Begin P4C (Level One)

Begin P4C, the Thoughtful Level One Course, introduces Philosophy for Children and Communities (P4C) to beginners, with the aim of equipping you with the knowledge, skills, and experiences you need to begin practising philosophical enquiry in your context, so that you can support those you work with to think, speak and listen more effectively.

When you take the course you will: 

• experience taking part in a Community of Philosophical Enquiry 
• theorise about how we philosophise and what we philosophise about 
• facilitate dialogue using procedural questions 
• plan simple philosophical exercises and enquires 
• evaluate your own thinking so you can support others to do the same 
• apply P4C to your specific context and the needs of your participants 

Minimum participants: 8 
Maximum participants: 22 

None

12 directed hours for the core course, plus (up to) 4 self-directed hours for the complete course

There are four formats for a Thoughtful Level One course:

2 sessions: 2 days, e.g. 2 X 09.00 – 16.00 
3 sessions: 3 half days, e.g. 3 X 09.00 – 13.00 
4 sessions: 1 day followed by 3 twilights, e.g. 1 X 09.00 – 16.00 and 3 X 15.30 – 17.30 
6 sessions: 6 twilights, e.g. 15.30 – 17.30

Each course follows the same structure: Experience, Theorise, Plan, Facilitate, Evaluate and Apply P4C.

Module One: Experience P4C   

• What is P4C?    
• What is it like to philosophise?     

Module Two: Theorise P4C   

• What is the method of P4C?    
• What is the content of P4C?   

Module Three: Plan P4C   

• What makes a good P4C stimulus?   
• How do I plan P4C enquiries and exercises?    

Module Four: Facilitate P4C    

• What are the aims of P4C facilitation?    
• What questions do facilitators ask and why?     

Module Five: Evaluate P4C    

• What is valuable about P4C?   
• How do learners and educators evaluate P4C?      

Module Six: Apply P4C    

• What relevance does P4C have to my practice?  
• How can P4C meet the specific needs of my learners?     

Module Seven: Practise P4C    

• What went well and how did I contribute to that?   
• What will I do next and what might that achieve?   

Module Eight: Evidence P4C  
This module requires you to provide evidence of engaging with the preceding questions.   

Learn more about assessment below.

As PDFs via Arlo our learner portal: 

• Thoughtful Level 1 course handbook 
• Deck of key slides (in handout format)

The course must be led by a registered Level One Thoughtful Trainer.  

Evidence P4C is the final self directed module of the Level One course. This module constitutes the course assessment. Assessment involves providing short reflective answers to the key questions associated with the Experience, Theorise, Plan, Facilitate, Evaluate, Apply and Practise modules

The purpose of assessment is to consolidate your learning and support your reflective practice. We recommend that you collect your reflections in your course handbook as the course progresses. To complete the Level One assessment, please use this link: https://tinyurl.com/P4CEvidenceL1

The Evidence P4C (assessment) module seeks to establish that the participant has:   

• Engaged with the exercise e.g. by answering all of questions with two or more sentences.  

• Understood the course content e.g. by using accurate and relevant P4C vocabulary.   

• Assimilated their learning e.g. by connecting P4C to their existing knowledge and skills. 

• Reflected on the course and their practice e.g. by offering personal interpretations and examples. 

 You can find full information about the assessment here.

The course outcomes are as follows:

• Certificate of Attendance (for those with 100% attendance (i.e. they have attended 6/6 modules)
• Option to catch up via video and assessment for those with > 66.67 % attendance (i.e. they have attended 4/6 or 5/6 modules)
• Option to re-take the course with < 66.67 % attendance (i.e. they have attended just 1, 2, or 3 modules out of 6).

Those with a L1  Certificate of Attendance may apply for a L1 Certificate of Achievement which is obtained after completing Practise P4C and Evidence P4C and passing the assessment.

You have 6 weeks from the end of L1 to do this (see further certification guidance).