Inspired Teacher Blog
www.inspiredteacher.blogspot.com
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Of all the TV time these candidates have had throughout this election -
the hours they spend publicly debating should be the most important.
Though they practice for the debates and deliver much the same rhetoric
we hear in speeches and commercials - the very format of a debate
requires a level of un-scripted conversation we rarely get to see in a
presidential election.
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Center for Inspired Teaching is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to ensure schools make the most of children's innate desire to learn. We do this by investing in teachers. Please visit our website to learn more about our philosophy, programs, and results.
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How can I get my students debating?
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This Friday, the presidential candidates will participate in their first one-on-one debate. If you're a teacher of civics or social studies you're probably thinking about how to connect your teaching to this historic event. But Inspired Teaching would like to encourage all of the teachers reading this to think about how to connect whatever you teach to debate.
We tend to think of debate as the territory of politicians and selective clubs in high school, but the skills required to debate are actually those every student should acquire:
- Critical thinking about important issues
- Problem solving to solidify an argument
- Making thoughtful decisions
- Summarizing research
- Developing and articulating informed opinions
- Engaging in meaningful discussions
- Speaking publicly
- Learning to disagree without anger or violence
- Identifying points of common ground
Bringing debate into your classroom doesn't need to involve producing a Lincoln-Douglas format for every lesson, though a unit on debate can be meaningful for almost any grade level. You can actually build these skills simply by getting students in the habit of thinking from different viewpoints in their daily tasks, and you can do this largely by posing thoughtful questions. Here are a few examples:
- Middle or High School Math: Should all students have to learn algebra?
- Elementary Language Arts: If we have computers to type on, why do we still need to learn to write?
- Middle School Science: Which would you rather be, an animal or a plant cell? Why?
- Physical Education: Do kids need to learn about sports in school?
- Health Education: Should doctors have say in what we get served at lunch?
- Art: What makes something beautiful?
- Music: Can any combination of notes make a song?
In your adult life you use the skills of debate all the time whether you're debating your candidate's political views or determining whether you should buy organic or conventionally grown produce. Building these skills in your students not only prepares them for success in the world outside of school - it also opens them up to the joy of having a mind that is capable of reasoning, developing opinions, and sharing thoughts.
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Take a Stand
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"Take a Stand" was referenced a few weeks ago but it is also useful when preparing students to debate:
Build community and give students a
non-verbal, non-confrontational, means of stating their opinions in
this simple yet flexible activity.
Click here for a full description of the activity. http://www.inspiredteaching.org/news.php?id=110
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Forced Choice
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This is both a warm-up activity and an opportunity for students to make a statement about their beliefs.
Click here for a full description of the activity.
http://www.inspiredteaching.org/news.php?id=159
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Teacher Resources
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ProCon.org
http://www.procon.org/
ProCon.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is "Promoting education, critical thinking, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan primarily pro-con format." Their website tackles all of the major issues of the current election - presenting balanced resources and information for both sides of every issue.
On one page of the site you can download materials created by 222 elementary, middle, and high schools that can be used by students to study and participate in debates.
International Debate Education Association
http://www.idebate.org/teaching/index.php
This well-organized site contains a wealth of information about debate formats, how to start clubs, debate exercises to do in the classroom, topics, and much, much more. The site is co-run with a Dutch branch of the organization so some of the English found here is a little different from what your students may be used to.
Mrs. Sunda's Debate Forum
http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/
sunda/debate/teaching_debate.htm
This is an exceptional site for teachers of upper elementary students who want to delve into debate. Mrs. Sunda, a teacher in Arizona, has created a comprehensive and very useful website and resource packet that you can download. She's included everything from a page filled with links for researching the pros and cons of topics, to handouts to guide students in the research and writing of their arguments.
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