What online dialogue facilitation reveals about the importance of physical space in philosophical inquiries with children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/lom.v19i33.161796Keywords:
facilitator experiences, facilitation tools, learning environment, physical space, online dialogue, philosophy with childrenAbstract
Over the past decades, there has been a growing interest in empirical research on Philosophy with Children. However, the primary focus has been on the activities’ effects on children, with other key aspects remaining unexplored. In this empirical study, we address the importance of physical spaces for philosophical inquiry by examining what happens when inquiries are conducted in online environments. Five facilitators recorded their experiences of 58 online philosophical inquiries. Our analysis showed that the facilitators had mixed experiences of children’s activity and dialogue quality and that some of the challenges were remarkably different from those in physical settings. We argue that the challenges can be explained by their inability to employ facilitation strategies related to physical space, objects and nearness. This conclusion agrees with existing opinions among practitioners. We suggest that physical aspects should receive greater systematic interest in future research and development within the Philosophy with Children.
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