Page 482 - Amechanon_vol1_2016-18

Amechanon, Vol. I / 2016-2018, ISSN: 2459-2846

So you have been in the classroom: it is very important, because you can see the links

between philosophy and the real teaching practice.

Yes. So I’ve started the program of teacher training creating an association devoted to

teacher training and to transform teacher in philosophical facilitator in the community of

inquiry. And at the same time doing community of inquiry in my classroom, in order to have
the experience of philosophical thinking with children and also with students of secondary

school. And this part was really important for me, because it was the basis of all my
empirical studies about the development of argumentation skills in children and youth

through philosophical discourse, dialogue within community of inquiry structured
following the main lines of P4C. I choose this main line that for me was meant to create a

community of inquiry, that is to say, at the same time, a community of learning, a
community of discourse, a community of practice and a community of inquiry. This four

communities, that I called tetra-community, were the only possibility that we can have in
order to transform classroom into a community, taking to account that classroom is a

specific place and time that the institution as a school, creates in order to educate young
generation. But in the classroom you have time, tasks, specific tasks, so you cannot do

whatever you want. In my opinion, not all practices are good, not all experience could be
proposed in a classroom. You can propose them in another context, but not in the

classroom, which has specific commitment in the society, which has to do with language,
with culture with access to culture, with feasibility of language, different languages and

different cultures - so for me, it was really important to put into practice community of
inquiry; in fact transforming community of inquiry into an inclusive community in which all

these four dimensions were implied and teacher would have to transform herself into a
facilitator of this community creation. In that way one have to change perspective, to

change position, to change the means that she uses in order to support this transformation
from classroom to community. It is about an inclusive community, because an authentic

community of inquiry maintains in itself the dimensions of learning, of discourse -a lot of

discourses- and of a community of practice. Practice for me means experience. The way in
which you can do experience that could be transformed into practice, is when this
experience is shared and become full of shattering meanings. For me practice is an

experience that is shattering and full of shattering meaning. This is a practice.

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