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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Why didn't the Tooth Fairy, a First Grader wonders, take my tooth?  In this week's story Dr. J marvels at the imagination of children as they deliberate this vexing question.

In 1991 I enrolled as a graduate student in the Philosophy Department at the University of Hawai‘i.  Philosophy graduate school changed me.  Some of these changes were obvious.  I grew my hair long and started walking around without any shoes.  But some of these changes were more subtle.  I became a better, less sloppy, and more careful thinker.

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.

What can one do to deal with scary ideas like monsters under the bed and divorce? In this story Dr. J tells us about the thoughts of a class of Kindergarten students.

In this video post, our group will continue their demonstration of the basic, "Plain Vanilla" method by showing you Steps 2 & 3.  In Step 2 the students generate questions for discussions.  Then, in Step 3, they select one of these questions for discussion.

The filming of these videos was done by UH Uehiro Academy (the home of p4cHI) intern Ryan Roberts.  Ryan would come in early Saturday morning, download video, and prepare for the day's filming while I went and collected the students.  We would usually film for about an hour and a half and would try to shoot 2 or 3 videos in a day.