My research work and passion in Philosophy is studying and writing about the pedagogy of Philosophy--how best to create communities of inquiry for philosophical inquiry to take place. Since the mid-1990s, I have been doing philosophy with pre-college and college students, from kindergarteners through graduate students, exploring approaches to inspire a sense of philosophical wonder in the classroom and beyond.
Community & Professional Engagement
- PLATO: Philosophy Teaching and Learning Organization (Board of Directors)
- American Philosophical Association
Publications
- Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? The Path of Purposeful Aging, (co-authored with Richard Leider), (SF: Barrett-Koehler, 2021).
- "Engaging Students—of Any Age—in Philosophical Inquiry: How Doing Philosophy for Children Changed the Way I Teach Philosophy to College Students," in Goering, Sara, Shudak, Nicholas J., and Wartenberg, Thomas, Philosophy in Schools: An Introduction for Philosophers and Teachers, (NY: Routledge, 2013).
- "Some Classroom Activities to Explore Epistemology with Young People," in Lone, Jana Mohr, and Israeloff, Roberta, Philosophy and Education: Introducing Philosophy to Young People, (Newcastle Upon Tyne, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012).
- Plato Was Wrong! Footnotes on Doing Philosophy with Pre-College Students, (NY: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012).
Presentations
- "Mindfulness for Little Minds: Using Contemplative and Reflective Practice in Philosophy with Pre-College Students," presented at the Philosophy Teaching and Learning Conference, Seattle, WA, 2022
- "Philosophical for Children in India," presented at the American Philosophical Conference Pacific Division, April 2019
- "Philosophical Inquiry and Reflection as a Pedagogical Strategy," presented at Kuvempu University, Shimoga, India, March 2019
- "Reaching the Unreached through Philosophical Inquiry and Reflection," presented at KVMP College of Education, Hassan, India, March 2019
- "Philosophy in Education," presented at the University of Mysore, December, 2018
- "Lifeboat Environments: An Inquiry-Based Model for Evaluating the Value of the Environment," presented at the Washington Center Curriculum for the Bioregion Conference, Whidby Island, October 2016
- "Mindfulness and Philosophical Reasoning," presented at the Community College Humanities Conference, Seattle, WA, May 2014.
- "Meditative Practices in Philosophy Classes," presented at the PLATO-WA Conference, Seattle, WA, November 2013.
Hobbies
Bicycle commuting, yoga, meditation and other mindfulness practices, and I read a lot of fiction. I volunteer in Seattle Public Schools doing Philosophy with grade school and high school students.