ABSTRACT
The ‘philosophy in schools’ movement in Australia owes many debts to many people who have dedicated their time, efforts and energy to converting classrooms into communities of inquiry and schools into places of discussion on what it means to become an inquiring society. James Battye’s deep commitment to both philosophy and education was the motivation for his pioneering work in Philosophy for Children in New Zealand. He epitomised this approach to thinking, combining gentleness with rigour, and a strong practical common sense with ‘the articulation of ideas at the limit of our verbal capacities’. In 2003 an extensive manual was developed for training teachers in community of inquiry. It brought together an accumulated wisdom from key people who had trained teachers for many years. San was also responsible for the Philosophy Distinction Course, a program set up by the New South Wales Board of Studies to enable talented final year high school students to extend their knowledge.
