Pedagogies to Develop Children’s Agency in School

ABSTRACT This chapter addresses the construction of citizenship in educational terms and explores the effectiveness of philosophical activity in promoting a child agency inside and outside of school. It proposes an innovative theoretical framework by using different interrelating approaches to citizenship in order to devise alternative educational practices based on a reflective, dialogical, and shared view of political commitment within children and young people . The study is based on three theories: the agency-based paradigm of latest generation sociology; the Capability Approach (CA), as proposed by Amartya Sen and his colleagues and other scholars over the last decade; and Philosophy for Children, as per Matthew Lipman’s eponymous curriculum devised in the 1970s. The implications of this educational proposal are interpreted with an inclusive approach to participation, mainly in primary and secondary education level.