This qualitative study explores the teaching practices and pedagogical reflections of secondary school teachers participating in the 21st “Aizhi Camp – A Journey of Thoughtful Happiness,” an informal philosophy education program for high school students in Taiwan. The camp provides a non-authoritarian space where students engage in philosophical dialogue, value inquiry, and critical thinking through interactive activities, multimedia materials, and real-life cases. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and on-site observations, this study focuses on how teachers—most of whom work in Taiwan’s formal secondary education system—navigate and reflect upon their roles in a dialogical and student-centered learning environment. The findings reveal that many teachers experienced the camp as a liberating contrast to their usual classroom practices, where standardized curricula, fixed answers, and exam-oriented instruction dominate. Participating in the camp challenged their assumptions about what counts as “teaching” and “learning,” and encouraged deeper reflection on pedagogical goals, student agency, and the value of philosophical thinking. This study suggests that such informal educational experiences can serve as meaningful reference points for curricular innovation, and may inspire broader institutional efforts to incorporate philosophy and critical dialogue into formal secondary education systems.

Authors:
Pei-shan Chen, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Pei-shan Chen is currently a doctoral student at the Institute of Education, National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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