Transforming Perceptions of Childhood
Time: 5:00 – 6:30pm
Session dates:
- Session 1: 10th February 2026
- Session 2: 10th March 2026
- Session 3: 24th March 2026
- Session 4: 21st April 2026
- Session 5: 12th May 2026
- Session 6: 2nd June 2026
Delivery: Online – A link to the online (Zoom) meeting room and learning platform will be shared via email at least one week prior to the start date.
Fee: £400 per person
- WCTA/FLA Partner Schools/Students = 80% discount
- State Schools = 50% discount
Facilitator: Dr. Natalie M. Fletcher, Affiliate Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Montreal; Founding Director and Senior Trainer of the educational charity Brila
About the Course:
Have you ever wondered what childhood really is? Or how our conceptions of children affect the experiences we create for them—as parents, teachers, mentors and allies? How can we build meaningful relationships between children and adults?
This course aims to nurture collaborative inquiry into our unquestioned assumptions about childhood and children’s capacity to think and act independently in their lives. Inspired by the course’s podcast with renowned experts, participants will get to engage in rich group reflections and creative exercises to explore key concepts and practices that can enhance their interactions with children as teachers, parents, mentors and allies. What does it mean to create strong child-adult relationships and give voice to children around ethical issues that matter to them? How can we move toward an understanding of children that enables them to honour their potential as emerging citizens and ethical decision-makers?
This course draws inspiration from innovative theories and participatory practices in philosophy aimed at social justice and inclusion—notably the dialogue-driven Philosophy for/with Children (P4wC) and Philocreation® approaches. Through dynamic creative explorations designed to help them think outside the box, participants will get to experience the power of philosophy to change our conceptions of childhood and child-adult relationships.
This course is delivered in English, but support for francophones is available as the facilitator is fully bilingual.