Sunday 18 August 2013
Goodbye!
We said goodbye to our final summer school for the year on Saturday! We have loved having all of our students here and hope that they have enjoyed their time in Oxford, learnt new skills and made lasting friendships. Thanks to everyone for making the summer school such a great place, and keep in touch!
Final Day
Today was the final full day of the final summer school; a sad day for staff and students alike! In the morning students had individual tutorials, where they recieved final feedback on their work over the summer school. This was an opportunity to ask any final questions they may have had.
In the afternoon students had their final afternoon seminars in their chosen topics : Life as a Junior Doctor, Ethics and Philosophy, Current Affairs, Creative Writing and Environmental Studies.
This was followed by a barbeque in the garden. Despite rainy weather for most of the past week the sun came out just in time for our activities this evening! After the barbeque it was time for mocktails and the graduation ceremony with all of the staff. The summer school got the staff a lovely meerkat card which included all of the team as meerkats as well as chocolates which listed what students loved and hated about their time here (sorry guys, we'd change the rainy weather if we could!).
After this students had their "bop" - Oxford slang for a party. These are held in Oxford colleges several times a term and are usually themed. Classics dances like limbo and the macarena were popular, as well as a special summer school dance which involved lots of bopping and shimmying... Whilst some of the guys were a bit reluctant to join in the dancing, house mistress Sandra encouraged them and we saw some excellent moves from Aly and Ionut!
In the afternoon students had their final afternoon seminars in their chosen topics : Life as a Junior Doctor, Ethics and Philosophy, Current Affairs, Creative Writing and Environmental Studies.
This was followed by a barbeque in the garden. Despite rainy weather for most of the past week the sun came out just in time for our activities this evening! After the barbeque it was time for mocktails and the graduation ceremony with all of the staff. The summer school got the staff a lovely meerkat card which included all of the team as meerkats as well as chocolates which listed what students loved and hated about their time here (sorry guys, we'd change the rainy weather if we could!).
After this students had their "bop" - Oxford slang for a party. These are held in Oxford colleges several times a term and are usually themed. Classics dances like limbo and the macarena were popular, as well as a special summer school dance which involved lots of bopping and shimmying... Whilst some of the guys were a bit reluctant to join in the dancing, house mistress Sandra encouraged them and we saw some excellent moves from Aly and Ionut!
Friday 16 August 2013
Blenheim Palace
After a morning of tutorials, students found themselves in altogether more grandiose surroundings, as we took a trip to Blenheim Palace. This historic country
house is home to the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, as well as being
the birthplace of Winston Churchill.
The palace boasts a maze, huge landscaped grounds -complete with a a mini-train to tour them- and many, many swans.
A guided tour of the Palace was available, which included the room where Winston Churchill was born, and numerous beautifully decorated rooms. These were filled with priceless antique furniture and had impressive paintings from masters such as van Dyck adorning the walls.
After Blenheim students had Morroccan meze at a restaurant on the popular student shopping and dining area of Cowley road.
This was followed by a "Balloon Debate" back at the accommodation. During this students argued why things such as Harry Potter, Leg Hair and Nutella should remain in a falling balloon which must lose weight to prevent going down. Kyra, Gia, Ylva and Lizzie were the finalists, and all came up with very convincing and entertaining defences for their topics! In the end Kyra and Lizzie were crowned joint winners for their arguments in favour of keeping goths and the male nipple on the balloon!
The palace boasts a maze, huge landscaped grounds -complete with a a mini-train to tour them- and many, many swans.
A guided tour of the Palace was available, which included the room where Winston Churchill was born, and numerous beautifully decorated rooms. These were filled with priceless antique furniture and had impressive paintings from masters such as van Dyck adorning the walls.
After Blenheim students had Morroccan meze at a restaurant on the popular student shopping and dining area of Cowley road.
This was followed by a "Balloon Debate" back at the accommodation. During this students argued why things such as Harry Potter, Leg Hair and Nutella should remain in a falling balloon which must lose weight to prevent going down. Kyra, Gia, Ylva and Lizzie were the finalists, and all came up with very convincing and entertaining defences for their topics! In the end Kyra and Lizzie were crowned joint winners for their arguments in favour of keeping goths and the male nipple on the balloon!
Punting and Play!
Students were able to test out their punting abilities for themselves today! After diligent observations of their guides in Cambridge, some were excited to give it a go themselves and others were much more concerned about falling in!
Obstacles such as falling ducks, trees and Lily going overboard challenged Anna, Gia and Becky's boat however they were rescued by Ali who took over punting for them. Lily was unfortunate enough to fall in the river, however given the rain and the shallow depth of the water, she probably didn't get much wetter than anyone else!
After that it was time for a meal at local favourite Will's deli, providing healthy food cooked from scratch.
Next it was time for students to make their way to Wadham to see The Merry Wives of Windsor in the gardens. The play adapted the original to be set in an English country fete, with an interesting mix of modern references and original text. Students found it very entertaining, particularly Aly and Umer!
Obstacles such as falling ducks, trees and Lily going overboard challenged Anna, Gia and Becky's boat however they were rescued by Ali who took over punting for them. Lily was unfortunate enough to fall in the river, however given the rain and the shallow depth of the water, she probably didn't get much wetter than anyone else!
After that it was time for a meal at local favourite Will's deli, providing healthy food cooked from scratch.
Next it was time for students to make their way to Wadham to see The Merry Wives of Windsor in the gardens. The play adapted the original to be set in an English country fete, with an interesting mix of modern references and original text. Students found it very entertaining, particularly Aly and Umer!
Monday 12 August 2013
Workshops, workshops, workshops!
Monday was a day of learning many new skills!! Students had presentation, interview skills and a careers workshop today.
In the presentation skills work shop.... In the presentation skills workshop students were challenged to design a radio station, including the concept, business model, average day's programming and even a jingle! The prize of fudge from The Fudge Kitchen was well earnt by the winning teams!
The interview skills workshop was run by an experienced human resourcer who has interviewed hundreds of candidates. Questions such as "who are you?" and "what is your greatest fault?" are very difficult to answer on the spot, yet often come up in interviews for a wide range of jobs. Students were encouraged to explore who they are as potential employees and students, as well as what makes them special.
Questions requiring candidates to give evidence of possessing a particular skill or experience, such as "give me an example of when you worked in a team were also explored. The workshop will prove very useful for upcoming university interviews, as well as job and internship interviews in the future.
That evening students enjoyed Thai food in the garden followed by a careers seminar run by an advisor for the Oxford University careers service. Students were encouraged to explore the wide range of careers in existence by listing the different jobs related to household objects such as a music album or bottle of weed killer. Students were then given questions asked by top consulting firms and challenged to tackle them in groups. They did very well to come up with answers to tough questions quickly - for example coming up with the next date composed entirely of numbers which did not repeat themselves!
The main task of the session was designed to mimic "assessment centre" type of tasks, where job candidates are given tasks to complete in groups and assessed on how they work as a team. Students were challenged to build a tower as cheaply as possible, with a minimum height of 60cm, able to hold withstand a weight being placed on top of it. We had some ingenious designs from students, as they all were experienced tower-builders after their spaghetti and marshmallow towers made on the first night of the summer school!
In the presentation skills work shop.... In the presentation skills workshop students were challenged to design a radio station, including the concept, business model, average day's programming and even a jingle! The prize of fudge from The Fudge Kitchen was well earnt by the winning teams!
The interview skills workshop was run by an experienced human resourcer who has interviewed hundreds of candidates. Questions such as "who are you?" and "what is your greatest fault?" are very difficult to answer on the spot, yet often come up in interviews for a wide range of jobs. Students were encouraged to explore who they are as potential employees and students, as well as what makes them special.
Questions requiring candidates to give evidence of possessing a particular skill or experience, such as "give me an example of when you worked in a team were also explored. The workshop will prove very useful for upcoming university interviews, as well as job and internship interviews in the future.
That evening students enjoyed Thai food in the garden followed by a careers seminar run by an advisor for the Oxford University careers service. Students were encouraged to explore the wide range of careers in existence by listing the different jobs related to household objects such as a music album or bottle of weed killer. Students were then given questions asked by top consulting firms and challenged to tackle them in groups. They did very well to come up with answers to tough questions quickly - for example coming up with the next date composed entirely of numbers which did not repeat themselves!
The main task of the session was designed to mimic "assessment centre" type of tasks, where job candidates are given tasks to complete in groups and assessed on how they work as a team. Students were challenged to build a tower as cheaply as possible, with a minimum height of 60cm, able to hold withstand a weight being placed on top of it. We had some ingenious designs from students, as they all were experienced tower-builders after their spaghetti and marshmallow towers made on the first night of the summer school!
Photo Scavenger Hunt
This sunday morning was definitely restful for many of the students! The busy days have taken their toll on Umer and Aly as this photo demonstrates...
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A traditional sunday dinner at the mitre followed Afternoon seminars in Philosophy and Ethics, Life as a Junior Doctor, Current Affairs,Creative Writing and Environmental Studies.
After dinner, students participated in a photo scavenger hunt. Challenges included fitting as many people as possible in a red phone box, human pyramids in front of Oxford landmarks, and a photo that summarised their time at the summer school. We had some excellent shots, some of which will be included in the blog shortly!
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A traditional sunday dinner at the mitre followed Afternoon seminars in Philosophy and Ethics, Life as a Junior Doctor, Current Affairs,Creative Writing and Environmental Studies.
After dinner, students participated in a photo scavenger hunt. Challenges included fitting as many people as possible in a red phone box, human pyramids in front of Oxford landmarks, and a photo that summarised their time at the summer school. We had some excellent shots, some of which will be included in the blog shortly!
Sunday 11 August 2013
Lateral thinking and film night
Students had individual tutorials today where they were able to have one-on-one sessions tailored to them and their interests.
In the afternoon students participated in lateral thinking workshops - challenging them to think laterally through a variety of games and exercises. Interestingly many students first thought that lateral thinking was thinking logically to solve complex problems - by the end of the workshop they learnt that lateral thinking more involved thinking creatively or differently about a problem.
Students played games, including the scissors game, where students had to figure out a rule as to when the words "crossed" or "uncrossed" were correct or incorrect. Talking about these differences revealed that those who struggled to find the rule were often over-thinking or looking for a complicated pattern when the rule was actually very simple. It showed how even coming up with a clever way of tackling a plan can be unhelpful, and highlighted the importance of recognising the need to change strategy sometimes.
Ximena and Daniel stood out in terms of how well they tackled the challenges. They showed excellent creative thinking and problem solving!
In the afternoon students participated in lateral thinking workshops - challenging them to think laterally through a variety of games and exercises. Interestingly many students first thought that lateral thinking was thinking logically to solve complex problems - by the end of the workshop they learnt that lateral thinking more involved thinking creatively or differently about a problem.
Students played games, including the scissors game, where students had to figure out a rule as to when the words "crossed" or "uncrossed" were correct or incorrect. Talking about these differences revealed that those who struggled to find the rule were often over-thinking or looking for a complicated pattern when the rule was actually very simple. It showed how even coming up with a clever way of tackling a plan can be unhelpful, and highlighted the importance of recognising the need to change strategy sometimes.
Ximena and Daniel stood out in terms of how well they tackled the challenges. They showed excellent creative thinking and problem solving!
A special workshop on terrorism was
available for particulary interested students – mainly those with
an interest in history/politics. In the terrorism workshop students
were challenged to explore the issue in an academic way, exploring
case studies, definitions and how we view terrorism versus other forms of violent action.
In the evening students enjoyed
traditional fish n chips, followed by a chilled out film night, with horror films on show as well as Mean Girls for the easily frightened!
Saturday 10 August 2013
Cambridge Trip
Students had a break from tutorials
today to take a trip to “the Other Place”also known as Cambridge! After an early start and coach journey fuelled by breakfast bars, students took a tour of the city.
Rosie, our summer school coordinator is
an Cambridge alumna, so was back in her old stomping ground. She led
a walking tour of the city, showing students famous sites including
Trinity college, Kings college, famous bridges. She also showed
students around her old college, Jesus. Students had access to areas
students don't usually see. She also told students all about college
and student life in Cambridge.
Students had some free time during the day to shop and explore the city. Victoria bought some cute owl cushions and Becky bought a lovely jumper.
A tour of Cambridge by punt was up
next. Students saw the impressive "Backs" of colleges, and learnt many interesting bits of trivia from their expert guides. This was a good chance for students to see how punting is done before trying it for themselves later in the week.
After this it was time for dinner at Giraffe. It was also a very special day as Victoria turned 18 today! She was given a card signed by all of the summer school as well as a hedgehog cake after dinner. Happy Birthday Victoria! We hope she enjoyed her day in Cambridge.
Friday 9 August 2013
Debating at the Oxford Union!
After a morning of hard work in their tutorials and individual research, students were rewarded with the chance to practice their debating skills in the grand settings of the Oxford Union.
Our chief executive, Bobby, led the coaching with some of his colleagues teaching students about British Parliamentary Debating alongside some basic tips for forming a strong line of argument and being clear and concise. Whilst some struggled with shyness most were able to overcome their initial fears with exercises including arguing that cats are better than dogs.
More serious and stimulating topics followed, the students argued whether violent video games should be banned and whether the next James Bond should be female. Special mention goes to Anna who wowed the opposition aiding her team to the finals, and Sam who passionately and convincingly participated in the debate.
Our chief executive, Bobby, led the coaching with some of his colleagues teaching students about British Parliamentary Debating alongside some basic tips for forming a strong line of argument and being clear and concise. Whilst some struggled with shyness most were able to overcome their initial fears with exercises including arguing that cats are better than dogs.
More serious and stimulating topics followed, the students argued whether violent video games should be banned and whether the next James Bond should be female. Special mention goes to Anna who wowed the opposition aiding her team to the finals, and Sam who passionately and convincingly participated in the debate.
The busy day of debating was sustained by a huge order of burritos, second only in size to our order on the first summer school! After a heated debate under the watchful eyes of the entire summer school - standing where world leaders have previously argued - we had our champions. The winning team argued fantastically against the motion "University education should be free". Well done!
Thursday 8 August 2013
Ashmolean Museum and Seminars
Students had morning sessions with our excellent tutors again today. Psychology students went through the concepts of correlation, causation and experimental design in relation to psychological experiments before moving on to an introduction to neuroscience. The main areas of the brain were covered before students learnt about different methods of brain imaging. They were challenged to think about what features of the different imaging methods made them suited to their particular uses in neuroscience and psychology. Jen, Joy and Felix all came up with excellent suggestions.
The afternoon activity for the day was a visit to the Ashmolean museum. The Ashmolean is the world's first university museum, and home to a wide variety of art and archaeological treasures.
Students were sent on a mission to find the collection of rings that inspired the One Ring from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Other highlights of the collections included the Kish Tablet, thought to be the oldest written document, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Raphael and the death mask of Oliver Cromwell.
In the evening a meal at Aziz was on the cards, before students returned to the accommodation to begin their evening seminars. Topics for these included Life as a Junior Doctor, Philosophy and Ethics, Creative Writing, Current Affairs and Environmental Studies.
The afternoon activity for the day was a visit to the Ashmolean museum. The Ashmolean is the world's first university museum, and home to a wide variety of art and archaeological treasures.
Students were sent on a mission to find the collection of rings that inspired the One Ring from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Other highlights of the collections included the Kish Tablet, thought to be the oldest written document, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Raphael and the death mask of Oliver Cromwell.
In the evening a meal at Aziz was on the cards, before students returned to the accommodation to begin their evening seminars. Topics for these included Life as a Junior Doctor, Philosophy and Ethics, Creative Writing, Current Affairs and Environmental Studies.
Tuesday 6 August 2013
Workshops and Games
Student's started the day with another morning of tutorials! The economics tutorial covered more information about the basic terminology and concepts which students will build upon tomorrow when looking at game theory and behavioural economics. Ximena seemed very keen and interested in the subject!
In the afternoon students had essay writing and problem solving workshops, where they got the chance to learn skills which will be important in university and beyond. These skills aren't often taught in schools, so students tend to really benefit from them.
In the problem solving workshop students were encouraged to break down and get to the root of a problem in order to tackle it. As a final exercise students had to come up with solutions to a problem the class came up with.
In the essay writing workshop students learnt how to structure an essay and produce arguments and counter arguments. The students then were challenged to come up with arguments and counter arguments for and against an issue and share them with the class. Topics of debate included whether people should be obligated to donate to charity, whether we should protect the environment and whether religion was relevant.
For dinner it was a trip to the Oxford institution that is Atomic pizza, a restaurant adorned with nostalgic space and sci-fi themed memorabilia! Students then took a trip to another favourite of Oxford students, G&Ds.
The day finished off with Ultimate Frisbee and rounders in South Park, or an early night for some who were too tired by their busy day!
In the afternoon students had essay writing and problem solving workshops, where they got the chance to learn skills which will be important in university and beyond. These skills aren't often taught in schools, so students tend to really benefit from them.
In the problem solving workshop students were encouraged to break down and get to the root of a problem in order to tackle it. As a final exercise students had to come up with solutions to a problem the class came up with.
In the essay writing workshop students learnt how to structure an essay and produce arguments and counter arguments. The students then were challenged to come up with arguments and counter arguments for and against an issue and share them with the class. Topics of debate included whether people should be obligated to donate to charity, whether we should protect the environment and whether religion was relevant.
For dinner it was a trip to the Oxford institution that is Atomic pizza, a restaurant adorned with nostalgic space and sci-fi themed memorabilia! Students then took a trip to another favourite of Oxford students, G&Ds.
The day finished off with Ultimate Frisbee and rounders in South Park, or an early night for some who were too tired by their busy day!
First full day!
It was the first full day of summer school today! The students began the day with their first tutorials of the summer school. Tutorials are one of the most valuable aspects of an Oxbridge degree and involve work in small groups with experts in their field. They encourage independent thought and allow much more of a conversation and exchange between tutors and students than in a classroom situation.
After being stretched in their tutorials, students had time for lunch before going on a tour of Oxford. Whilst on the tour they were shown around St John's College by current student Alasdair. He was able to show them parts of the college closed to tourists and discuss student and college life at Oxford.
Students also visited famous sites around Oxford, including Christ Church College, where many scenes of Harry Potter have been filmed. Other popular sites included Trinity College and fudge kitchen!
In the evening a summer school quiz tested students' knowledge of everything from Mean Girls to Economics! There were also challenges for students to win extra points. Daniel excelled at eating a doughnut without licking your lips challenge, whereas Team Dogsburg did a great job of eating a bowl of cereal with chopsticks! In the end Team Blah were the overall winners, having overtaken Team Dogsburg in the last round!
After being stretched in their tutorials, students had time for lunch before going on a tour of Oxford. Whilst on the tour they were shown around St John's College by current student Alasdair. He was able to show them parts of the college closed to tourists and discuss student and college life at Oxford.
Students also visited famous sites around Oxford, including Christ Church College, where many scenes of Harry Potter have been filmed. Other popular sites included Trinity College and fudge kitchen!
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| Students outside Christ Church College |
In the evening a summer school quiz tested students' knowledge of everything from Mean Girls to Economics! There were also challenges for students to win extra points. Daniel excelled at eating a doughnut without licking your lips challenge, whereas Team Dogsburg did a great job of eating a bowl of cereal with chopsticks! In the end Team Blah were the overall winners, having overtaken Team Dogsburg in the last round!
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| Eating cereal with chopsticks challenge |
Welcome!
Today we kicked off the third summer school and had a wonderful start! We had students arriving throughout the day, with our first students arriving early in the morning from China. There were lots of bags to be carried and keys to hand out, as well as lots of new names and faces!
Once most students had arrived, everyone was gathered together to get to know one another. The weather remained characteristically British (rainy), so ice-breaker games were moved to our common room. First up to get all of the students familiar with each other was "Speed Friending". We had some suggested questions for students including "cats or dogs?", "dream job" and "which is the better super power: flight or invisibility?".
This was followed by the challenge of building towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows. Teams took various approaches, some more successful than others! After this the students met all of the staff team - Alex, Oliver, Rosie, Sarah and Sandra as well as us Activities Coordinators.
Then it was time for dinner from the caterers in the girls' house . Serene had a later flight so joined us for dinner. We made sure that she got to know everyone and she got stuck into the activities after dinner. Some people played football outside, whilst another group watched the film John Tucker Must Die.
Lastly there was a large contingent playing Articulate, OCSS coordinator Rosie's favourite game. Anna was excellent at guessing and describing various words and Joy seemed to get really into the game - although the "famous people" category was everyone's least favourite! The fact that English is a second language for many of the participants added an extra level of difficulty, but everyone did very well and the game went on for over two hours!
Once most students had arrived, everyone was gathered together to get to know one another. The weather remained characteristically British (rainy), so ice-breaker games were moved to our common room. First up to get all of the students familiar with each other was "Speed Friending". We had some suggested questions for students including "cats or dogs?", "dream job" and "which is the better super power: flight or invisibility?".
This was followed by the challenge of building towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows. Teams took various approaches, some more successful than others! After this the students met all of the staff team - Alex, Oliver, Rosie, Sarah and Sandra as well as us Activities Coordinators.
Then it was time for dinner from the caterers in the girls' house . Serene had a later flight so joined us for dinner. We made sure that she got to know everyone and she got stuck into the activities after dinner. Some people played football outside, whilst another group watched the film John Tucker Must Die.
Lastly there was a large contingent playing Articulate, OCSS coordinator Rosie's favourite game. Anna was excellent at guessing and describing various words and Joy seemed to get really into the game - although the "famous people" category was everyone's least favourite! The fact that English is a second language for many of the participants added an extra level of difficulty, but everyone did very well and the game went on for over two hours!
Saturday 3 August 2013
Graduation and Bop!
Today was students' last full day at the summer school. In the morning students had some free time, which Daisy and some of the other students used to go punting as Daisy hadn't been able to go with the rest of the summer school. She enjoyed the experience, and from the sounds of it the other girls enjoyed an excuse to go again!
Students had their last seminar in the afternoon. In Life as a Junior Doctor, which was attended by Radu, Tudor, Shalini, Greg, Simon, Elizabeth, Sarah and Nayab, students went through common conditions and diseases which doctors have to deal with such as Diabetes, Epilepsy and Heart Disease.
They also discussed specializations - Nayab and Elizabeth were interested in hearing about Paediatrics, and Radiology and Plastic Surgery were also discussed. Students also received application and interview advice specific to medicine to aid their forthcoming university applications and exams.
In the evening a barbecue was set up, and students made the most of the lovely weather and ate in the garden. Students then had time to freshen up in time for their graduation. Gathered in the garden, the staff team gave out certificates at the graduation ceremony and congratulated all of our students for their excellent effort on the summer school.
Celebrations ensued, kicking off with our now perfected summer school mocktails and ice-cream! Then it was time for the 'Bop' (Oxford slang for party) to begin. There were some impressive dance skills - including Kit teaching students the Highland Fling! After lots of dancing students were tired out and relaxed with popcorn and a film.
Students had their last seminar in the afternoon. In Life as a Junior Doctor, which was attended by Radu, Tudor, Shalini, Greg, Simon, Elizabeth, Sarah and Nayab, students went through common conditions and diseases which doctors have to deal with such as Diabetes, Epilepsy and Heart Disease.
They also discussed specializations - Nayab and Elizabeth were interested in hearing about Paediatrics, and Radiology and Plastic Surgery were also discussed. Students also received application and interview advice specific to medicine to aid their forthcoming university applications and exams.
In the evening a barbecue was set up, and students made the most of the lovely weather and ate in the garden. Students then had time to freshen up in time for their graduation. Gathered in the garden, the staff team gave out certificates at the graduation ceremony and congratulated all of our students for their excellent effort on the summer school.
Celebrations ensued, kicking off with our now perfected summer school mocktails and ice-cream! Then it was time for the 'Bop' (Oxford slang for party) to begin. There were some impressive dance skills - including Kit teaching students the Highland Fling! After lots of dancing students were tired out and relaxed with popcorn and a film.
Friday 2 August 2013
Blenheim Palace
Students found themselves in altogether more grandiose surroundings today, as we took a trip to Blenheim Palace. This historic country house is home to the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, as well as being the birthplace of Winston Churchill.
The palace boasts a maze, huge landscaped grounds -complete with a a mini-train to tour them- and many, many swans.
A guided tour of the Palace was available, which included the room where Winston Churchill was born, and numerous beautifully decorated rooms. These were filled with priceless antique furniture and had impressive paintings from masters such as van Dyck adorning the walls.
In the evening students had a traditional dinner of fish and chips followed by some activities to burn off all that extra energy. We held our very own OCSS Alternative Olympics. The first task involved choosing a team name. Names included Team Supreme and Team Helena. Events included three legged races and eating chocolate with a knife and fork. Students got very involved with the competition, with lots of contesting results and even some attempts at cheating!
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| Team Supreme |
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| Team "Fatties" |
Other events included fashioning an outfit out of a bin bag and what they could find around the garden. A catwalk show was then createdmodelling it - Saif's team won best outfit, complete with wings created from large leaves. Tom won points for his team for his catwalk skills, even getting fellow model Toby involved! After all the scores were added up Team Supreme were crowned the winners. Well done guys!
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| Enjoying the sun outside Blenheim Palace |
Thursday 1 August 2013
Punting and Scavenger Hunt
After tutorials and working hard on their assignments, students had a chance to test out the punting technique they observed on their tour in Cambridge. Some students such as Ernesto were naturally skilled punters, whilst others made a valiant attempt but had many collisions! The punting route provided views of the Botanic Gardens, Christchurch Meadows and
After delicious food at student favourite Noodle Nation, students had a photo challenge competition. Challenges included fitting as many people as possible in a red phone box, human pyramids in front of Oxford landmarks, and a photo that summarised their time at the summer school. We had some excellent shots, some of which I've included in the blog.
Then students had some free time in the accommodation. A very intense game of Articulate broke out between some of the staff and students, with the eventual winners being Gordon, Natali and Shalini!
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After delicious food at student favourite Noodle Nation, students had a photo challenge competition. Challenges included fitting as many people as possible in a red phone box, human pyramids in front of Oxford landmarks, and a photo that summarised their time at the summer school. We had some excellent shots, some of which I've included in the blog.
Then students had some free time in the accommodation. A very intense game of Articulate broke out between some of the staff and students, with the eventual winners being Gordon, Natali and Shalini!
Monday 29 July 2013
Day 9
Today the majority of the day was taken up by presentation and interview skills workshops.In the presentation skills workshop students were challenged to design a radio station, including the concept, business model, average day's programming and even a jingle! They then presented their pitch to the group.
Ideas included a local radio station for new artists to pay to get their music out there, sponsored by New College, Oxford!
Then it was back to the accommodation for Thai Green Curry, followed by a relaxed evening watching films. Forrest Gump was on, and many students had tears in their eyes by the end of the film!
Day 8
During the day students had tutorials and continued their seminars in their chosen subjects. The environmental studies students investigated logging and the sourcing of timber, which sparked heated debate.
After a long day of work students had a traditional British Sunday dinner at The Mitre. This is traditionally a special meal in the UK where families and friends get together to eat.
In the evening a quiz was set up, including rounds in the subjects students are studying at the summer school, an Oxford trivia round, a "Famous Georges" picture round and challenges for extra bonus points that included eating cereal with chopsticks. Another task involved eating spoonfuls of vegemite - easy for the Aussie students but difficult for everyone else!
It was a close call but team Dubmiyork/BLAH were the eventual winners. Helena bravely took on her team's challenge solo - well done to her! The high scores obtained by teams during the Mean Girls round was also very impressive!
After a long day of work students had a traditional British Sunday dinner at The Mitre. This is traditionally a special meal in the UK where families and friends get together to eat.
In the evening a quiz was set up, including rounds in the subjects students are studying at the summer school, an Oxford trivia round, a "Famous Georges" picture round and challenges for extra bonus points that included eating cereal with chopsticks. Another task involved eating spoonfuls of vegemite - easy for the Aussie students but difficult for everyone else!
It was a close call but team Dubmiyork/BLAH were the eventual winners. Helena bravely took on her team's challenge solo - well done to her! The high scores obtained by teams during the Mean Girls round was also very impressive!
Sunday 28 July 2013
Day 7
Students had individual tutorials today where they received one-to-one tuition. These tutorials were valuable for the students and allowed them to get one on one feedback about their work, as well as discussing their subject in a way tailored to them rather than a group.
Law, Psychology and Medicine students had an interdisciplinary workshop on Antisocial Personality Disorder, Mental Health and the Law. This debate sparked lots of debate, with Gordon, Eleanor, Lara and Leora standing out as outspoken contributors during the debate.
Other students then braved the rain to make their way to a lateral thinking workshop. This workshop challenged students to think laterally through a variety of games and exercises. Interestingly many students first thought that lateral thinking was thinking logically to solve complex problems - by the end of the workshop they learnt that lateral thinking more involved thinking creatively or differently about a problem.
Students played games, including the scissors game, where students had to figure out a rule as to when the words "crossed" or "uncrossed" were correct or incorrect. Talking about these differences revealed that those who struggled to find the rule were often over-thinking or looking for a complicated pattern when the rule was actually very simple. It showed how even coming up with a clever way of tackling a plan can be unhelpful, and highlighted the importance of recognising the need to change strategy sometimes.
Then a delicious healthy meal at Will's Deli was in order before once again braving the rain to watch The Merry Wives of Windsor at Wadham College. The outdoor performance went on, despite a heavy downpour of rain, some students bravely watched and actors bravely carried on the play, despite becoming soaked and their props disintegrating! Charles enjoyed the French character and found the portrayal very funny! Finally they gave in to the weather and the play was postponed. Back at the accommodation students recovered from the rain with mugs of hot chocolate, biscuits and horror films (or Dirty Dancing for Hope, Nayab and some of the others!)
Other students then braved the rain to make their way to a lateral thinking workshop. This workshop challenged students to think laterally through a variety of games and exercises. Interestingly many students first thought that lateral thinking was thinking logically to solve complex problems - by the end of the workshop they learnt that lateral thinking more involved thinking creatively or differently about a problem.
Students played games, including the scissors game, where students had to figure out a rule as to when the words "crossed" or "uncrossed" were correct or incorrect. Talking about these differences revealed that those who struggled to find the rule were often over-thinking or looking for a complicated pattern when the rule was actually very simple. It showed how even coming up with a clever way of tackling a plan can be unhelpful, and highlighted the importance of recognising the need to change strategy sometimes.
Then a delicious healthy meal at Will's Deli was in order before once again braving the rain to watch The Merry Wives of Windsor at Wadham College. The outdoor performance went on, despite a heavy downpour of rain, some students bravely watched and actors bravely carried on the play, despite becoming soaked and their props disintegrating! Charles enjoyed the French character and found the portrayal very funny! Finally they gave in to the weather and the play was postponed. Back at the accommodation students recovered from the rain with mugs of hot chocolate, biscuits and horror films (or Dirty Dancing for Hope, Nayab and some of the others!)
Saturday 27 July 2013
Cambridge Trip
Students had a well-deserved break from tutorials today to take a trip to "The Other Place", also known as Cambridge! After an early start and coach journey fuelled by breakfast bars, students took a tour of the city.
Their guide was Rosie, herself a Cambridge graduate. Students saw famous bridges and looked around many colleges including Trinity and Rosie's own college, Jesus. There students heard about Rosie's experiences as a student and how student/college life works at Cambridge.
Meanwhile, Jean-Luc, Joanne (aka Fufu) and Tudor took a visit to King's College Chapel, famed for its choir and Christmas carol service. The chapel itself was planned by Henry VI but not finished until the reign of Henry VIII. The students seemed impressed, and enjoyed the musical accompaniment of the string quartet practising there!
Students then had some free time for lunch and shopping. Helena bought a Cambridge T-shirt which she has been bravely sporting around Oxford and Daisy bought some trendy wellies!
A punting tour was up next, giving students the chance to see "the backs", the beautiful lawns of colleges backing onto the river. The punting trip gave students the chance to experience punting by an expert before trying it themselves next week!
After more free time, students had dinner at Giraffe and then headed to the coach home after a long day!
Their guide was Rosie, herself a Cambridge graduate. Students saw famous bridges and looked around many colleges including Trinity and Rosie's own college, Jesus. There students heard about Rosie's experiences as a student and how student/college life works at Cambridge.
Meanwhile, Jean-Luc, Joanne (aka Fufu) and Tudor took a visit to King's College Chapel, famed for its choir and Christmas carol service. The chapel itself was planned by Henry VI but not finished until the reign of Henry VIII. The students seemed impressed, and enjoyed the musical accompaniment of the string quartet practising there!
Students then had some free time for lunch and shopping. Helena bought a Cambridge T-shirt which she has been bravely sporting around Oxford and Daisy bought some trendy wellies!
Thursday 25 July 2013
Day 5
In the afternoon students completed either a Problem Solving or Essay Writing workshop. In the problem solving workshop students were encouraged to break down and get to the root of a problem in order to tackle it. For Kabhir this was a relief as the more subjective Philosophy and Ethics worskshop yesterday, despite being interesting, gave him a headache!
In the essay writing workshop students learnt how to structure an essay and produce arguments and counter arguments. The students then were challenged to come up with arguments and counter arguments for and against an issue and share them with the class.
Topics of debate included whether people should be obligated to donate to charity, whether we should protect the environment and whether religion was relevant.
Dinner was in the accommodation and students enjoyed their meal in the garden. Economics students had an evening tutorial. Other students played football, with a ball freshly retrieved from the neighbour's garden, or watched Mean Girls in the common room, with Jess styling many heads of hair!
In the essay writing workshop students learnt how to structure an essay and produce arguments and counter arguments. The students then were challenged to come up with arguments and counter arguments for and against an issue and share them with the class.
Topics of debate included whether people should be obligated to donate to charity, whether we should protect the environment and whether religion was relevant.
Dinner was in the accommodation and students enjoyed their meal in the garden. Economics students had an evening tutorial. Other students played football, with a ball freshly retrieved from the neighbour's garden, or watched Mean Girls in the common room, with Jess styling many heads of hair!
Day 4
After more tutorials and independent study to stretch the students, a trip to the Ashmolean was in order. The Ashmolean museum is the world's first university museum, and home to a wide variety of art and archaeological treasures.
Students were sent on a mission to find the collection of rings that inspired the One Ring from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Other highlights of the collections included the Kish Tablet, thought to be the oldest written document, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Raphael and the death mask of Oliver Cromwell.
After a lovely meal at Aziz, students came back to the accommodation for their first evening seminar. Seminar options included Life as a Junior Doctor, Philosophy and Ethics, Creative Writing, Environmental Studies and Current Affairs.
Derrick, Radu, Charles, Gordon, Tom and Helena had an Environmental studies seminar from a tutor who studies climate change from an international relations perspective. Students were encouraged to consider the wide implications and effects changes to one aspect of the environment may have, and what we consider "natural" or unmodified in an environmental context.
Students were sent on a mission to find the collection of rings that inspired the One Ring from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Other highlights of the collections included the Kish Tablet, thought to be the oldest written document, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Raphael and the death mask of Oliver Cromwell.
After a lovely meal at Aziz, students came back to the accommodation for their first evening seminar. Seminar options included Life as a Junior Doctor, Philosophy and Ethics, Creative Writing, Environmental Studies and Current Affairs.
Derrick, Radu, Charles, Gordon, Tom and Helena had an Environmental studies seminar from a tutor who studies climate change from an international relations perspective. Students were encouraged to consider the wide implications and effects changes to one aspect of the environment may have, and what we consider "natural" or unmodified in an environmental context.
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| Students enjoying a visit to the Ashmolean |
Wednesday 24 July 2013
Debating at the Union
After working on a variety of tutorial
assignments – Greg had an 1500 word essay, whilst Jess had
readings on the philosophy of history - students honed their debating skills in
the prestigious Oxford Union. The Unions has hosted leading public figures such as Winston Churchill,
The Dalai Lama and Pierce Brosnan.
The workshop began with word games,
and then moved on to debating controversial issues such as “This
house believes that dogs are better than cats” and “This house
believes that school uniforms should be abolished”.
Some impressive points were made,
including Gordon bringing in the Ancient Egyptians, an impressive way
of bringing new ideas to the floor! Daisy made an incredibly
confident argument against uniforms, tackling arguments posed to her
with ease. Jess also was a very captivating speaker, making excellent
points.
Students were given instruction on
debating technique, where they learnt about the structure of a
British parliamentary debate. The variety of speaking styles were
also discussed, some of which could be seen in the students : Ariana
had a conversationalist way of speaking, Gordon took on a statesman
style and Daisy was most definitely a firebrand!
Students split into groups and competed
against each other – some excellent debates were had, with two
winning teams entering the finals. The final debate was “This
house believes the monarchy should be abolished immediately”. The
proposition made some excellent points and Eleanor was an outspoken
contributor to the debate. However the opposition made a very strong
case and were pronounced the winners! Well done Tom, Leora, Jess and
Natali!
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| Debate winners! |
Monday 22 July 2013
First full day!
Now that everyone had settled in it was time for the work to begin! It was the students' first tutorials today. The molecular medicine students - Elizabeth, Sarah, Tudor and Shalini - had a tutorial based on disease, where they learned about different types of diseases, including some pretty gruesome infections!They enjoyed the tutorial but were surprised by the amount of discussion involved in the tutorial compared to a normal class.
After tutorials the staff showed everyone where they could grab lunch in the city centre and the students had some free time to explore Oxford in the sun. This year we have been incredibly lucky with the weather we've been having - it was 30 degrees for most of today!
Then it was time for independent research and study before going on a tour of Oxford. During the tour students saw all of the main sights in Oxford - including the Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library, Christ Church Meadow (and the college itself!), and the Bridge of Sighs. Students also were able to look around the present and former colleges of staff members, exploring their libraries and various quads. They heard all about student and college life at Oxford, from college rivalries (for example St. John's attempting to destroy Keble literally brick by brick) to strange traditions (such as May Morning). There was a lot of curiosity and questions to be answered by our guides!
After the tour we all ate at Fire and Stone, a pizza restaurant with exotic menu options such as "Peking", which is a pizza that includes crispy duck and hoi sin sauce as toppings! Whilst understandably Ernesto thought pizza was better back in Italy, generally students enjoyed their meals. This was followed by a trip to the Oxford institution that is G&D's, an ice-cream shop and cafe frequented by students. Its midnight closing time and Wi-Fi makes it a popular alternative to the library!
After this the plan was to play rounders in University Parks, however the first rain since the heatwave we've been having struck, so some returned to the accommodation early. Tudor finally experienced typical British weather, which he was looking forward to! The remaining students thoroughly enjoyed a wet but fun evening!
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| Sheltering from the rain! |
Welcome!
Today we welcomed all of our students joining us for the second session of the summer school! The four - weekers were excited to start their new subjects and meet new students as well. It was a busy day, with lots of keys to be given out and bags to be carried - some of which were heavier than others!
Once students had settled in there was time to socialise in the garden - a game of football started but was cut short by the ball going over into the neighbouring garden!
After a while of getting to know each-other, students were introduced to all of the staff and had a run through of the rules and structure of the summer school. Then it was time for ice-breakers in the garden - with a "speed friending" activity where students had two minutes with each person, with some entertaining questions provided by the activities co-ordinators if people got stuck for ideas! This was followed by a game involving passing oranges between team members in inventive ways
Then students relaxed in the garden and chatted before bed - after some long journeys here everyone had a well deserved rest!
Once students had settled in there was time to socialise in the garden - a game of football started but was cut short by the ball going over into the neighbouring garden!
After a while of getting to know each-other, students were introduced to all of the staff and had a run through of the rules and structure of the summer school. Then it was time for ice-breakers in the garden - with a "speed friending" activity where students had two minutes with each person, with some entertaining questions provided by the activities co-ordinators if people got stuck for ideas! This was followed by a game involving passing oranges between team members in inventive ways
Then students relaxed in the garden and chatted before bed - after some long journeys here everyone had a well deserved rest!
Sunday 21 July 2013
Goodbye everyone!
We've had a great first summer school! We hope everyone has learned new things and made lasting friendships - please keep in touch!
Last full day!
Students began their last full day with their final individual tutorials, where they got their last bit of feedback from their tutors before leaving.
Then after some free time to see the sights of Oxford before leaving, students returned to the accommodation for a barbecue in the garden (the heatwave over here is STILL holding out!). Then it was time for some lovely mocktails, lovingly decorated by the activities coordinators.
After enjoying some refreshments students got spruced up for their graduation ceremony Everyone was very excited about dressing up for the occasion, and some of the boys certainly looked smarter in suits than in their usual onsie attire!
All of the staff congratulated each student individually, and the whole summer school cheered for each student as they came up to get their certificate. Well done everyone!
Finally students celebrated the end of the summer school with a bop (Oxford slang for party)! The theme was "dress as your subject". We saw some great costumes - including lots of Union Jacks, crowns and Prince Harry masks from the English students!
Then after some free time to see the sights of Oxford before leaving, students returned to the accommodation for a barbecue in the garden (the heatwave over here is STILL holding out!). Then it was time for some lovely mocktails, lovingly decorated by the activities coordinators.
After enjoying some refreshments students got spruced up for their graduation ceremony Everyone was very excited about dressing up for the occasion, and some of the boys certainly looked smarter in suits than in their usual onsie attire!
Finally students celebrated the end of the summer school with a bop (Oxford slang for party)! The theme was "dress as your subject". We saw some great costumes - including lots of Union Jacks, crowns and Prince Harry masks from the English students!
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