LONGER COURSES:
AN INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL THINKING
Learn how to analyse important issues, think for yourself, generate solutions and communicate ideas persuasively. Our courses, designed for students of secondary school age, include 16 hours of live teaching time, plus two additional hours with your tutor at social events and a graduation ceremony with individual feedback.
Courses cost £350 per student. Scholarships are available for students from low-income families who would like to learn with us, please email us to find out more.
​
-
16 hours (2 hours a week plus socials, 7 weeks total)
-
Max 8 students to a class
-
A comprehensive introduction to critical thinking plus debate and presentation skills
-
Choice of weekend or weekday slots
MODULE 1
Presentation – making the right impression 
-
Understanding the impact(s) of a first impression 
-
Looking at how others’ impressions of us can be crafted strategically 
-
Starting to think about who you are, what you care about and how you would like to present and/or describe yourself and your ideas e.g. in an interview situation
-
Understanding, through analysis of others’ presentations, the individual elements that can be used to engage and persuade different people and audiences in a variety of settings
-
Practical experience in delivering presentations, and giving and responding to feedback
-
Helpful tools for communicating in a confident, assured way
-
Understanding the vital role imagination has in creating society and culture – everything from money and capitalism to governments and human rights started as an idea and became accepted through shared imagination
-
Exploring how we can use 'stories’ alongside rigorous analysis to communicate important messages that engage and convince people
-
Combining facts, statistics and academic research with fictional stories as a tool for imagining and shaping our potential future
-
Practical tasks requiring students to harness their imagination in order to solve problems
MODULE 2
Imagination and persuasion
MODULE 3
Constructing a convincing argument
-
Considering why constructive argument is necessary
-
Understanding the dangers of polarised views, and the importance of being able to see things from different perspectives
-
Learning the basic elements of formal debate including how to construct winning arguments and undermine opposing perspectives
-
Practical experience of debating
-
Considering the limitations of debate (or ‘winning the argument’) and how to bring in wider perspectives when deciding on the best course of action
This consolidating module gives students the ability to use skills built so far in the course in the context of a real global issue, climate change:
-
Understanding how our lifestyles impact the planet; exploring global vs local impacts and short-term vs long-term impacts 
-
Analysing potential impacts of decisions and look how we balance positive and negative consequences to come up with proposed actions and avoid ‘action paralysis’  
-
Hands-on practice in working within teams, using imagination to develop creative solutions to sustainability challenges and then presenting those solutions effectively
-
Recap on skills from all modules and how to use them to stand out as a thinker and doer in the 21st Century
MODULE 4
Developing real-world solutions