Critical Education: How does it Connect with Teaching Philosophy for Children Program?

Teaching Philosophy for Children as a dialogue-based educational approach aiming at fostering caring، creative، and critical thinking has been the focus of some local studies in recent years. Meanwhile، critical education with its great impact on educational areas in the last decades of the twentieth century has not received enough attention. While reviewing the origins، nature، and characteristics of critical education، this paper attempted to explain Freire’s- a prominent critical educator- viewpoints regarding this approach. The inferences obtained from the study suggested similarities between critical approach and teaching Philosophy for Children Program including development of critical thinking and awareness، problem-posing، community of philosophical inquiry and cultural circle، and dialogic teaching، Moreover، the study indicated that both approaches oppose rote memorization، emphasize students’ active participation and freedom of action in the process of learning، encourage self-reflection and reflective thinking and consider teachers as facilitators