A Guide to Class Room Debates

A Guide to Classroom debates

If you are wondering where to begin when it comes to debating, hopefully this information will be of assistance! Below you will find a guideline for planning for a classroom debate.

A. Preparing For A Debate

Chn need to be clear in their understanding of what a debate is!
Provide chn with examples of professional debates (e.g. House of Commons).

Details:

There is a ‘For’ team and an ‘Against’ team.
Groups make their argumentsFOR or AGAINST a particular statement.

B. Organize The Teams

Divide the class into two teams (with a few smaller groups working together in each team to plan).
Assign one team to be FOR and one team to be AGAINST.

C. Decide Teamwork Expectations:

Discuss with your class, what the expectations should be for a positive teamwork experience (e.g. group rapport, taking turns, respecting the views of others, keeping noise to a minimum).
Instruct teams to nominate a team CAPTAIN. Decide who and how teams will NOMINATE a team Captain (discuss fairness in nominations, deciding to let your name stand for a nomination, show of hands, tallies, drawing names from a hat, etc.).
GROUP MEMBER Responsibilities: to support the captain, plan and research arguments, participate actively in research,planning and discussions.

D. Planning The Argument:

The teacher's role is facilitator . . . monitor each group to assist with understanding their roles, maintaining focus, brainstorming research topics, etc.
Team members should assume responsibility for researching their supporting topics, using all available resources.
Once resources have been collected, it is important that each group member has an opportunity to present their research and materials to the group for discussion.
Encourage each team to try to conjecture what the other team's arguments and responses may be, so that team members are as prepared as they can be.

E. The Debate

The debate can consist of a number of rounds. The suggested numbers of team members for each round should be usedas a guide as class size will differ.
Round 1

Opening Statement – proposition then opposition

The Captain defines the Motion and briefly summarises why their team is arguing

for or against the Motion (1 team member).

Round 2

Main Arguments –

Team members present their main arguments either for or against the Motion (2

to 4 team members).

Round 3

Cross-Examination –

The teams now have a chance to question each other (3 to 8 team members).

Round 4

Closing Statement –

The teams sum up their arguments, what they have achieved in the debate and

they explainwhy ‘the floor’ should vote for their side of the argument (2 to 3

team members).

F. The Vote

You can just have a show of hands, or if there’s time, a secret ballot!