Resource pack section 1C

The key to getting debate activities going in schools are you, the instructor, an excited bunch of students and some lively issues to debate. Below are some tips and suggestions for a debate programme, to help you along in the process. These points aren't prescriptive, simply are taken from the experiences of teachers we work with at Debating Matters who have started argue activities up at their school from scratch. Experience free to borrow what yous like!

PROGRAM WEEK i: SETTING UP YOUR DEBATE Grouping

■ Identify your 'contend club committee'
■ Ready a first meeting
■ Agree a programme for the term, with a key aim for the end of term. e.thou. a alive formal debate

Activity Point: IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO YOU Call up WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE ON Board AND MAKE THEM Part OF THE Committee While publicity is very important in drawing in a self-selecting audience, momentum around the group volition grow if you have some enthusiastic students on side who tin then recommend and promote the grouping to their friends. Many teachers nosotros have spoken to suggest that having an initial group of students committed to the cause helped build their activities enormously.

TEACHER TIP: "Give pupils ownership of when debates are (give them a few dates to cull from) and have them on different evenings – this encourages others to come and cheque information technology out."

Activity Bespeak: A REGULAR GROUP Every bit a minimum, a regular (peradventure weekly) group is essential to found and sustain momentum, and can exist quite informal initially. Identify a suitable time, meeting identify, and who volition be invited to participate. A Sixth Form debating group is platonic, just your own circumstances will dictate what is appropriate, and teachers have used all kinds of ideas to go lively contend happening in their schools.

TEACHER TIP: "There is nothing like the competitive instinct to motivate students. We constitute that entering a competition early on provides a focus for the contend club."

TEACHER TIP: "Choose a group of students that you would like to piece of work with. Their involvement volition non but encourage others to nourish (far more than and so than notes in registers etc.) just will likewise encourage them to take responsibleness for its success."

Programme WEEKS 2-3: RESPONDING TO ARGUMENTS

■ Get your group to create reasoned responses to provocative and controversial arguments, whether they take them from video pieces or articles

ACTION Betoken: Go STUDENTS TO RESPOND TO A CONTROVERSIAL Stance Students can get worked up very hands! In organising debate activities in schoolhouse you should brand utilise of this propensity, but too work out ways to challenge your group's prejudices – that is to expose their ideas about the world to research and rational argue. 1 way to do this might exist to observe an article written by a 'provocative author' and get them to discuss it. For example, TV historian David Starkey was pilloried concluding year for his comments about the London riots, and branded a racist, only might some of what he said be worthwhile discussing? Or should he have been banned from proverb it, as some suggested in the backwash? Related to this, are at that place some things that people just shouldn't be allowed to say? Or is free expression absolute, no ifs or buts? Play a clip of the discussion and get students to respond, asking enough of questions that will challenge their assumptions. Alternatively, you might play a prune of someone putting frontward a more than mainstream position in a current debate, and so ask students to critique their arguments.

Teacher TIP: "I always get on the Today programme and the headlines from the BBC website to place some skilful stimulus material. I also apply "The Week" equally it has good i page summaries of topics that tin can so be used to develop a debate."

Program WEEKS 4-6: Go DEBATING

■ Invite dissimilar members of the club to go head-to-head on an effect in each week
■ Decide on topics in advance and give them some materials to utilize in their training
■ On the mean solar day students would give iii-5 infinitesimal introductions so the discussion should be opened up to points from other members of the club
■ Develop the formality of the debate so that it leads naturally into the programme for weeks 7&8

ACTION POINT: SELECT LIVELY TOPICS As debating develops, more than circuitous or nuanced issues can be addressed, where there needs to be sophisticated analysis and discussion. More formal speeches and structured debates can be developed when everyone is comfortable with the principles. It is worth edifice on students' ain interests in the selection of topics, but the Debating Matters website has a large library of suggested topics and supporting material called Topic Guides. Our feel has shown that students tend to practise more than thinking, researching and reflecting on issues that are more removed from their own experience

Teacher TIP : "Information technology sometimes works to have a few more familiar topics at the beginning e.g. abortion, euthanasia. I've found that the students love to do topics they are doing in RE, ethical bug they already know near."

Plan WEEK seven: WATCH DEBATING MATTERS IN Action

■ Watch i of the debates filmed hither.
■ Organise a discussion later, commenting on team performances and arguments used

Activity Indicate: Watch AND CRITIQUE What watching these films can help to develop is an temper of critical date with one another and current affairs issues more broadly. Seeing judging panels in activeness, and debaters' responses to them, can too assistance students set up for the challenge of the real thing.

PROGRAM WEEKS eight-9: TRYING THE DEBATING MATTERS FORMATS

■ Gear up a date for a formal debate
■ Decide on topics a few weeks earlier if possible
■ Encourage preparation, preparation, and more training (if using Topic Guides tell students to read everything in the essential reading department – twice!)
■ Choose colleagues who yous think volition exercise a good task of putting students through their paces equally judges of the debates. A profile of a expert judge tin can exist constitute in section ii

ACTION POINT: TRY THE DEBATING MATTERS FORMAT OUT Organising a lunchtime or subsequently-schoolhouse debate, with speakers, judges and an audience – all of whom tin exist found within your school – volition bring the idea to life and might help to recruit new members to your club. This will involve some organisation simply would help you to galvanise support. Advice for organising a Debating Matters argue can be constitute in section 2. Importantly you are now including others in the argue order, and then volition need to make sure that students are ready to practice the club proud! Once again, arming them with plenty of inquiry textile is key to this.

Teacher TIP: "Economics debate? Get an economics instructor to judge. A) it ropes in other staff, who may then want to come to more, and B) subject field experts will be able to push pupils further. Besides, bring governors in as judges – they love information technology, and information technology makes the kids rising to the occasion."

PROGRAM Calendar week 10: COMPETITION AND DEBATING OTHER SCHOOLS

■ Sign up to take part in the Debating Matters Competition
■ Contact Debating Matters for recommendations of local school teams/clubs you could invite to debate your ain schoolhouse
■ Get in contact with the Debating Matters squad to let us know how it went

ACTION POINT: ENTER THE DEBATING MATTERS COMPETITION Yous may find very early on that your students want to enter the Debating Matters contest – the competitive urge is very potent! This should be encouraged, and you might, for example, want to ask 1 of the network of Debating Matters alumni to visit the school and explain what information technology's like to accept part. For Alumni details see website.

ACTION Bespeak: START DEBATING OTHER SCHOOLS A brilliant manner to round off a term of contend would be to organise a one-off debate with another schoolhouse – this should be planned early in the term. Fifty-fifty with one other school, there needs to be agreement nigh the topic, who will accept which side, who will (neutrally!) chair the argue, and who the judges will be.

TEACHER TIP: "Allow students to neglect – they reply well to it in fact. Don't be agape to tell pupils it wasn't adept enough – if the debate is poor, let it run its natural length, and intermission it downwards afterwards."

→ to section 2A