“…philosophy involves converting the classroom into a community of cooperative inquiry, where all are democratically entitled to be heard, where each learns from the other, and where the spoken dialogue among the members of the class, when internalized and rendered an inner forum in the mind of each participant, is the basis of the process known as thinking.”
— Matthew Lipman, Philosophy Goes to SchoolThe Philosophy for Schools Association of New South Wales is a non-profit organization that promotes philosophy education in schools.
The Philosophy for Schools Association of New South Wales is a non-profit organization that promotes philosophy education in schools. It aims to enable school students to become more effective and discerning thinkers by engaging in discussion, inquiry and reflective thinking, through which they can learn to articulate, examine and question ideas which they find puzzling and intriguing. In the course of this activity they build classroom communities of inquiry in which interpersonal communication, respect for ideas, and heightened self-esteem are key features.
The Association’s primary activity is the provision of professional development for teachers, but members of the association are also involved in allied research and development.
Membership is open to classroom teachers, philosophers, and other people with a professional or personal interest in the contribution that philosophy can make to teaching and learning.
The Philosophy for Schools Association of New South Wales is a founding member of the Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Associations (FAPSA), which is affiliated with the International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children (ICPIC), a world-wide organisation for philosophers and educators engaged in philosophy in schools and with young people.
Download FAPSA Conference
Committee Members
President: Philip Cam
Vice President: Michael Parker
Secretary: Sandra Lynch
Treasurer: Allan Pride
FAPSA National Council Representative: Greg Leaney