Children, Philosophy, and Democracy

Dennis Blake is a visual arts teacher with the Halton Board of
Education.

This collection of 14 articles—assembled by John Portelli, a professor
of education at Mount Saint Vincent University, and Ronald Reed,
director of the Creative and Critical Thinking Center at Texas Wesleyan
University—reflects the current pedagogical thought concerning the
development of philosophy and critical thinking in children. The issues
addressed by the authors give rise to a more general debate about the
nature of education within our society. As an outgrowth of the
Philosophy for Children program, the book serves as a tutor text,
outlining the experiences of those who teach and study children with an
eye to developing their critical-thinking facilities. For any teacher or
educator who has struggled with the philosophical underpinnings of
Bloom’s taxonomy, this book contains many invaluable insights.