Creative Engagements: Thinking with Children

On the morning of July 14th, 2005; a group of international philosophers, teachers, educational professionals, and educational specialists gathered at Mansfield College in Oxford, England for a conference entitled Creative Engagements: Thinking with ChildrenA". Many of the presentations from that conference are collected into this volume. These essays comprise a written record of the ideas which served as the initial foundation for further dialogue at the conference. Even after the conference has ended, the dialogue which arose out of these essays continues to constitute a remarkable exploration of interdisciplinary perspectives on creatively engaging with children. However, in order to fully appreciate this conference record, the dialogue which sprung from it, and the professionals and thinkers which were its genesis, we must first pause and explore precisely why this conference initiated such a remarkable dialogue. To be sure, without the interaction which the conference facilitated, the dialogue would never have been possible. In this light, let us consider what may constitute a remarkable interaction and why it was so aptly translated into a dialogue concerning creative engagement and thinking with children.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Daniel Shepherd Part 1: Creativity, Engagement and Education Creative Engagement: Where Teaching and Learning Meet Sharon Lee Creativity in its broadest senseA" and its Role in the Education of Children with Severe Disabilities - A Case Study Lefkothea Kartasidou Human Centred Education Deborah Whitford Part 2: Engagement with People, Process and Problematic Thought From Socrates to Lipman: Making Philosophy Relevant Gilbert Burgh Part 3: Engagement and Inquiry Creative, Critical and Caring Engagements: Philosophy through Inquiry Sarah Davey Part 4: Engagement, Language, Thinking Creative Activities in the Greek English Foreign Language Classroom Pericles Tangas Part 5: Engagement and Intelligence Developing Cooperative Contexts for Creativity Lynda Baloche Creativity and Engagement in Visual Art Education: A Permanent Comparison between the Obtained and the Deserved Beatriz Cerkez & Tonka Tacol Part 6: Engagement and Play Sibling Teaching in the Context of Play Maureen Mweru Embracing the Child at Play Daniel Shepherd The Impact of Philosophy for Children in a High School English Class Chad Miller Part 7: Engagement with the Writing, Reading and Thinking Process Learning to Write Right Before School: The Conditions of Natural Learning that Lead to Engagement with Process, Product and People Phil Fitzsimmons Deep Education: Perception as Educational Response Stephanie Burdick Part 8: Engagement with Space, Place and Case Spending Time Writing Rhymes: Representations of Schooling, Writing, and the Teenage Experience in Rap Susan Weinstein A Virtual Character for Face to Face Interaction with Children in E-learning Roya Foroughi Part 9: Philosophy and Children Learning Philosophical Dialogue in Preschool Marie-France Daniel Narrating the Reasons Why Valentina Martini

About the Author :
Daniel Shepherd - Fordham University