p4c primary

P4C Primary

BIJAK conducts P4C Primary (or Philosophy Primary schoolchildren) in Indonesia and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Primary (or Elementary) schoolchildren are very curious about the world around them. They ask a lot of questions at this age. It is the time of the famous “And why? And why?” period in their life. Consequently, primary schoolchildren are naturally attracted to doing philosophy.

What is P4C Primary?

A P4C Primary session is about doing philosophy with elementary schoolchildren by getting them to explore concepts (such as friendship, family, truth, fairness, etc.) in a fun way. Led by a BIJAK facilitator, the children engage in questions and answers that stimulate their creativity and imagination to analyse and solve problems together.  

How is P4C Primary conducted?

A P4C Primary session is led by a BIJAK facilitator who instructs, guides and engages the children to participate actively. A stimulus is used to start the discussion. This can be a story, a picture, a video clip, or even an idea.  The children sit in a circle and take turns to express their opinions, ask questions and build on each other's ideas. The result is more knowledge and a deeper understanding of the topic under discussion. 
A philosophical education is 'useful and effective in ... building an individual's personality, fighting against feelings of failure in school or of personal failure, preventing violence, educating people to live together in and through debate and to be citizens in a democracy, linguistic mastery in the interaction between thought and language, learning to engage in personal, critical reflection,
independent judgement, communicating technical knowledge and self-discipline.'
unesco
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

benefits of
p4c primary

  • Children learn to formulate and ask the right questions.
  • Children acquire confidence as they learn to express their ideas and opinions.
  • Children improve their concentration as they listen attentively to others.
  • Children develop the habit of logic to analyse ideas, opinions and concepts.
  • Children build empathy and collaboration as they learn to wait for their turn to speak, listen attentively to others, change their mind, imagine answers, and work together with others to find solutions.
  • Children develop better relationships (patience, respect) with peers, teachers and family as the children discover through questions and dialogue that differences  are enriching.