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Description
In this IAPC Oral History Interview, Dr. Elizabeth Lyell reflects on her participation in the first cohort of the Master of Arts in Teaching degree with a Concentration in Philosophy for Children at Montclair State College during the 1981–1982 academic year. Lyell recounts her introduction to philosophy for children, her intensive year of study with Matthew Lipman, Ann Margaret Sharp, and Phil Guin, and teaching philosophy in public school classrooms in Montclair, New Jersey and Harlem. Lyell offers vivid memories of Lipman as a teacher, mentor, and moral presence, highlighting his pedagogical generosity, seriousness, and commitment to grounding philosophy in lived experience. The interview traces her subsequent career teaching philosophy for children, training teachers, working in higher education and adult education, and later counseling, demonstrating the lasting influence of philosophy for children on her professional and personal life. In 2002 Lyell accompanied Lipman to receive the American Philosophical Association Innovation Prize.
Publication Date
2026
Document Type
Interview
Publisher
Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for ChildrenAnn Margaret Sharp, community of inquiry, curriculum, democratic education, Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC), Matthew Lipman, philosophy for children (P4C), teacher education
City
Montclair
Keywords
Ann Margaret Sharp, community of inquiry, curriculum, Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC), Matthew Lipman, philosophy for children (P4C)
Disciplines
Education | Philosophy
Recommended Citation
Lyell, Elizabeth; Gregory, Maughn Rollins; and Laverty, Megan Jane, "Lyell, Elizabeth Interview 21 November 2025" (2026). All IAPC Oral Histories. 12.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_oral_histories/12