Uncertainty as a dimension of philosophizing with children

• Goal / content

Philosophizing with children is about open questions (philosophical questions) to which there are no clear answers. Dealing with the openness of the question and the ambiguity and uncertainty of possible answers are the same rights in philosophical conversation both for the philosophizing children and for the teachers who lead such conversations. The first on the children is about the investigation of ways of dealing with uncertainty as well as the investigation of the subjective significance of this element for children, for their thoughts and actions in and under school. There is already preliminary work in the form of discussion analyzes and in the form of the evaluation of group discussions with children about the philosophical conversation (Michalik), which are further differentiated as research approaches.

Another research focus is how teachers deal with the openness of the conversation. Philosophical discussions are also a particular challenge for teachers because they are in tension with the goals and framework of school lessons. An exploratory study based on interviews with teachers is available (Michalik). The question of the forms and determinants of how teachers deal with uncertainty is of particular importance because the way in which teachers deal with the moment of "uncertainty" in both a philosophical and pedagogical sense is not only decisive for the scope of the children for exploration, development and use of the uncertain, but because here also opportunities and limits of uncertainty show up as an impulse for the development of teaching in specialist teaching.

• Status of the project

The first part of the data collection (24 interviews with teachers) has been completed and the data analysis is about to be completed. The second part of the data collection (group discussions with children) is in progress.

• Publications

Michalik, Kerstin (2019): Teacher and learner perspectives on Philosophical Discussion. Uncertainty as a Challenge and Opportunity. In: Childhood and Philosophy, 15, S. 125-144.

Michalik, Kerstin (2018): Ungewissheit als Herausforderung und Chance – Perspektiven von Lehrerinnen und Kindern auf das philosophische Gespräch. In: de Boer, Heike/Michalik, Kerstin (Hg.) (2018): Philosophieren mit Kindern. Forschungszugänge und -perspektiven. Opladen, Toronto.

Helzel, Gudrun/Michalik, Kerstin (2016): Kindliche Entwicklungsprozesse beim Philosophieren mit Kindern. Eine empirische Untersuchung zu Mehr-Perspektivität und Ungewissheitstoleranz. In: Fischer, H.-J./ Giest, H./Michalik, K. (Hrsg.): Bildung im und durch Sachunterricht. Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhard, S. 189-196.

Helzel, Gudrun: Kindliche Entwicklungsprozesse beim Philosophieren mit Kindern. Eine empirische Studie zu Ungewissheit und Mehrperspektivität. Oplanden Berlin, Toronto 2018.