This afternoon we held the first Lower School Talking Heads discussion of the year in which five debaters from Years 3 and 4 traded ideas and theories on “Who / what is a ‘superhero’?”

After being introduced to the five superheroes around the table – Superman, Neil Armstrong, Harry Kane, people who look after after people and Daddy (a lovely range from both fiction and real life, from the famous to the ordinary which gave us great material to work with) – they got into a discussion about what makes a hero, ‘super’. They came up with the qualities of having courage, self-belief, standing up for what is right, humility and having a disguise (though the last is not compulsory!). On asking them how their perceptions had changed as a result of the discussions, one summed up his as realising that anyone can be a superhero in real life!

This was a great illustration of young learners exploring new concepts, developing the confidence to share their ideas in public, extending their own perceptions and interpretations and of allowing their own opinions to be challenged and changed – all vital learning and social skills in the 21st Century.

Written by: Mr Atherton