Spirituality, progressive education, and Philosophy for Children

In this self-study (Samaras & Freese 2006), two authors explore the intersection of spirituality, progressive education, and Philosophy for Children (P4C). Researchers ask, ‘How does cultivating spirituality in a classroom deepen the aims of progressive education and P4C?’ A review of the literature makes important distinctions between spirituality and religion in educational settings (Peabody 2022), connecting ‘spiritual development as an integrated purpose of schooling’ (Moulin-Stozek 2020, p. 1) to the aims of progressive educators (e.g. Pestalozzi, Froebel, Dewey, Pratt & Parker) and P4C practitioners in Hawai‘i (e.g. Jackson, Lukey, Makaiau, Miller, & Yos). Main sources of data include: professional records, personal reflections, and classroom observations collected for five months in a kindergarten classroom located at a large independent school in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Applied self-study research methods (Samaras 2011) are used to analyse the data. Three primary findings emerge: 1) rituals and reverence support the development of philosophical communities of inquiry; 2) spiritual dispositions of wonder and awe, and intellectually safe spaces, are mutually supportive; and 3) a teacher’s personal spirituality acts as a resource in their role as a progressive educator and P4C practitioner. At the article’s conclusion, the authors reflect on the intersections of spirituality, progressive education, and P4C by connecting John Dewey’s (1908) philosophical insights on ‘Religion and Our Schools’ to educational and societal issues facing the modern era.