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A conference
applying Critical
Thinking skills
to contemporary issues 

 

"The conference was an extremely valuable experience for the students, giving them the opportunity to work with experts in philosophy, and to learn how to argue well.  Critical thinking skills are vital for our students today and the conference showed them how to hone their skills and that these skills are transferable not just to their other subjects, but to life as well."
J. Conner - Head of RE at Stratton Upper School, Biggleswade 

 

"I would highly recommend one of the Damaris conferences - they are stimulating, engaging and relate abstract philosophical ideas to contemporary society and media in a way that students can access."
K. Elliott - Head of RE at Simon Balle School, Hertford 

This conference is suitable for:

  • Years 12 and 13, as a 2½ - 3½ hour conference with 50-300 students
  • Gifted and Talented students from Years 9-11, as a 2½ - 3½ hour conference with 50-300 students

Learning objectives

  • Understand the characteristics of a good argument, learning the basic principles of classical logic
  • Discover how simple arguments can be linked together to create more complex ones
  • Understand how to appraise a range of different viewpoints by identifying, structuring and analysing the underlying arguments
  • Demonstrate learning by constructing and presenting one's own view in the form of a sound and clearly presented argument

Learning outcomes

  • A personal worksheet tracking the individual's participation in the conference
  • A prepared presentation expressing their response to the question "does God exist?" - demonstrating the skills they have learnt during the conference

Supplementary material

This conference comes complete with 10 hours' worth of supplementary material consisting of lesson plans suitable for use by non-specialist teachers in RE lessons, General Studies lessons and tutor group periods. These are specifically designed to cover the learning objectives of the National Framework for RE.

You can download samples of the That's a Good Argument supplementary material below - you can access the whole package when you book the conference.

Introduction to That's a Good Argument supplemental material  

Sample module ("Theism")

Rough timings for this conference

  1. Plenary session (teaching using videos, games and thought experiments) - minimum 1 hour 30 mins, max 2 hours (presenters can tailor it to fit school-day timing and attention span of students)
  2. Small groups (ideally working around tables) - minimum 30 mins, max 1 hour.  N.B. During this time there will be several points in which more information and a worked example are given to the students - so ideally the students should be sat at tables in one room where they can see the screen and be addressed by the presenter (for more information see the arrangements webpage)
  3. Plenary session (students making their presentations to the whole group) - minimum 30 mins, max 1 hour 

N.B. At all times there must be teachers present in the rooms (including each of the multiple rooms for small groups if these are used) to keep the students on task and answer any procedural queries.

Other information:

To book this conference contact us

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