considering subject positions with biesta

Authors

  • riku välitalo Oulu University, Finland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12957/childphilo.2017.29936

Keywords:

philosophy for children, subjectivity, gert biesta, community of philosophical inquiry, education

Abstract

People who attended the ICPIC conference last summer were given a opportunity to consider some perspectives offered by the acknowledged scholar and educational thinker, Gert Biesta. His presentation in Madrid focused on exploring the educational significance of doing philosophy with children from a particular viewpoint. Biesta addressed the question of whether Philosophy for Children (P4C) movement can offer something more than a clear head, that is, a critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinker. To get the message through, he analysed some wider patterns in the educational field, namely the rise of the language of learning in various educational environments. According to Biesta, this shift has created tendencies towards egocentrism in education. He articulated a subject position from which we can also start addressing the heart and soul of others. In what follows, I will explore this different take on positioning students basing on my reading of the scholarship of P4C and the talk of Gert Biesta accompanied with reading of his other works. I will offer a few views that seem to entail connections between the scholarship in P4C and Biesta. Furthermore, I will pose some questions the talk provoked.

Author Biography

riku välitalo, Oulu University, Finland

Riku Välitalo teaches at a Teacher Training school of Oulu University (Finland) and has practiced Philosophy for Children pedagogy for almost ten years. He is also a postgraduate student at the University of Oulu, where he delivers courses on teaching ethics on K-12 level.

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Published

2017-09-08

How to Cite

välitalo, riku. (2017). considering subject positions with biesta. Childhood & Philosophy, 13(28), 557–566. https://doi.org/10.12957/childphilo.2017.29936

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 28 (2017): sep./dec.

Section

dossier

License

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