Year 10 Sharpen Their Debating Skills at the Debate Workshop
The children from year 10 participated in a workshop that was organized at the school studying methods that are used in the House of Commons by taking part in their own version of a British parliamentary discussion where they came up with laws they thought would be suitable and what they think is missing from the current system and why.
Debate Topics
A few questions were also put up for the sake of debate where they had to argue against and for regarding the seat reservation for people from underprivileged backgrounds in universities. Both sides of the argument put up fair points that were backed by facts and logic which showed how much the students have improved over the years. Other topics such as whether smartphones should be banned and whether helmets for all sports should be mandatory were discussed as well.
Decision Making
The next part of the workshop was an advocate decision-making debate where students were placed in groups of three. They decided the topic to debate on themselves and then each of them took on different roles. The first student was in support while the second was against. The third student acted as the judge and decision maker. It was their responsibility to create a list of questions for the advocates to further decide who had won the debate and put their points forward in the best way possible.
Group Work
The students in various groups were then graded for their efforts with six students receiving an A as their final grade due to their comprehension of the topic and the ability to convince their audience. The group with the best points and ideas as well as teamwork was later chosen as the overall winners.
Improvements
The day ended with the students being briefed on where they could improve and what they did right. Finally, a debate was put forward where the staff participated so that they could note down the various pointers in a more immersive way. The workshop was followed by a late lunch at one of the local restaurants where we took some much-needed rest after a long day over sandwiches and some coffee.
Successful Learning
The topics at the debate were based on subjects being taught at the school which gave everyone a fair platform to start from while also giving students a quick revision before their finals. Since the day was constructive overall, we have already begun planning for the debates to come.
Denese Decosse is an education writer specializing in early childhood development and primary education. She focuses on innovative teaching methods, child-friendly learning environments, and strategies to support young learners.
