1 July 2019
Kritikos offers provision to those students who demonstrate both high academic ability and high engagement with learning. Intellectual discernment, or what the Greeks called κρá¿τá¿κÏŒς ('kritikos'), is the ability to judge and evaluate, rather than simply regurgitate information; those with this quality demonstrate a flexibility of thought that allows for appropriation of information and the ability to approach familiar problems with unique insight.
This term, Kritikos students have been completing Curiosity Projects, which gave them the opportunity to explore a topic of their own choice: they chose the rationale, resources, methods, and final outcome, and sought guidance from subject specialists along the way. It was interesting to note, at the end of Marden’s Cross-curricular ‘Earth’ Week, just how many students chose to explore the environment, both physical - large Hadron Collider, Tardigrades, Volcanoes, Deserts, Plastic pollution and Global Warming – and social - Human Rights, Social issues, Mental health, Nature or Nurture, Dreams, Blindness and Languages.
After some very eloquent presentations, students had to think on their feet to respond to probing questions from parents, staff and their peers. Kritikos member Bella gives her thoughts on the afternoon - and the project - below.
Mrs Katharine Payne, Coordinator of Kritikos
On Friday 21st June, Kritikos members from Years 7-9 came together for a tea at which we presented the curiosity projects we have been working on throughout this term. It was an excellent opportunity for us to have intellectually stimulating conversations with teachers, parents and other students about topics in which we are genuinely interested. There were a huge variety of subjects, ranging from Tardigrades to Ted Bundy, through so many others.
Everybody enjoyed the Kritikos Tea because it gave us a chance to hear others' opinions and feedback on our projects – and these opened up new ideas we hadn’t considered while doing our own research. It was amazing to learn about so many different things, and see what other students had worked on and what they were interested in - it made me more interested in those things and inspired me to go away and research them myself. Working on these projects was a tough process, but the end result really made all the hard work worthwhile and we had a great time.
Bella, Year 9
