ABSTRACT

This chapter sets out to summarise the reasons for making time and space for open-ended dialogue in school. How do we know if it is worth while? What are the claims made for doing philosophy in the classroom? There is some evidence of assessable outcomes included here for readers’ consideration. However, I want to suggest that judgements about whether or not philosophical enquiry is valuable are more likely to be made on the basis of beliefs about the balance of experiences that schooling and education should provide for children.