World Schools Debating
School Debate Clubs – World Schools Debate
Debating is the premium ECA in any school: the ability to understand an issue and to frame your arguments is a prime skill for anyone. Moving beyond simply giving reasons in a persuasive fashion and actually engaging with the opposition is the height of debating.
I head debating in my current school with a twenty-team school internal league and seven highly successful competitive teams in a range of international debating competitions. We have staff coaches from different departments and genuine student leadership.
Here I will begin to head up our Debate Club materials and advice and reflections on what we do.
Organising a Debate Club: Some Points of Practice
Working internationally has given me opportunities that just didn't exist for me back where I was born. One is the chance to debate. I remember doing a few debates in Sixth Form classes, but they never really went anywhere. I also remember turning up to a few debates...
Pioneering Digital Debate: Some Ideas
To create further opportunities for our students to think and debate in our context, I have tasked my debate club to look at digital debating. Some great colleagues elsewhere are taking me up on the challenge. Skype and suchlike have ongoing issues of connectivity and...
Ambitions for the Year: Debate Club
My school's debate club moves from strength to strength. We have won several local and regional competitions (including the British Schools Middle East, and equivalent World Scholar's Cup debating), and offer opportunities to people of all abilities. Our first meeting...
World Schools Debating
World Schools Debating
Debating in Form Groups: Devil’s Advocate, Po, and Speed Debates
Click below to download devils-advocate-debate conventional-speed-debate In terms of debating as a form activity, there are two conditions to consider: a) How much preparation time? b) How much expected participation? The Speed Debate is more substantial, and put less...
Nootropics Lecture: World Scholar’s Cup at DESC
World Student Debate Format: Second Speaker Proposition – THB Students Should Cheat in Exams
Planning a World Scholar’s Cup Lecture
I though it would be useful to show the planning stages of a WSC lecture for both students and teachers. I followed these principles: a) I brainstormed (via a PowerPoint) the key ideas that I wanted to cover (generally formalism and defamilarisation as it relates to...
Debating in Schools – Three Thoughts
The very best schools foster confidence through public speaking: the skills of following an argument, articulating ideas clearly, and thinking under pressure are essential life skills. Speaking and listening was 'dropped' in the UK curriculum because, according to an...
