Claire Cassidy - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Claire Cassidy
Although as teachers, social workers, counsellors, community educators and parents we encounter c... more Although as teachers, social workers, counsellors, community educators and parents we encounter children in a range of settings, very rarely do we think about children in terms of what they essentially are. This paper will reflect upon the notion of ‘child’ and will consider why it is important for society, and not just those who work with children, to reflect upon children and their place and role in society. It will be suggested that we need not only think about children but that to engender children’s participation in society we want thinking children, philosophical children.
Routledge eBooks, Feb 15, 2022
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal
ABSTRACT To foster children and young people’s skills, dispositions and understanding that underp... more ABSTRACT To foster children and young people’s skills, dispositions and understanding that underpin a voice agenda, practices need to be developed that support this from the earliest age. This article explores issues relating to this complex, challenging and under-researched area from the perspective of practitioners working with children aged from birth to seven. Using vignettes of practice, we explore practical and pedagogical examples and take the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the elicitation of voice through the lens of the eight factors previously identified in the Look Who’s Talking Project. Through this approach we highlight practices that elicit voice as a key element of children’s rights in a localised way, and exemplify productive connections between theory and practice.
This is an account of a collaborative project between the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde... more This is an account of a collaborative project between the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, funded by a Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Catalyst Grant (CGA/17/46).
Precollege Philosophy and Public Practice
This article proposes that children’s voice is important. It also suggests that one way in which ... more This article proposes that children’s voice is important. It also suggests that one way in which children’s voice might be supported is through Philosophy with Children. However, when teachers undertake Philosophy with Children to promote children’s voice, it is important that they reflect on their role and the practice to consider how that role and practice enable children’s voice. One way in which teachers might do this is by considering the seven factors for enabling children’s voice identified through the Look Who’s Talking project. The seven factors are as follows: definition, power, inclusivity, listening, time and space, approaches, processes and purposes. The article takes each element in turn to consider the ways in which Philosophy with Children might align with them and offers questions teachers may ask of themselves and their practice. As there is a range of approaches to Philosophy with Children, the article focuses on one model: Community of Philosophical Inquiry.
The Theory and Practice of Voice in Early Childhood, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Nov 15, 2022
childhood & philosophy, 2006
It has been asserted in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that children’s voices shoul... more It has been asserted in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that children’s voices should have a place in society and that their views and opinions should be taken into account by policy makers and those others in authority. This paper suggests that children need to be empowered and enabled to become active, participative, political agents within society. Within certain countries – in this instance, those constituting Great Britain – Education for Citizenship is on the Governmental agenda. In order for children to be educated for citizenship, it is argued that they are treated as citizens not in the future, but citizens in the present. Additionally, to further enable younger members of society to partake in the role of citizen it is here suggested that the practice of Community of Philosophical Inquiry be utilised to promote the necessary skills for full participation.
Introduction: Sixteen-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg is currently a conspicuous ... more Introduction: Sixteen-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg is currently a conspicuous presence in news bulletins. She is conspicuous less because she is vocal about global climate change than because she is a teenager. Although welcomed to speak to the United Nations, many in power have vilified her because she is young. While she does not profess to be an authority and suggests that we pay attention to scientific experts, she has been criticized for not being an expert, for being “melodramatic,” and for being too young to be taken seriously. National Review editor Rich Lowry writes: There’s a reason that we don’t look to teenagers for guidance on fraught issues of public policy. With very rare exceptions — think, say, the philosopher John Stuart Mill, who was a child prodigy — kids have nothing interesting to say to us. They just repeat back what they’ve been told by adults, with less nuance and maturity.
childhood & philosophy
This article considers children’s status in society and how this may be elevated with a view to i... more This article considers children’s status in society and how this may be elevated with a view to imagining a possible future. Children’s status is such that the structures and systems under which they live diminish their agency. In so doing, their opportunity to contribute to the shaping of what appears to be an uncertain future is limited. The article proposes that looking towards children as saviours of our tomorrows is misguided and that a healthier view is to recognise the networked nature of children, which recognises children’s humanity and sees them as connected to the world in which and of which they are a part. By accepting the networked nature of children, adults may come to think and behave differently towards children, beginning to see themselves and children as ‘one among many’. This perspective allows for compassion, a notion that supports our living together. This article proposes that Philosophy with Children may offer an approach to engaging in community and dialogue...
Gareth B. Matthews, The Child's Philosopher, 2021
childhood & philosophy
This book review discusses Walter O. Kohan and Barbara Weber's edited volume, Thinking, Child... more This book review discusses Walter O. Kohan and Barbara Weber's edited volume, Thinking, Childhood, and Time.
Scottish Educational Review, Nov 30, 2020
This article examines the implementation of a programme of professional learning, designed to sup... more This article examines the implementation of a programme of professional learning, designed to support understanding of school leadership in a school that sought to effect change through teachers' professional learning. Working with a universitybased tutor who adopted a responsive approach, participants shaped the programme over a seven-month period. The evidence is presented from teachers' reflections on leadership, observations of the sessions, and post-programme interviews. The evidence is presented under six themes, which emerged through an iterative process of content analysis, as follows: the individual versus community; relationships; culture; reflection; emotions; and impact/action. Participants indicated their understanding of leadership had evolved over the course of the programme. This led to a more collegiate and collaborative approach being welcomed, where leadership at all levels was valued. They considered that this was achieved largely through having opportunities to engage in professional dialogue with peers, which was normally seen as difficult given day-today priorities.
Scottish Educational Review, 2019
Kindheit – Bildung – Erziehung. Philosophische Perspektiven, 2021
There is an increasing recognition of the potential of collaborative approaches to research in Ed... more There is an increasing recognition of the potential of collaborative approaches to research in Education. This paper focuses on how communities can be nurtured to develop, foster and support enquiry that may contribute to educational research. The paper offers an analysis of how different types of communities of enquiry are conceptualised from a range of academic perspectives. In addition it contains an account of how our own community of enquiry, formed to carry out this piece of work, has evolved over a period of six months. A tentative set of recommendations is drawn from these two sources. The recommendations are preliminary ones because, as our findings are disseminated, we anticipate being able to refine and extend them through dialogue with our readers.
This paper shares initial findings from a Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI) project offer... more This paper shares initial findings from a Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI) project offered to young people within a secure residential setting in order that they might develop the confidence and skills that will be useful to their lives and that will be transferable to the wider community on leaving the Centre. Secure residential settings such as the Centre where the study takes place are reserved for young people who have committed serious crimes. The outcomes for individuals leaving secure care are extremely poor. Addressing such difficulties whilst in secure care is complex and requires a range of interventions. In this project, CoPI is used as a unique approach to augment other strategies used in the Centre in helping to address complex needs such as emotional and physical neglect and/or abuse, trauma, and personal behaviour that have placed the young people and others at considerable risk. Evidence will demonstrate whether participation supports them to communicate mor...
Although as teachers, social workers, counsellors, community educators and parents we encounter c... more Although as teachers, social workers, counsellors, community educators and parents we encounter children in a range of settings, very rarely do we think about children in terms of what they essentially are. This paper will reflect upon the notion of ‘child’ and will consider why it is important for society, and not just those who work with children, to reflect upon children and their place and role in society. It will be suggested that we need not only think about children but that to engender children’s participation in society we want thinking children, philosophical children.
Routledge eBooks, Feb 15, 2022
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal
ABSTRACT To foster children and young people’s skills, dispositions and understanding that underp... more ABSTRACT To foster children and young people’s skills, dispositions and understanding that underpin a voice agenda, practices need to be developed that support this from the earliest age. This article explores issues relating to this complex, challenging and under-researched area from the perspective of practitioners working with children aged from birth to seven. Using vignettes of practice, we explore practical and pedagogical examples and take the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the elicitation of voice through the lens of the eight factors previously identified in the Look Who’s Talking Project. Through this approach we highlight practices that elicit voice as a key element of children’s rights in a localised way, and exemplify productive connections between theory and practice.
This is an account of a collaborative project between the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde... more This is an account of a collaborative project between the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, funded by a Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Catalyst Grant (CGA/17/46).
Precollege Philosophy and Public Practice
This article proposes that children’s voice is important. It also suggests that one way in which ... more This article proposes that children’s voice is important. It also suggests that one way in which children’s voice might be supported is through Philosophy with Children. However, when teachers undertake Philosophy with Children to promote children’s voice, it is important that they reflect on their role and the practice to consider how that role and practice enable children’s voice. One way in which teachers might do this is by considering the seven factors for enabling children’s voice identified through the Look Who’s Talking project. The seven factors are as follows: definition, power, inclusivity, listening, time and space, approaches, processes and purposes. The article takes each element in turn to consider the ways in which Philosophy with Children might align with them and offers questions teachers may ask of themselves and their practice. As there is a range of approaches to Philosophy with Children, the article focuses on one model: Community of Philosophical Inquiry.
The Theory and Practice of Voice in Early Childhood, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Nov 15, 2022
childhood & philosophy, 2006
It has been asserted in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that children’s voices shoul... more It has been asserted in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that children’s voices should have a place in society and that their views and opinions should be taken into account by policy makers and those others in authority. This paper suggests that children need to be empowered and enabled to become active, participative, political agents within society. Within certain countries – in this instance, those constituting Great Britain – Education for Citizenship is on the Governmental agenda. In order for children to be educated for citizenship, it is argued that they are treated as citizens not in the future, but citizens in the present. Additionally, to further enable younger members of society to partake in the role of citizen it is here suggested that the practice of Community of Philosophical Inquiry be utilised to promote the necessary skills for full participation.
Introduction: Sixteen-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg is currently a conspicuous ... more Introduction: Sixteen-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg is currently a conspicuous presence in news bulletins. She is conspicuous less because she is vocal about global climate change than because she is a teenager. Although welcomed to speak to the United Nations, many in power have vilified her because she is young. While she does not profess to be an authority and suggests that we pay attention to scientific experts, she has been criticized for not being an expert, for being “melodramatic,” and for being too young to be taken seriously. National Review editor Rich Lowry writes: There’s a reason that we don’t look to teenagers for guidance on fraught issues of public policy. With very rare exceptions — think, say, the philosopher John Stuart Mill, who was a child prodigy — kids have nothing interesting to say to us. They just repeat back what they’ve been told by adults, with less nuance and maturity.
childhood & philosophy
This article considers children’s status in society and how this may be elevated with a view to i... more This article considers children’s status in society and how this may be elevated with a view to imagining a possible future. Children’s status is such that the structures and systems under which they live diminish their agency. In so doing, their opportunity to contribute to the shaping of what appears to be an uncertain future is limited. The article proposes that looking towards children as saviours of our tomorrows is misguided and that a healthier view is to recognise the networked nature of children, which recognises children’s humanity and sees them as connected to the world in which and of which they are a part. By accepting the networked nature of children, adults may come to think and behave differently towards children, beginning to see themselves and children as ‘one among many’. This perspective allows for compassion, a notion that supports our living together. This article proposes that Philosophy with Children may offer an approach to engaging in community and dialogue...
Gareth B. Matthews, The Child's Philosopher, 2021
childhood & philosophy
This book review discusses Walter O. Kohan and Barbara Weber's edited volume, Thinking, Child... more This book review discusses Walter O. Kohan and Barbara Weber's edited volume, Thinking, Childhood, and Time.
Scottish Educational Review, Nov 30, 2020
This article examines the implementation of a programme of professional learning, designed to sup... more This article examines the implementation of a programme of professional learning, designed to support understanding of school leadership in a school that sought to effect change through teachers' professional learning. Working with a universitybased tutor who adopted a responsive approach, participants shaped the programme over a seven-month period. The evidence is presented from teachers' reflections on leadership, observations of the sessions, and post-programme interviews. The evidence is presented under six themes, which emerged through an iterative process of content analysis, as follows: the individual versus community; relationships; culture; reflection; emotions; and impact/action. Participants indicated their understanding of leadership had evolved over the course of the programme. This led to a more collegiate and collaborative approach being welcomed, where leadership at all levels was valued. They considered that this was achieved largely through having opportunities to engage in professional dialogue with peers, which was normally seen as difficult given day-today priorities.
Scottish Educational Review, 2019
Kindheit – Bildung – Erziehung. Philosophische Perspektiven, 2021
There is an increasing recognition of the potential of collaborative approaches to research in Ed... more There is an increasing recognition of the potential of collaborative approaches to research in Education. This paper focuses on how communities can be nurtured to develop, foster and support enquiry that may contribute to educational research. The paper offers an analysis of how different types of communities of enquiry are conceptualised from a range of academic perspectives. In addition it contains an account of how our own community of enquiry, formed to carry out this piece of work, has evolved over a period of six months. A tentative set of recommendations is drawn from these two sources. The recommendations are preliminary ones because, as our findings are disseminated, we anticipate being able to refine and extend them through dialogue with our readers.
This paper shares initial findings from a Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI) project offer... more This paper shares initial findings from a Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI) project offered to young people within a secure residential setting in order that they might develop the confidence and skills that will be useful to their lives and that will be transferable to the wider community on leaving the Centre. Secure residential settings such as the Centre where the study takes place are reserved for young people who have committed serious crimes. The outcomes for individuals leaving secure care are extremely poor. Addressing such difficulties whilst in secure care is complex and requires a range of interventions. In this project, CoPI is used as a unique approach to augment other strategies used in the Centre in helping to address complex needs such as emotional and physical neglect and/or abuse, trauma, and personal behaviour that have placed the young people and others at considerable risk. Evidence will demonstrate whether participation supports them to communicate mor...
Paper presented at AERA, New York, 2018, 2018
If we are to foster children and young people's democratic skills and understanding, we need to d... more If we are to foster children and young people's democratic skills and understanding, we need to develop practices that support this from the earliest age. This paper considers the factors applicable to working democratically with very young children – those under seven – in facilitating their voices. Grounded in the work around children's rights, these factors are explored to propose a series of questions designed to support practitioners in advancing practice to facilitate children's voices. This paper draws on thinking and ideas that emerged during a seminar series that facilitated international academics working in the field in dialogue with a range of early years practitioners. One outcome of the seminars were eight factors that were seen as pivotal in facilitating very young children's voice: Definition, Power, Inclusivity, Listening, Time and Space, Approaches, Processes and Purposes. All of which demand attention and subsequent action if young children's voices are to be heard and taken seriously. To facilitate such an approach then we propose a series of questions associated with each of these eight factors to help guide dialogue.