Articles written by

Christian Colombo

Volume 17-Issue 1: June 2023

The Pedagogical Role of Philosophy in a Community of Inquiry

This paper explores the role philosophy has in pedagogy when practised in a community of inquiry. Apart from alluding to contemporary research on the philosophy of education, this paper presents a philosophy-based project named EPIX (Exploring Pupils’ Inquires on eXistential themes) that was launched in two Maltese secondary schools. This project introduced five existential themes to secondary school students, creating a community of inquiry through its pedagogical use of philosophy. After discussing the EPIX project, this paper highlights what the community of inquiry entails, and philosophy’s function in such a community. Next, this paper discusses how philosophy can encourage the community’s imagination, examining imagination’s importance in fostering social critique. Lastly, we investigate the educational role of philosophy in the Ethics Education community, a subject being taught in Maltese primary and secondary schools. Together, these parts underline the pedagogical role that philosophy has in the community of inquiry, to be nurtured pedagogically by current and prospective educators.
33 min read
Volume 18-Issue 2: December 2024

An AI Pilot Bootcamp Exploring the Creative Relationship of Us and Tech

As artificial intelligence continues to make its way into virtually all aspects of our lives, it becomes increasingly important for upcoming generations to understand their relationship with technology - not simply as passive consumers, but also as creators able to properly harness its power while fully aware of its limitations. Through an exploratory bootcamp for adolescents focusing on creative, philosophical and ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, we have piloted a curriculum which aims to explore the relationship between humans and technology through thought-provoking questions, while offering practical hands-on challenges and room for independent exploration for all abilities in the classroom. This article presents the design process of the curriculum and the pedagogical approach, including practical concerns and adaptations needed for execution. Furthermore, it reflects on lessons learnt and condenses the outcome of the pilot bootcamp into a learning framework, especially relevant for technology bootcamps aiming to provide an enjoyable yet thoughtful and formative experience.