Twitter @BartonCourtGS

06/03/24

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12/12/23

Thank you to Abbie from , one of our school charities, for coming in last week to talk to our students about the work they do.We are looking forward to continuing to raise lots of money to support their cause. pic.twitter.com/6fWGNjA7FO

12/12/23

We're extremely proud of Toral in Y12 who was selected to play for the first ever U18 female Barbarians squad this weekend. The team was selected to play against Rugby School to celebrate 200 years of rugby union. An amazing experience and an excellent achievement. pic.twitter.com/mMtZfPMjyf

17/11/23

There's a real & growing concern re how many young people share inappropriate images online, leading to potential exploitation, blackmail & harm from a young age & leaving a lasting digital footprint. If you share it, you're involved. Speak to the DSL team if you've concerns. pic.twitter.com/LNQ3U09XeH

16/11/23

We were delighted to welcome the BBC Bitesize Careers Roadshow last week. Students learnt about a wide variety of career pathways in fashion, TV production & academia which many found very helpful and interesting pic.twitter.com/dhjOOePsQ0

09/11/23

Y12 Health & Social Care students enjoyed a visit to Medicine, Health & Social Care Dept's Simulation Suite. With dummies that can be programmed to simulate different disorders students practiced their CPR skills & saw who was the most accurate with compressions! pic.twitter.com/UCylXt9upM

09/11/23

We are looking for three new Exam Invigilators so if you, or anyone you know, is interested please click the link below:https://t.co/jognYVbWWF

08/11/23

We were delighted to open the Schools’ Lunchtime Concerts at this year's Canterbury Festival. Y7-Y13 students presented a variety of styles & the Barton Manor Djembe Drummers, who were the opening act joined us. The organizers described it as “a hard act to follow". pic.twitter.com/RwxQqiyS24

30/10/23

Y11 enjoyed a great trip to The Globe last term to see a production of Macbeth. They really enjoyed the immersive experience of being a "groundling" with some having lines delivered directly to them! pic.twitter.com/3EVO0LLwpB

25/10/23

🚨 it’s coming 🚨 We know it’s a ‘bit’ early but we have to get ready. Team up with family/friends/colleagues this November to help us help those who need it pic.twitter.com/UxfWbgwEgD

25/10/23

We are seeking an Attendance & Cover Officer to work term time only. Should you, or someone you know, be interested, please click the link below.https://t.co/ZHSU1P9JfN

24/10/23

Amazing self portrait from a student in Y8 in the style of Kehinde Wiley who the year group have been studying.#art pic.twitter.com/VbI9F0kuyB

23/10/23

🚨 it’s coming 🚨 We know it’s a ‘bit’ early but we have to get ready. Team up with family/friends/colleagues this November to help us help those who need it pic.twitter.com/UxfWbgwEgD

17/10/23

Y5 students from local primary schools discovered last week what it's like to learn languages at BCGS. They did a language session on pets & a cultural one on the Festival of Lights! Workshops are held regularly for primary school students to discover what life is like at BCGS. pic.twitter.com/C19F3HmDcu

12/10/23

We're very proud of this group of students who won the KSSA Annual Regatta School Trophy at Whitstable for BCGS! All the hard work and dedication paid off. pic.twitter.com/pBdlLrFrk1

12/10/23

The ever-popular Spanish Exchange took 30 students ranging from Y9 to Y13 to Madrid last week to learn all about Spanish lifestyle & culture. While immersed in the language they enjoyed an amazing week full of activities with great weather & fantastic traditional Spanish cuisine pic.twitter.com/r3qXMkfw1v

09/10/23

Congratulations to two of our Y13 students who were short-listed for the Canterbury Festival Poetry Comp 2023. Gideon was awarded 1st place & Alicia 2nd place in the 16-18 category from a field of over 400 poems submitted from a host of other Kent schools. pic.twitter.com/gbg8f5YxoQ

09/10/23

We are looking for an Attendance & Cover Officer to start at BCGS as soon as possible. If you, or someone you know, is interested please click the link below for more information.https://t.co/ZHSU1P9JfN

28/09/23

Yesterday's guide summarized what trusted adults need to know about the potential dangers of vaping for young people. pic.twitter.com/0U9RSSGOnO

23/09/23

The BCGS community raised a massive £18,789 for our chosen charities last year & This exceeded our target of £15k and as a result we are aiming to raise £20k this academic year for the charities students choose in the coming weeks

23/09/23

Our talented Asst Site Manager has been at it again taking fantastic pictures of the Canterbury skyline from our roof! pic.twitter.com/uNSZnMj6pZ

02/08/23

We're delighted to be awarded status which recognises the value we place on music both within the curriculum & through extra curricular activities & events. Thank you for recommending us. We'll use this to develop links with partners & expand our provision pic.twitter.com/m1DoNrxNRQ

27/07/23

Students had a brilliant time visiting .Yet another great activity filled day in our Enrichment Week at the end of last term. pic.twitter.com/ewM3W3xSrD

24/07/23

We were delighted to welcome students from Zhangjiagang Liangfeng International School in China at the end of term. They shadowed their BCGS buddy & participated in enrichment activities, such as Sports Day, calligraphy, cooking, the cinema, orienteering & a tour of Canterbury. pic.twitter.com/EtazSo9Lvu

24/07/23

What an amazing time students had in Lake Garda, visiting Sirmione, Malcesine and Verona. Very hot days required squeezing in some time for dips in the pool and delicious Italian ice cream. So great to have Italy back in our Enrichment Week activities again! pic.twitter.com/xTtV7HsX6O

Breadth Thinking Tools

CoRT Thinking Lessons have been taught in schools since the mid 1970s. They have since become the most widely used school materials for the direct teaching of thinking as a basic skill worldwide.

All of this experience has contributed to developing CoRT Thinking Lessons that:

1. Are practical and hands-on in nature.

2. Can be taught as a separate subject–thinking skills–or embedded in existing curriculum to strengthen student learning and develop independent thinkers.

3. Are focused on equipping students to become effective, open-minded thinkers–critical, creative, constructive, and comprehensive.

4. Address the increasing interest and recognition for the need to teach thinking as a basic skill along with reading, writing, and mathematics; the traditional basics.

5. Can be used in a wide variety of situations from schools in disadvantaged areas to elite schools to students being home schooled.

6. Appeal to a wide range of ages (6-adult) and abilities (IQs of 75-140).

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Think of a person setting out to learn to be a carpenter. Each carpenter's tool is designed to carry out a specific function. The carpenter learns when and how to use each of the tools one-by-one. A lot of practice is required to become a skilled carpenter. Learning to become a skilled thinker is the same approach: to make the basic operations of thinking second nature so that they are carried out automatically, smoothly, and without fuss or effort.

P4C – is short for Philosophy for Children.

Children are taught how to create their own philosophical questions. They then choose one question that is the focus of a philosophical enquiry, or dialogue.  For example the question might be 'is it ever ok to steal? 

The teacher, as facilitator, supports the children in their thinking, reasoning and questioning, as well as the way the children speak and listen to each other in the dialogue.  After the enquiry the children and facilitator reflect on the quality of the thinking, reasoning and participation, and suggest how they could improve; either as individuals or as a group (community).

P4C is intended to be a regular activity so that the children develop their skills and understanding over time.  The role of the facilitator is crucial to ensuring quality dialogue and progress, as well as integration with the curriculum.

It is well documented that P4C has an impact on children's cognitive, social and emotional development. P4C is about getting children to think and communicate well; to think better for themselves.

P4C is a thorough pedagogy with considerable academic pedigree. Professor Matthew Lipman, frustrated by his students’ lack of engagement with learning and thinking, was influenced by educationalists and philosophers such as Vygotsky, Piaget, Dewey as well as the tradition of Socratic dialogue.

"If we expect pupils to engage in more creative and stimulating thought process, we, as teachers must encourage them by asking higher level questions."

 

Linking higher order Questioning with higher order Thinking.

- Developed initially in 1050's by Benjamin Bloom, readapted and significantly improved by Lorin Anderson in 1990's.

- Hierarchy of 6 developmental stages of thinking which become increasingly complex and demanding.

- The levels of thinking can be applied to developing questioning across all levels of schooling and in areas of learning.

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Deeper questioning and anticipated deeper response is developed from top left to bottom right.

Get pupils to come up with their own questions by choosing a word from the left-most column followed by a word from the top row.

Eg.

What Is… the time / the name of… etc

When Will… the reaction stop if I use X grams of Y?

How Might… we use photosynthesis to overcome the impact of burning fossil fuels?