Description
Care in Conversation: Thinking in Practice is a four-session philosophical course that helps you think more deeply about the often-hidden dimensions of your work and why critical thinking can have such impact in social care practice and leadership.
Each 90-minute session takes a powerful philosophical idea and brings it to life in conversation. They offer a rare kind of learning experience, one where you get to read alongside others, share your understanding, and talk together about the ideas that arise. You’ll find yourself thinking together with a level of depth and imagination that can be hard to find in everyday practice.
We will explore:
- Why and how thinking matters
- Human nature and what it means for leading others
- Justice and freedom as lived experience
- Authority and how we use it
- Negotiating principles and practice
- Modelling reflective, thoughtful cultures in teams
- Resisting the treadmill and retrieving meaning
You’ll leave with a ‘thinking toolkit’ to bring into supervision, team discussions, and everyday decision-making: the curiosity to ask helpful questions, the confidence to pause and think before reacting, and a clearer sense of the tensions at play in situations.
Participants often tell us that this way of learning stays with them long after the sessions end, helping to renew motivation and a sense of purpose. They also tell us that, even when ideas are challenging, the sessions are inspiring, highly enjoyable, and a welcome change from the pressures of daily practice.
‘It’s made me realise that I need to take time to think decisions through more and not manage in a reactive way.’
— Participant, 2024
If you’re looking for a different kind of learning experience, we’d be delighted to welcome you.
Facilitators
Dr Rebekah Howes
Dr Rebekah Howes has 15 years’ experience teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the university sector, and publishing and presenting papers internationally.
In 2010 she co-designed and led the first Liberal Arts degree in the UK, leading the revival of Liberal Arts study in the UK. She brings to Think Learning the strong belief that what and how we learn should matter to us as human beings, and she hopes to continue to develop this sense of humanity in her work with course participants.
Professor Nigel Tubbs
Nigel Tubbs was Professor at the University of Winchester for 15 years after having been a school teacher in West Sussex and Brighton the 1980s and early 1990s. He lead two undergraduate programmes, in Education Studies, and more recently in Liberal Arts, which was the first such programme to be reintroduced into English universities for many decades (having begun life in Ancient Greece with Plato and Aristotle).
As a university researcher he wrote nine books, including Socrates On Trial, which was a New Statesman book of the year 2021. He is currently part of a new venture in higher education called Think Learning.
Who should attend?
Anyone who working across health and social care with children, families and/or adults, who feels that it’s time to care about thinking and is ready to be challenged.
Terms and conditions
This course consists of a series of four small-group online discussions. To allow participants to feel at ease, sessions are not recorded. Missed sessions cannot be refunded.
All course cancellations will be subject to a £50 administration fee, if received in writing at least 28 days before the course start date. We regret that any cancellations beyond this period cannot be refunded, but substitute delegates are welcome at any time.
Event Details
Dates: 4 x 90 minute sessions, 10-11.30am (UK) Thursdays June 25th, July 2nd, 9th, 16th, 2026
Date: 25 June, 2026
Start time: 10:00 a.m.
End time: 11:30 a.m.
Phone: +44 (0)1273 434 943
Email: [email protected]
