The Montaigne Society is a group of 4th Form students who have chosen to devote Friday activities time to progressing their academic interests beyond the curriculum. I am lucky enough to oversee the group, and the sessions are a mix of interesting discussion of current affairs and open questions, and also the research process - looking into areas of personal interest. The culmination of this research is a presentation back to the society. Through the presentation the particular academic interest is shared, and points are raised and discussed.
On Friday, Ben Dimbleby presented to the group on the history of weaponry, looking at their development and commenting on the historical context in which key inventions were made. His aim was to research a topic in depth that had the joint appeal of indulging his interest in mechanical engineering and also his attraction to "The Enlightenment" period of History. It was, quite simply, stunning. Ben's depth of knowledge allowed him to talk around the subject and answer questions asked by the rest of the group with dexterity and skill. It was agreed that none of us would have shared this interest particularly at the beginning, but we were all thoroughly absorbed in the topic, showing that genuine academic interest, when expressed clearly, is thoroughly infectious.
The nurturing of such interests and the development of the skills of presenting and participating in high level academic discourse are the key aims of the Montaigne Society, and I am certainly looking forward to seeing how the group's interests develop throughout this year. I will regularly report back on the blog about the other talks that are made by the students.