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Halls of Ivy

PROGRAM HANDBOOKSEPTEMBER 2016 – JUNE 2017

PHILOSOPHY AND INNOVATION – LEVEL 1

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Table of contents:1. INTRODUCTION 3

2. PROGRAM DETAILS 4

3. SYLLABUS 7

4. THE CULTURE OF THE PROGRAM 9

5. ATTENDANCE OR WITHDRAWAL FROM THE PROGRAM 10

6. TUTORIALS AND ONGOING DEVELOPMENT 10

7. PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES 10

8. FUNDING 10

9. HALLS OF IVY REGULATIONS 11

10. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 11

11. STUDENT RESOURCES 11

12. PROGRAM DISCLAIMER 12

13. CONTACT INFORMATION 13

14. APPENDIX A 14

15. APPENDIX B 17

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PHILOSOPHY AND HIGHER LEVEL THINKING 1

Welcome to the program

1. Introduction

Halls of Ivy is a private out of school club specifically targeted at fulfilling the potential of students aged 14-18 that are registered on their school’s gifted and talented list OR in the top fifth percentile of academic performance; by teaching learners higher order thinking skills based on extensive research (see appendix A).

The school has been designed to take subjects that have been proven to accelerate intelligence academically, socially and as higher-level transferable skills and teach them using methods that have been proven to engage students creatively (see appendix A).

Halls of Ivy will run on afternoons and weekends (so can run in conjunction with a schools timetable) and will be a weekly session running for 90 minutes each session. The program consists of 40 sessions with a maximum group size of 6 learners. Over the sessions, learners will explore and develop higher level thinking skills related to philosophy, lateral thinking, critical analysis, music theory, art analysis and logic. The program offers a balance of practical skills, reflection/reflexivity and related philosophical theories. The sessions will be concerned with a wide range of topics (see syllabus). The sessions will also include activities including chess, poetry and music as these subjects are the most effective at increasing creativity, lateral thinking and literacy (see Appendix A). Learners will also be able to develop their reflection/reflexive skills by keeping a journal that will be peer and self-evaluated in the last session.

Whilst focussing on higher level thinking skills, learners will also develop knowledge, understanding and skills in socialisation, literacy and numeracy.

The teachers that will support the learning will act as ‘curious observers’ when engaging in philosophical discussions and create an atmosphere for autonomous learning by using techniques developed by various educational leaders.

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2. Program details

2.01 Awarding Institution Halls of Ivy Incorporated

2.02 Supervising Institution Mirdif Private School

2.03 Final Award Philosophy and Higher Level Thinking 1

2.04 Fields of Learning Philosophy, Music, English Literature, Lateral Thinking, Critical Analysis, Logic and Life Skills.

2.05 Program Title Philosophy and Higher Level Thinking 1

2.06 Admissions Criteria

Learners must be 14-18 years old on the 1st of September 2016. Learners must be on their schools gifted and talented list or in the top 5% in terms of

academic achievement as recommended by a teacher from their school. Learners will have the intention to attend all the program sessions.

2.07 Program Aims

The program is intended to prepare learners for a diverse range of possibilities in their future, with an opportunity to develop skills, confidence, knowledge, understanding and values that are relevant and meaningful whether learners continue to higher level educational institutions or go into full-time employment or become self-employed.

The overall aims of the program are to:

1. Develop confident, capable, well-informed and critically thinking learners.2. Develop a critical, lateral, philosophical and logical outlook on their lives.3. Develop a wider range of context knowledge that learners can critically analyse and

evaluate.4. Develop a personal method to self-evaluate learning goals and achievements.5. Develop learners’ personal, moral and ethical values.6. Develop an autonomous approach to learning.7. Stimulate innovation, creativity and imagination in an educational environment.8. Develop sophisticated and extensive communication skills, including the use of critical

evaluation, argument analysis and philosophical enquiry.

2.08 Program Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding:

An understanding of techniques used in philosophy, critical analysis, lateral thinking and logic.

Knowledge and understanding of philosophical concepts and their application Knowledge of musical theory and its application Knowledge of chess rules and strategy Knowledge of poetry conventions and its application

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Cognitive and Intellectual Skills:

A basic ability to critically analyse information. A basic ability to synthesise and re-format ideas, data, concepts and theories. A basic ability to critically evaluate a range of sources of information in terms of validity,

reliability and epistemological warrant and can select appropriate techniques of evaluation. A developed ability to critically reflect on their own learning. A developed ability to solve problems and think laterally, logically, critically and

philosophically.

Key and Transferable Skills:

The ability to solve problems. The ability to think of a range of possibilities to given questions, tasks and information. The ability to view questions, tasks and information from different perspectives. Skills in giving and receiving feedback both concrete and abstract. The ability to challenge received opinion in an informed and balanced manner.

Employment-related Skills:

The confidence, capabilities and skills to succeed in a wide range of employment roles.

2.09 Types of learning activity to enable outcomes to be achieved

The teaching strategy has its core values as a student-centred approach weighted on critical and philosophical enquiry whilst developing learner autonomy. The following activities provide opportunities to fulfil the strategies:

Stimulus Stories – Stories that can elicit philosophical debates in a way that children can comprehend. These will often be broken up into parts so that questions and reflection can take place.

Lateral Thinking Puzzles– Puzzles that require learners to see multiple possibilities, these vary in complexity as the course progresses.

Creative Design –Clay modelling, musical composition and poetry. These challenges will require learners to synthesise material based on knowledge learned in early sessions.

Mathematical Enquiry – Learners will be taught how to investigate mathematical problems and eventually synthesise their own mathematical conundrums.

Chess – Learners will be taught chess to develop their lateral thinking and logic, patience and analytical skills.

Peer Discussion/Enquiry– Learners will engage in peer discussions where they will be taught how to analyse arguments whilst giving informative feedback and become critical concerning the language used.

Challenge the world – Learners will be given a stimulus of an everyday assumption and will deconstruct its meaning and analyse its truth from different perspectives.

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3. Syllabus (see appendix B for definitions to abbreviations or end of section 3 for subjects of abbreviations)

Session 1 (EP, SB, CT, LT, LG, MS, FE, CL)

Introduction to philosophical enquiry, chess and lateral thinking

Introduction to journal writing and self-reflection

Session 2 (EP, CT, LT, LG, MS, FE, PT, CL, SE, AP)

Introduction to musical theory

Further chess rules and strategy and further lateral thinking

Further philosophical enquiry

Session 3 (EN, CT, LT, LG, MS, FE, PT, CL, SE, AP)

Introduction to poetry

Further chess strategy and musical harmonies

Further philosophical enquiry

Session 4 (CT, LG, MS, FE, CL, ME)

Introduction to mathematical enquiry and critical analysis

Introduction to creative design

Further philosophical enquiry and chess

Session 5 (SB, CT, LT, LG, MS, FE, AP)

Creative lesson – Autonomous design and creation using limited materials

Lateral thinking challenge

Further chess strategy

Session 6 (CT, LT, LG, FE, CL, SE, AP)

Introduction to logic

Further philosophical enquiry, chess strategy and musical theory

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Session 7 (EP, SB, EN, CT, LT, LG, MS, FE, PT, CL, SE)

The world around us – An exploration using dialectic philosophical enquiry into assumptions

Lateral thinking challenge

Session 8 (SB, CT, LT, LG, MS, FE, CL, AP)

Introduction to art analysis

Further philosophical enquiry

Session 9 (CT, LT, LG, MS, FE, PE, CL)

Peer tutoring

Lateral thinking challenge

Philosophical enquiry

Session 10 (SB, CT, LT, LG, MS, FE, CL, SE, AP)

Evaluation and self-reflection of transformation

Final philosophical debate

Performance of musical composition and poem

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Subject reference Subject

EP Epistemology

SB Subjectivity

EN Environmental Studies

CT Critical Thinking

LT Lateral Thinking

LG Logic

MS Meta-cognition and Self Regulation

FE Feedback

PT Peer Tutoring

CL Collaborative Learning

SE Social and Emotional Learning

AP Arts Participation

ME Mathematical Enquiry

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4. Culture of the program

The culture of the program expects learners to demonstrate a commitment to development as learners. There is a strong emphasis on collaborative learning. The program philosophy engages strongly with the validation of peer review, therefore, analysis, assessment and evaluation carried out by peers are a key part of the program.

From the first session onwards learners are offered an introduction to philosophy, followed by development of these enquiry skills. Philosophy is at the heart of the course whilst remaining largely removed from the national curriculum of philosophy, learners will engage with concepts, logic and enquiry, not necessarily learning names and dates as these are not what are important to Halls of Ivy.

Critically reflective learning also forms a key part of the program ethos and throughout the program learners are supported as they reflect upon and discuss their own learning. The Halls of Ivy website also includes materials that learners can deepen their knowledge of particular areas of interest.

Finally, the program offers learners to be around other gifted and talented students with the intention of demonstrating a community of like-minded learners that can develop their knowledge and skills with a common identity.

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5. Attendance or withdrawal from the program

If a learner is unable to attend a session, the parent or guardian of the learner should inform the teacher at least 1 hour before the session.

It is expected that learners attend all sessions. When attendance falls to 90% of the course, that is when 4 of the 40 sessions have been missed, continuation on the program is subject to review, and a meeting will be held with teacher, learner and parent to discuss how missed content can be covered through additional study. If suitable arrangements can be made to cover missed content the learner will be allowed to continue on the course.

6. Tutorials and ongoing development

Tutorials are available upon request but will be charged at 300AED/per hour (except those discussing attendance or disciplinary actions). Tutorials can be used for 1-to-1 tuition or to discuss further development of areas of particular interest.

The course has included time for personal feedback so that learners are able to reflect with guidance on their achievements and ambitions.

7. Parental Responsibilities

Parents will be expected to play an active role in the course and be aware of the learner’s progress. This will be fulfilled by:

Each session reading the learner’s journal Parents are expected to make arrangements to collect learners no later than 10 minutes

after the session is scheduled to end. A charge of 50AED will be applied if a parent collects their child more than 10 minutes after the session has ended.

8. Funding

Payment will be provided at least 7 days prior to the beginning of the course and each term will need to be paid for in advance. Generally, the payments will be as follows:

1. Term 1 Payment - 12 Sessions (3600AED) to be paid before September 1st.2. Term 2 Payment – 12 Sessions (3600AED) to be paid before January 1st.3. Term 3 Payment – 12 Sessions (3600AED) to be paid before April 1st.

Payment can be made via cash, bank transfer or check.

A receipt will be provided in all cases.

Refunds for unattended classes will only be given in extenuating circumstances and if less than 40% of the course has been completed.

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9. Equal Opportunities

Halls of Ivy is committed to the promotion of Equal opportunities for all its learners and staff. It intends to pursue policies and practices that do not discriminate against any groups or individuals, either directly or indirectly, on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, colour, disability, religion or age.

10. Student resources

Students will be expected to provide writing equipment to all lessons and an adequate journal. Halls of Ivy will provide all other necessary equipment.

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11. Program Disclaimer

The information in this Handbook is correct at the time of going to press in September 2015. Halls of Ivy reserves the right to make amendments to:

a) the contents of the Program Handbook and, in particular, to the timetable, location and methods of delivery or the content, syllabus and assessment of any of its programs as set out in the program specifications in this Handbook and/or on the Halls of Ivy website; and

b) its statutes, ordinances, regulations, policies, procedures and fee structures,

provided that such amendments are (i) as a result of student demand (or lack thereof), (ii) as a result of unforeseen events or circumstances beyond Halls of Ivy control or (iii) are deemed reasonably necessary by Halls of Ivy.

In the event that amendments are made, Halls of Ivy shall take reasonable steps to notify you as soon as is reasonably possible.

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13. Contact information

Mr. James Harwood

Halls of Ivy

www.halls-of-ivy.com

Villa 6, Aldea, CA1, The Villas, Dubai, 79195

Tel: 0559996489

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14. Appendix A

In order to create a program that truly enables learners to improve their academic performance it is important to understand the benefits of the subjects being taught at Halls of Ivy, here are links to websites relating to studies and also research papers we have collated in order to find a balanced program.

Philosophy

http://p4c.com/benefits-p4c (retrieved 05/05/2013)

http://sophia.eu.org/Research/What%20we%20know%20about%20research[1].pdf (retrieved 13/05/2013)

http://www.evaluationdesign.co.uk/evaluation-of-sapere-philosophy-for-children/ (retrieved 05/05/2013)

Adey, P. & Shayer, M. (1994) Really raising standards: cognitive intervention and

academic achievement London: Routledge.

De Bono, E. (1970) The Dog-Exercising Machine Middx: Penguin.

Fisher, R. (1998) Teaching Thinking London: Cassell.

Haynes, J. (2002) Children as Philosophers London: Routledge.

Shayer, M. and Adey, P. (2002) Learning Intelligence Buckingham: Open University

Press.

Topping, K.J. & Trickey, S. (2007). Collaborative philosophical inquiry for school-children:

Cognitive gains at 2-year follow-up. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 787-796.

Chess

http://www.susanpolgar.com/susan-polgar-foundation-benefits.html (retrieved 06/06/2013)

http://www.quadcitychess.com/benefits_of_chess.html (retrieved 01/06/2013)

http://nmchess.dyndns.org/ChessBenefitsOverview.pdf (retrieved 06/06/2013)

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Lateral Thinking

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/TSK01/TSK01.pdf (retrieved 13/05/2013)

Baumfield, V. (2000). ‘Thinking through stories’, Teaching Thinking, 1, 8–9.

Craft, A. (2003). ‘Creative thinking in the early years of education’, Early

Years, 23, 2, 143–54

Dimech, N. and Pace, D. (2003). The Implementation of Edward de Bono’s

Thinking Skills Program in Kindergarten Classes 2002–2003. Unpublished

report.

Edward de Bono (1993). Teach your child how to think. London: Penguin Books Ltd.

Harris, J. (2003). ‘That’s What Your Brains Are For’: an Account of the Norfolk ‘Thinking Schools, Thinking Children’ Project. Norfolk: National Primary Trust.

Hodgson, C. and Laybourne, T. (2002). Teaching Thinking Skills and Developing Thinking Classrooms. London: NUT.

Lowrie, T. (2002). ‘Designing a framework for problem-posing: young children generating open-ended tasks’, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood.

Moran, M.J. and Jarvis, J. (2001). ‘Helping young children develop higher order thinking’, Young Children, 56, 5, 31.

Topping, K.J. and Bryce, A. (2004). ‘Cross-age peer tutoring of reading and thinking: influence on thinking skills’, Educational Psychology, 24, 5,595–621

Wegerif, R., Littleton, K., Dawes, L., Mercer, N. and Rowe, D.(2004). ‘Widening access to educational opportunities through teaching childrenhow to reason together’, Westminster Studies in Education, 27, 2, 143–56.

Logic

Bruner, J.S. (1990). Acts of meaning. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press

Ennis, R. H. (1969). Logic in teaching. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Inhelder, B., Sinclair, H. & Bovet, M. (1974). Learning and cognitive development,

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. New York, NY:

Basic Books.

Vygotskij, L.S. (1997). The history of the development of higher mental functions. In Rieber

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R.W. and Carton

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Music

Bell Music School, Belmont, MA,www.bellmusicschool.com

Campbell, Don, (1997), The Mozart Effect, Avon Books,

www.early-child-development.com

Hodges, Donald A., (2002) Musicality from Birth to Five, International Foundation for Music

Research, University of Texas at San Antonio,

www.music-research.org

Hoffman, John (1999), Crying Wolfgang, Today’s Parent Magazine,www.todaysparent.com

Pitman, Teresa and Holly Bennett, (1998) Music Fun, Today’s Parent

Magazine, www.todaysparent.com

Yoshimura, Kathy, Music Makes You Smarter?! University of Texas, www.cwrl.utexas.edu

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Syllabus reference Subject Usage

EP Epistemology

Epistemology is the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity. Children will learn to reason with ‘truth’ and argumentation theory.

SB Subjectivity

Knowledge of subjectivity and alongside it, perception, will be used in order to gain a greater understanding of learners own feelings and knowledge and experience of the world around them and of others knowledge and experience

EN Environment

Environmental studies are a field that crosses the boundaries of traditional disciplines, challenging learners to question their relationship between humans and their environment from a variety of perspectives. Learners will be able to understand the important connections between people, culture and nature.

CT Critical thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following :

understand the logical connections between ideas

identify, construct and evaluate arguments

detect inconsistencies and

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common mistakes in reasoning

solve problems systematically

identify the relevance and importance of ideas

reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values

LT Lateral Thinking

Lateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.

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15. Appendix B

LG Logic Logic is a domain of philosophy concerned with rational criteria that applies to argumentation. Logic includes a study of argumentation, consistent reasoning, valid argumentation, and errors in reasoning. Learners capable of applying logic greatly increase their chances forming well-structured arguments and finding reason in everyday life.

MS Meta-cognition and self-

regulation

Meta-cognitive and self-regulation strategies (sometimes known as ‘learning to learn’ strategies) are teaching approaches which make learners think about learning more explicitly. This is usually by teaching pupils specific strategies to set goals, monitor and evaluate their own learning. Self-regulation refers to managing one’s own motivation towards learning as well as the more cognitive aspects of thinking and reasoning. Overall these strategies involve being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses as a learner, such as by developing self-assessment skills, and being able to set and monitor goals. They also include having a repertoire of strategies to choose from or switch to during learning activities.

FE Feedback Information given to the learner and/or the teacher about the learner’s performance relative to learning goals. It should aim to (and be capable of) producing improvement in students’ learning. Feedback redirects or refocuses either the teacher’s or the learner’s actions to achieve a goal, by aligning effort and activity with an outcome. It can be about the learning activity itself, about the process of activity, about the student’s management of their learning or self-regulation or (the least effective) about them as individuals. This feedback can be verbal, written, or can be given through tests or by means of ICT. It can come from a teacher or someone taking a teaching role (including pupils acting as teachers) or from peers.

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PT Peer Tutoring A range of approaches in which learners work in pairs or small groups to provide each other with explicit teaching support. In cross-age tutoring an older learner takes the tutoring role and is paired with a younger tutee or tutees. Peer-Assisted Learning is a structured approach for mathematics and reading with sessions of 25-40 minutes two or three times a week. In Reciprocal Peer Tutoring, learners alternate between the role of tutor and tutee. The common characteristic is that learners take on responsibility for aspects of teaching and for evaluating their success. Peer assessment involves the peer tutor providing feedback to children relating to their performance and can have different forms such as reinforcing or correcting aspects of learning.

CL Collaborative Learning

Collaborative or cooperative learning can be defined as learning tasks or activities where students work together in a group small enough for everyone to participate on a collective task that has been clearly assigned. This can be either a joint task where group members do different aspects of the task but contribute to a common overall outcome, or a shared task where group members work together throughout the activity. Some collaborative learning approaches also get mixed ability teams or groups to work in competition with each other, in order to drive more effective collaboration.

SE Social and Emotional Learning

Interventions which target social and emotional learning (SEL) seek to improve attainment by improving the social and emotional dimensions of learning, as opposed to focusing directly on the academic or cognitive elements of learning. As with behaviour, three broad categories of interventions can be identified: 1. Universal programs which seek to improve behaviour and generally take place in the classroom; 2. More specialised programs which are targeted at students with either behavioural issues or behaviour and academic problems; 3. School level approaches to developing a positive school ethos or improving discipline which also aim to support greater engagement in learning.

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AP Arts Participation

Arts participation is involvement in terms of performance and creation in artistic and creative extra-curricular activities, such as dance, drama, music, painting, sculpture. Participation may be organised as regular weekly or monthly activities or more intensive programs such as summer schools or residential courses.

ME Mathematical Enquiry

An enquiry stance gives teachers an opportunity to explore mathematical ideas with children in tandem with developing computational skills and conceptual understanding. Enquiry empowers students to make sense of the world in which they live. Enquiry is a way of honouring students’ thinking and students’ questions, building on their cultural knowledge and interests, and developing their identities as doers of mathematics. In this way, Enquiry becomes a form of equity - and students come to see mathematics as more than simply a sequence of skills but as a tool with which to understand the world, to analyse complex issues in society and to communicate mathematical ideas in order to contribute to and participate in a democratic society.