This article is an exploration of a democratic school where the author spent several years researching and engaging with teachers and students while investigating the practice of Philosophy for/with Children (P4C) within Irish Educate Together schools. I offer an account of how teachers in these contexts seek to reconcile and harmonise their P4C practice with their own educational and democratic outlooks. These perspectives were uncovered through a ‘lived enquiry’ study involving deep immersion in the day-to-day life of a school as a researcher and P4C practitioner. Teachers seeking to reconcile their practice with their views in this context resulted in the children in their classrooms learning through democratic processes, where democracy is not merely prescribed, but instead becomes a way of life. By drawing upon excerpts of teacher interview data from my doctoral studies, I suggest that there is a ‘rough ground’ of practice where diverse and unique perspectives can be revealed when lived, deeply immersive and sensitive approaches are taken towards practitioners and their communities. The intertwining of Educate Together and P4C philosophies of education is explored, with particular emphasis on the notion of child-centredness, dialogue and philosophical enquiry with children. Expanding on the democratic educational ideas of Biesta and Fielding, I argue that there is a deeply contextual and philosophically compelling connection between teachers engaging in P4C, the atmosphere or environment in which dialogue with children can occur and a different understanding of democracy through education that may result.

中文翻译：

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民主学校：教师和解、以儿童为中心的对话和新兴民主

本文是对民主学校的探索，作者花了数年时间研究爱尔兰共同教育学校的儿童哲学 (P4C) 实践，并与教师和学生进行互动。我描述了在这些情况下教师如何寻求调和和协调他们的 P4C 实践与他们自己的教育和民主观点。这些观点是通过一项“现场调查”研究发现的，该研究涉及作为研究人员和 P4C 实践者深入沉浸在学校的日常生活中。在这种情况下，教师试图将他们的实践与他们的观点相协调，结果是孩子们在课堂上通过民主过程进行学习，民主不仅是规定的，而是成为一种生活方式。通过借鉴我博士研究中的教师访谈数据摘录，我认为实践存在一个“粗糙的基础”，在生活中可以揭示多样化和独特的观点，对从业者及其社区采取深度沉浸式和敏感的方法。探讨了 Educate Together 和 P4C 教育哲学的交织，特别强调以儿童为中心的概念、与儿童的对话和哲学探究。扩展 Biesta 和 Fielding 的民主教育思想，我认为参与 P4C 的教师、与儿童对话的氛围或环境以及通过教育对民主的不同理解之间存在深刻的背景和哲学上令人信服的联系，这可能结果。我建议实践有一个“粗糙的基础”，在生活中可以揭示多样化和独特的观点，对从业者及其社区采取深度沉浸式和敏感的方法。探讨了 Educate Together 和 P4C 教育哲学的交织，特别强调以儿童为中心的概念、与儿童的对话和哲学探究。扩展 Biesta 和 Fielding 的民主教育思想，我认为参与 P4C 的教师、与儿童对话的氛围或环境以及通过教育对民主的不同理解之间存在深刻的背景和哲学上令人信服的联系，这可能结果。我建议实践有一个“粗糙的基础”，在生活中可以揭示多样化和独特的观点，对从业者及其社区采取深度沉浸式和敏感的方法。探讨了 Educate Together 和 P4C 教育哲学的交织，特别强调以儿童为中心的概念、与儿童的对话和哲学探究。扩展 Biesta 和 Fielding 的民主教育思想，我认为参与 P4C 的教师、与儿童对话的氛围或环境以及通过教育对民主的不同理解之间存在深刻的背景和哲学上令人信服的联系，这可能结果。