Shiplake’s innovative Thinking Space provides the ideal place for pupils to come to work either independently, in the Flow Room, or together in the conference rooms. The Sixth Form Theology and Philosophy classes have been making great use of the conference room, using all of the innovative facilities, such as the glass walls to write on, to ensure effective collaborative work.
Head of Theology and Philosophy, Miss Elizabeth Morgan, was particularly impressed with the Year 12s recently. The lesson was about consolidating their knowledge of religious experiences and the arguments for and against it, ahead of the approaching exam season. Ultimately, the essay question was evaluating whether or not we should believe people who claim to have religious experiences. The group worked on highlighting key aspects of the debate in a ‘tree’ essay plan; key philosophers, scholars and thinkers representing the trunk, arguments for representing the wind and arguments against representing the roots of the tree.
The pupils worked collaboratively together on either the ‘roots’ or the ‘wind’ side of the debate, either trying to push the ‘tree’ over (helping to make stronger arguments for) or strengthening the ‘tree’ against the wind (emphasising and researching arguments against). At the end of the lesson, the group discussed the points and decided whether the tree would stay standing or not, as the main thesis of the essay.
The facilities in the Thinking Space proved vital for helping to work together effectively. This is a way of working which Shiplake encourage, as it is vital in preparing students, not only at university where lessons are more student-led, but also in the working world, where working together successfully in teams is essential.
