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A repeated measures single subject design was used to examine the effectiveness of a joint play approach embedded in professional practice, in supporting pretend play for autistic children. Seven autistic children, aged 5-8 years, with a placement within a specialist educational provision, and who demonstrated restricted play, participated in weekly sessions using the Playboxes approach over a period of 3 months. Pre- and post-approach pretend play abilities were assessed using the Symbolic Play Test and the Test of Pretend Play. Every child gained increased age-equivalent scores on the Test of Pretend Play, ranging from + 8 to + 30 months. Pretend Play abilities can support developmental outcomes and incorporation of this approach into regular practice could be of value for autistic children.

A repeated measures single subject design was used to examine the effectiveness of a joint play approach embedded in professional practice, in supporting pretend play for autistic children. Seven autistic children, aged 5-8 years, with a placement within a specialist educational provision, and who demonstrated restricted play, participated in weekly sessions using the Playboxes approach over a period of 3 months. Pre- and post-approach pretend play abilities were assessed using the Symbolic Play Test and the Test of Pretend Play. Every child gained increased age-equivalent scores on the Test of Pretend Play, ranging from + 8 to + 30 months. Pretend Play abilities can support developmental outcomes and incorporation of this approach into regular practice could be of value for autistic children., Author(s): Helen Marwick [sup.1] , Karena Jarvie [sup.2] , Hilary Cowie [sup.3] , Lorna Johnston [sup.4] , Nicola Hammond-Evans [sup.4] , Rachael Cockayne [sup.3] [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.11984.35, 0000000121138138, [...]

This article presents a small-scale study that sought to explore in what ways Philosophy with Children (PwC) might support a classroom environment that is conducive to children's well-being. Following a series of Community of Philosophical Inquiry sessions with a class of nineteen Primary six children (ten- and eleven-year-olds) in a Scottish primary school, seven themes emerged as important when establishing a learning environment conducive to children's well-being: structure, participation, dynamics of interaction, emotional response, listening, confidence, and teachers' practice. These themes were identified through analysis of the teacher's and CoPI facilitator's observations during the sessions and the recorded dialogues following the sessions. In addition, the teacher was interviewed at the end of the intervention period. The results of the study also suggest that the notion of well-being with a focus on the individual may be overly narrow and that nurturing community allows children to recognise themselves as part of a wider whole, thereby enriching their well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the key drivers around citizenship education, children's rights, voice, and participation, it is essential that all children are supported to engage in the society in which they live. This article explores how McCall's Community of Philosophical Inquiry might offer that support to children who are potentially marginalised due to their specific needs. The article presents three case studies of children at risk of being marginalised in school settings who participated in Community of Philosophical Inquiry over a period of 10 weeks. Community of Philosophical Inquiry has features that may be conducive to the achievement of broad goals associated with children's voice and citizenship education. The article explores the ways in which these particular children engaged with Community of Philosophical Inquiry and the impact of participation on their behaviour. The analysis of the accounts of their teachers supports the hypothesis that potentially marginalised children appear to benefit from the structure that is inherent in this form of practical philosophy.

Teachers' professionalism includes using educational research to support their work in the modern diverse classroom. Student teachers' views as they enter the profession are therefore important. Within a Higher Education Academy social science priority research strand, 'Supporting research-informed teacher education in a changing policy environment', this study developed workshops to ascertain student teachers' views on educational research, preparing materials suitable for primary and secondary sectors. These could be updated, and used by other higher education courses. Face-to-face or email workshops asked participants about their current uses of educational research, and to read and comment upon one policy research extract and one 'what works' research review. Small-scale piloting suggested the workshops readily elicited views, and students identified some personal changes following participation. Participants were generally unfamiliar with the principles of 'what works' research. Thematic analysis suggested students considered educational research was often inaccessible, but wanted accessible research to inform their practice.

This study examined the effectiveness of Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI) as an inclusive pedagogical approach by which to support the communicative interaction and opportunities for collaborative dialogue for children with social, emotional and behavioural needs in two mainstream classes. There is currently no empirical work that considers children with these particular needs participating in practical philosophy, particularly in CoPI. Two groups of children, aged between nine and twelve, engaged in CoPI over a period of 10 weeks. The philosophy sessions were conducted as part of the regular class work. The results show that the children were able to engage in collaborative, philosophical dialogue with their peers without being any more disruptive than their classmates. The findings of this study lead to the assertion that it is the structure of CoPI that supported the children's engaged participation and self-regulation and that this might usefully be considered in creating classroom activities for all children.

Given the key drivers around citizenship education, children’s rights, voice, and participation, it is essential that all children are supported to engage in the society in which they live. This article explores how McCall’s Community of Philosophical Inquiry might offer that support to children who are potentially marginalised due to their specific needs. The article presents three case studies of children at risk of being marginalised in school settings who participated in Community of Philosophical Inquiry over a period of 10 weeks. Community of Philosophical Inquiry has features that may be conducive to the achievement of broad goals associated with children’s voice and citizenship education. The article explores the ways in which these particular children engaged with Community of Philosophical Inquiry and the impact of participation on their behaviour. The analysis of the accounts of their teachers supports the hypothesis that potentially marginalised children appear to benefit from the structure that is inherent in this form of practical philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effectiveness of Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI) as an inclusive pedagogical approach by which to support the communicative interaction and opportunities for collaborative dialogue for children with social, emotional and behavioural needs in two mainstream classes. There is currently no empirical work that considers children with these particular needs participating in practical philosophy, particularly in CoPI. Two groups of children, aged between nine and twelve, engaged in CoPI over a period of 10 weeks. The philosophy sessions were conducted as part of the regular class work. The results show that the children were able to engage in collaborative, philosophical dialogue with their peers without being any more disruptive than their classmates. The findings of this study lead to the assertion that it is the structure of CoPI that supported the children’s engaged participation and self-regulation and that this might usefully be considered in creating classroom activities for all children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]