OVERALL GUIDELINES

FOR A

VIP4C P4C CERTIFICATE

A VIP4C P4C CERTIFICATE will be awarded to those individuals as a testament that they are deemed competent (a) from a theoretical point of view, to engage in discussions that are pertinent to contemporary issues in the field of Philosophy for Children (P4C); and (b) that they have had extensive experience in observing, participating in, as well as facilitating multiple Communities of Philosophical Inquiry (CPI). 

The following are the prerequisites for certification.  

  1. At least 2 years of experience as a working member of THE THINKING PLAYGROUND camps held at UFV, in Abbotsford, Canada (or its equivalent), in which the candidate will participate in at least 20 CPI’s run by a VIP4C facilitator (10 per year), and have run at least 8 CPI’s under the supervision of a VIP4C facilitator (4 per year). (Note: a candidate must be deemed reasonably competent in this regard.)
  2. Attend at least 8 THINKING PLAYGROUND meetings in one academic year (unless otherwise organized with the director), during which, among other things, assigned writings will be discussed.
  3. A demonstrated understanding of issues pertinent to P4C through reading 8 batches of assigned readings, and submitting before the due date, 2 paragraphs on each reading: one which briefly summarizes the main point(s) of the article, and another which briefly summarizes your own reflection of those points, which should include, where relevant, your stand on the issue under discussion (try to avoid padding with questions).

These should be submitted to one or more of the supervising VIP4C directors.

Note: as submissions after the due date create more work all around as well as a less-than-optimal CPI with regard to those readings, more than one late submission will disqualify the candidate from certification (note that submissions may still be sent in even if one is unable to attend the meeting due to illness, and other understandable absence—see above).

Note: if your write-up does not demonstrate an understanding of the main points of the article, i.e., if it is not evident that you could state succinctly what the article is about, you will be asked to rewrite it.

Note: all other submissions will receive a brief acknowledgement (usually no more than 3 sentences).

  1. Facilitation of at least one CPI during meeting time for which detailed feedback will be given.
  2. A 2000-word essay on an issue of interest that pertains to P4C (suggestion—keep a log of all CPI’s of which you have been a part and write on what you learned from the different experiences—what worked, what didn’t work), OR a longer essay that you would like to submit for potential publication. If you are interested in the latter, THE THINKING PLAYGROUND executives are happy to work with you.

For more information, contact Dr. Susan Gardner (email Dr. Sue)