cHI founder Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) shares some of his most memorable moments and significant realizations. These stories provide us with a vibrant and oftentimes inspirational perspective on where p4cHI has come from, what it is, and, indeed, on what it could be. In this week's story Dr. J and his First Grade philosophers explore the spirit of Christmas as they delve into an intriguing question: Could Santa Die? Continue reading

In this video post we're going to transform "Plain Vanilla" into "Chocolate," "Mint Chocolate Chip," or perhaps "Strawberry."  Our group is going to demonstrate some alternative strategies for generating and selecting questions for discussion. When we were planning for this video series, I wondered if it would be hard for me to do.  After all, it is kind of unnatural for me as a facilitator to focus on only certain aspects of p4cHI rather than on the whole process. Continue reading