ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the development of home-grown philosophy for children (p4c) materials in Australia, viewed both as a constructive exercise and in reaction to the original curriculum developed at the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC), which many felt was not suitable for use in Australian classrooms. It describes what Matthew Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp had set out to accomplish – a stand-alone curriculum for Philosophy for Children (P4C), based around philosophical novels and teacher resource manuals – and argues that the Australian materials do not conform to any curriculum structure. The chapter summarises the main features of these materials and asks to what extent they could form the basis of a philosophy curriculum framework. If they cannot, are there other ways to approach the issue of structure in p4c as we move forward?
