Masterclass Series 2024 by AshfordSchool

Masterclass

For students in years 4, 5 and 6

Meet our expert teachers and find out, first hand, what makes an Ashford Senior School education so special!

Saturday 16 March 2024

Ashford Senior School

East Hill, Ashford, Kent, TN24 8PB

Introduction

“Learn something every day” is a good mantra for a long and happy life. I personally guarantee that you will learn at least something at your Masterclass and if you choose the right class, you could learn something important about yourself and how you learn.

Teachers are a curious group of people. They have, to some extent, decided to opt out of the commercial world that dominates the rest of our lives. When you think about your time at school it is the teachers, not the swimming pool, the lunches or the fancy computer labs that you remember. At Masterclass you get to meet more great teachers. This is, we think, a very good thing.

Every school website seems to tell us that they “Inculcate a life-long love of learning in our pupils”. At Ashford School we distil this lofty, conceptual wordage into a very real, face-to-face experience. In a Masterclass you might learn a bit about African drumming or how to make explosives but what you will take away with you is the experience of being taught by an expert and experienced teacher. A bit of light mentalising on your way home will help you start to understand not just what you learned but how you learned from these teachers. Learning how you learn is the first step on the journey towards becoming a life-long learner. This is, I think, a very big idea and one that is central to what we do at Ashford School.

Come along, learn something, be inspired.

Tom Vafidis Assistant Head (Teaching and Learning) and Head of Politics

Reserve your place by visiting our website:

https://www.ashfordschool.co.uk/masterclass/

Format of the Day

08:45 Children arrive for registration in Judith Webb

09:00 - 09:45 Session 1 Children are split into the eight teaching spaces

09:45 - 10:30 Session 2 Children move to second session

10:30 - 10:45 Break All return to Judith Webb for squash and cookies

10:45 – 11:30 Session 3 Children go to third session

Parents are welcome to attend a tour of the senior school with our prefect team, as well as a presentation at 10:45 by Mr Vafidis.

Business

‘Dragons’ Den: Design your dream product’

Mr Kendall, the Head of the Business and Economics department, and Mr Grech, a Business teacher with a background in selling and business management, will dig into ‘The Entrepreneurial Mindset’ through a product development workshop.

Starting with a blank sheet of paper and open minds pupils will learn how to use some key business and marketing ideas to innovate and refine their own product ideas and face the challenge of making it attractive to consumers with the aim of changing the world and maybe generating a huge profit.

Chemistry

‘Sparkling Reactions and Explosive Fun, a look into the Chemistry of Energy’

Since the invention of gunpowder by Chinese alchemists in the 9th century, history has been dominated by people and countries that have the skills to make the biggest ‘bang for their buck’. Head of Chemistry. Dr Hiatt-Gipson, and Head of Science and Technology, Mr Worrell, will demonstrate the power of chemical detonations and guide pupils in an explosive experiment of their own. Sixth form students will be on hand to help ensure everything is done with the utmost safety and will talk about the mind-blowing experience of studying Chemistry at Ashford School.

Drama

‘How can I get what I want?’ A dramatic exploration of motivation, objectives & tactics

Mr Hornsey, Head of Drama at the senior school, is also responsible for the Arts Faculty. He has worked extensively as an actor and director all over the world and believes that drama education helps develop core skills that everyone would benefit from. His ambition is to ensure that pupils at Ashford have the vocal, physical and spatial confidence to engage, command and persuade an audience.

During the masterclass, Mr Hornsey will be looking at Rudolf Laban’s Efforts Technique, and examine how we can use this to define status, win arguments, sway opinions, and achieve our objectives.

English

'The Glitch'

Mrs Smith, Head of the English Faculty, loves getting students to think creatively and be original with their own writing. Her ambition is to give students a love of reading, but also be inspired by their reading to continue their own writing journey.

In this session, pupils will write a mini saga in 100 words, using the genre of speculative fiction as their inspiration. They will imagine a character where there is a sudden shift or change in their reality. What will be the consequences of this change? Will something happen that changes the fate of humanity forever? Only the students can decide!

Mathematics

‘How many cars (and lorries) can you fit on a ferry?’

Head of the Mathematics Faculty, Dr Britton loves posing and solving complex and unusual Maths problems. In this session, pupils will explore the importance of maths to logistics and how transport depends on Decision Mathematics and analytical thinking with algorithms to help make better, more informed decisions.

Dr Britton will use the concept of bin-packing to work out what is the best way to fit cars (and lorries) onto a ferry, how to efficiently cut different lengths of wood to avoid waste and how Amazon manages to fit so many boxes in their vans.

Modern Foreign Languages

‘How would Aladdin say hello?’ (Introduction to Arabic)

Mrs Calver, Head of Spanish, loves teaching languages. With over 20 different nationalities studying at Ashford School, all our pupils are exposed to a rich diversity of modern foreign languages and cultures every day. To be able to communicate in foreign languages is a wonderful skill and can start to change the way you see the world.

Arabic is a widely spoken language with a long and fascinating culture and beautiful calligraphy. Did you know that Arabic is read from right to left and that books start at what we think of as the end?

In the modern foreign language masterclass Mrs Calver will teach you the basic greetings in Arabic and how to write the first few letters of the Arabic alphabet. By the end of the class, you will be able to have a basic conversation in Arabic and say ‘hello’ to Aladdin.

Music

"Kye, Kye, Kule! With African Djembe Drumming"

Drums and drummers are an integral part of human cultural and psychological evolution. If you are human, you probably like drumming. Most people have a highly evolved sense of rhythm and group singing, along with synchronised dance, is widely recognised as the best way to improve social cohesion and give emotions a lift.

Mrs Hall and Mrs Simes will bring some of this musical magic alive in an African drumming workshop where you will learn 'Kye, Kye, Kule', a traditional Ghanaian song, as well as experimenting with rhythm using African djembe drums.

The workshop will explore call and responses with voices and drums. This life affirming and joyful session will end with a mini performance. Not to be missed.

Philosophy

'Introduction to ethics'

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” ― Aristotle.

Mr Charman, Head of Religious Studies, helps pupils discuss the big philosophical and ethical questions of life. Religious Studies encourages us to think critically about our own way of seeing the world and learn the listening skills needed to better understand other peoples’ opinions. It is not about being ‘right,’ but being able to defend your own views and be aware of the rhetorical power of logic as well as the inconsistencies and paradoxes in thinking.

The masterclass will introduce students to a set of tricky ethical dilemmas and give pupils the chance to explore their own thinking and express their own opinions. It is sure to be a mind-expanding session.