Foundations for success

Junior Stretch and Challenge

Inspire Ambition, Age 11-14

Big ideas for curious minds

2023
AU/NZ

About

What to expect on the day

This is a day for bright ambitious students who are interested in reaching the ceiling of their ability.
This year the focus is on the capacity of bright students to more readily manipulate ideas and make connections across school subject areas. Each session is multi-media and interactive. Meet the needs of highly able students and spend the day with like-minded youngsters all keen to share ideas.
Experienced gifted educators, Julie Arliss and Dr Andrew Pinsent from University of Oxford will stretch and challenge your students. Promote equity and excellence for diverse learners across the curriculum with this unique opportunity for high level challenge.
Brochure

We really enjoyed all the sessions, particularly the great interaction and demanding but engaging content. Credit should be given to Julie Arliss who is an outstanding communicator and public speaker.

I’ve been to this conference three years running. This is the best day in the whole school year.

My students enjoyed the day and found the lecturers excellent in their knowledge. They left with lots of new questions and were ‘buzzing’ on the journey back home.

Challenging and memorable. I use your ideas with my students for the rest of the year – especially when there are any visitors in school!

Programme

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENCE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

JULIE ARLISS
The manipulation of matter at the Nanoscale is an unrivalled tool for modern scientific inquiry and promises to help solve many of the world’s problems, such as environ- mental degradation. This session will examine new materials able to store electricity in an electric field instead of chemicals, and also the potential for brain implants. Nano- technology is set to revolutionise our lives. It is highly likely that it will replace current technologies within the next few decades: its impact will be hard to avoid as it promises radically different ways of operating in the near future.This session will examine new materials able to store electricity in an electric field (like a thunder cloud) instead of chemicals, and also the potential for brain implants. As with all scientific inquiry there are ethical implications and these will also be examined, including the issues of who benefits, who takes the risks and the role of public opinion.

COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT IS FAIR?

JULIE ARLISS
This is an interactive discussion session with a community of enquiry approach. Stu- dents will be given a short excerpt to stimulate conversation in small groups and then work as a team to reach a set of ideas. Members of the team are encouraged to make quality contributions, but also to help others to contribute. There will be a member of staff facilitating the discussion before a shared plenary. Students will be numbered at the start of the day and their number will be their group number for this session. When the students return from break they will be asked to sit in their numbered groups not with their own school in order to mix age groups and schools. The group will elect a spokesperson to feed back their conclusions and ideas.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

JULIE ARLISS
There are fewer more important questions in life! This session will help students decide what kind of thinker they are when it comes to big decisions and identify the philo- sophical foundations for different types of decision-making techniques. A number of big questions will be posed along the way: Does moral value exist? Are some decisions better than others? Deciding well involves examining thoughts very carefully and this will be an opportunity to investigate the very foundations of our thoughts and take time to reflect on how decisions about anything are made. From friendship issues to moral issues, from environment to medical ethics – all decision making requires thought and this session will be an opportunity to think really very deeply!

DEBATE: THIS HOUSE BELIEVES IT IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO TELL THE TRUTH

An opportunity for students to contribute to this great debate topic. From ‘I left my homework at home,’ to, ‘The dog ate it,’ is it OK to lie if it saves your skin? Are ‘white’ lies justifiable to avoid hurting someone’s feelings? It will be argued that ‘Fools lie, clever people stick to the truth’ (Michael Scott), and that ‘If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything’ (Mark Twain), but what do you think and can you persuade others to agree with you? An opportunity for persuasive speech and creative thinking on your feet.

Speakers

Julie Arliss

A Farmington Scholar at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, Julie Arliss is a highly accomplished teacher and author. Julie Arliss is a well-known international educator of gifted students with a gift for making the complex simple, and the simple complex. She is committed to the provision of world-class extension activities for these students, to extend their reach well beyond the curriculum to new areas of knowledge. She is on the examining team for Cambridge International Examinations and founder of Academy Learning.

Dr. Andrew Pinsent

Dr. Pinsent is Research Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, Faculty of Theology and Religion, Oxford University. Formerly a particle physicist at CERN, he is a philosopher, theologian and contributor in the media and schools to engagement with science, faith and the big questions of life.

Tour Dates and Venues

Melbourne

Tue 25th July 2023

Scotch College

SOLD OUT

Wed 26th July 2023

Camberwell Grammar 

Please email [email protected] for further information.

Christchurch

Tue 1st August 2023

St Andrew’s College

Nelson

Wed 2nd August 2023

Ministry of Inspiration

Adelaide

Tue 8th August 2023

Concordia College

Sydney

Wed 9th August 2023

Ascham School

SOLD OUT

Thu 10th August 2023

Methodist Ladies College MLC

Perth

Tue 15th August 2023

Wesley College

Booking

ARRIVAL AND REGISTRATION

Arrival from 09.00. The programme begins promptly at 9.30 and concludes at 14.30.

Students — $50

Staff — A fixed fee of $50 if attending with students. One free staff place with every 12 students booked. Staff attending for professional training $95. One free staff place with every 12 students booked

Staff are warmly invited to join the team for informal discussion over break and lunch with refreshments provided. Students will need to bring their own equipment and refreshments. Please note that we do not allow recordings of the day.

School Booking

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Professional Training Booking

Academy Learning Foundations for success

EthIQa RS A level Conferences
Thriving Minds for More Able Learners
Symposium for Gifted Education
Teacher Training for RS
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FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS