Creating a learning environment conducive to children’s well-being through philosophy with children in a Scottish classroom

Abstract

This article presents a small-scale study that sought to explore in what ways Philosophy with Children (PwC) might support a classroom environment that is conducive to children’s well-being. Following a series of Community of Philosophical Inquiry sessions with a class of nineteen Primary six children (ten- and eleven-year-olds) in a Scottish primary school, seven themes emerged as important when establishing a learning environment conducive to children’s well-being: structure, participation, dynamics of interaction, emotional response, listening, confidence, and teachers’ practice. These themes were identified through analysis of the teacher’s and CoPI facilitator’s observations during the sessions and the recorded dialogues following the sessions. In addition, the teacher was interviewed at the end of the intervention period. The results of the study also suggest that the notion of well-being with a focus on the individual may be overly narrow and that nurturing community allows children to recognise themselves as part of a wider whole, thereby enriching their well-being.