The Thinking Playground in West Africa

We are practicing our pedagogical approach beyond North America!

Under the supervision of our educational director, we have started a Thinking Playgrounds project in Old Fadama, Ghana (finished) and Abobo, Ivory Coast. From 2016 to 2018, Arthur worked with a group of children aged nine to sixteen and their teacher in Ghana, with the goal being to nurture a sensitivity to critical, creative and cooperative thinking and, thereby, to enhance agency. While cultivating their philosophical sensibilities relevant to their cultural context, Arthur has kept a diary including its celebratory and challenging times.

Having been awarded a generous grant by JICU Foundation, Arthur is now organizing several projects in Ivory Coast. He is creating philosophical tours and activities for children and artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Abobo (Abidjan) and working with students at the Collège Anador in Abobo, while also sharing these activities and the related reseach with students online and in person in Abobo.

It is our hope that at some point in the future, we may be able to send a team of THINKING PLAYGROUND counsellors to Ghana and Ivory Coast.