Marina Santi (Italy) holds a PhD in Educational Sciences and is Full Professor in Didactics and Inclusive Education. She works in the Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology at University of Padova, Italy. Her research deals with dialogue and argumentation concerning knowledge construction processes and the investigation of social interaction as cognitive potential for learning. She specializes in classroom discussion both as method and context for the development of higher-order thinking skills and reflective capabilities. She is an expert on “Philosophy for Children”, a subject into which she has carried out a wide range of empirical research to evaluate the effectiveness of philosophical practice within communities of inquiry for the development of critical, creative and caring thinking and the construction of inclusive social environments. Her recent studies focus on improvisation teaching and learning. Among her main publications: with Stefano Oliverio (eds.) (2012), Educating for Complex Thinking through Philosophical Inquiry. Models, advances and proposals for the new millennium, Napoli, Liguori; (2010) (Ed.), Improvisation Between Technique and Spontaneity, Cambridge Scholar Publisher; with ZORZI E. (2016) (Eds.), Education as Jazz. Interdisciplinary Sketches on a New Metaphor. New Castle: Cambridge Scholar Publishing.
DISCOVER
A global network of people who are passionate
about engaging children in philosophical inquiry.
WHAT IS philosophy FOR/WITH CHILDREN?
An innovative educational approach dedicated to promoting ciritical, creative and caring thinking skills in children and teens through philosophical inquiry in the form of collaborative dialogues and reflections
JOIN OUR GLOBAL Community
Connect and collaborate with P4wC practitioners and researchers from around the world! ICPIC membership spans over 63 countries, 24 languages and 35 international organizations.
Want to Help? Support our vision by Donating!
Doing philosophy with children inspires wonder of all kinds…
helps us better serve our missions:
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Meet the Team
Sumaya Babamia
Co-President
Sumaya is a South African educator, researcher, and speech-language therapist. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Cape Town, as well as undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her doctoral research explored therapeutic and educational encounters through philosophical practice, with a focus on how inquiry-based dialogue can expand possibilities for communication, understanding, and participation.
Her work engages dialogical approaches as both method and practice. Drawing on philosophy of education, critical disability studies, and posthumanist perspectives, she examines how spaces of inquiry can open alternative ways of knowing and responding, with attention to questions of voice, recognition, and epistemic injustice.
She is the founding director of Jozi4Autism, a Johannesburg-based non-profit organisation working in advocacy, education, and community-based support. Alongside this, she contributes to international networks of philosophical practice through collaborative projects, invited talks, and ongoing involvement in organisational development and governance processes.
Daniel Gaivota
Secretary
Daniel Gaivota (Brazil) learned to read and write in the sand. Walking in similar textures, graduated in Philosophy and did a PhD in Education. He has been a public school teacher in Rio de Janeiro for many years and after a couple of years working as a professor at the University of Padova is now teaching at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, flaps his wings as a researcher at the Center for Studies on Philosophies and Childhoods, linked to the Postgraduate Program in Education at UERJ. More important than all this, believes in the school's philosophical potency in making people fall in love with the world. He is passionate about tangerines and the sea, and always tries to dream a little before going to sleep.
Maria Martha Barreneche
Secretary
Maria Martha Barreneche (born in the USA, raised in Argentina and living in Italy & USA) is a secondary school teacher, with a degree in Educational Sciences & Philosophy. She has been involved with P4wC in Argentina, Italy and the USA, having received P4wC training at the University of Padova (Italy) and at PLATO Institute (USA), while pursuing her PHD at the UNIPD in P4wC.






