Primary Debating Handbook - admin.concern.net · PRIMARY DEBATING HANDBOOK 3 Introduction to Primary Debating Why teach debating? How is this relevant in my classroom? I’m not sure

DEBATE!DDEDEBDEBADEBATE!

Primary DebatingHandbook

Dear Teacher,

If you are interested in introducing debatinginto your primary classroom, then this shortguide is for you!

Debating is a fun, educational way ofencouraging your students to really engagewith topics. Learning to debate teachesstudents how to apply critical analysis andhow to prepare an argument using factsand sound research. It also teachesstudents valuable communication skillssuch as how to deliver a speech and howto effectively defend the points they make.

Debating can take many forms. If you areinterested in entering a team in competitivedebating, this handbook will offer someguidance on how formal debating worksand the rules of debating.

However debating is also a useful teachingmethodology. The components of debatingcan be applied across a range ofcurriculum areas and can help yourstudents develop higher order skills.Debating exercises can be used for groupwork and for whole class activities.

This handbook is not intended to be adefinitive guide but aims instead to offersome guidance to any teacher looking foran introduction on debating in theprimary classroom.

Enjoy!

Welcome

2 PRIMARY DEBATING HANDBOOK

...PSConcern offerinteractive workshopson debating skills andmany other developmenteducation themes! [email protected] to bookyour class in!

PRIMARY DEBATING HANDBOOK 3

Introduction to Primary Debating

Why teach debating?

How is this relevant in my classroom?I’m not sure I want to encourage a lotof arguments!

You may think that the last thing you need to teachyour students is how to debate. You may feel thatsome of them are well able to argue already!

However, debating teaches us how to put togethera well-formed, researched argument or point ofview which we are then able to defend. It alsoteaches us to listen to opposing view-points and tocritically evaluate information.

Using Debates in your classroom

What is a debate?

A formal argument where groups or individuals present opposing views about particular issue according to a set of rules.

SO WHAT’SSTOPPINGYOU?


Curriculum links includeEnglish (Oral language development), SESE subjects(analytical thinking, research that includes fact findingand using sources) and Maths (research includingsurveys and statistics).

discuss issues of major concern.

use a discussion of the familiar as the basis of a more formal or objectivegrasp of a topic or concept.

listen to a presentation on a particular topic, decide through discussion whichare the most appropriate questions to ask, and then prioritise them.

argue points of view from the perspective of agreement and disagreementthrough informal discussion and in the context of formal debates.

justify and defend particular opinions or attitudes and try to persuade othersto support a particular point of view.

respond to arguments presented by the teacher.

discuss the value, truth or relevance of popular ideas, causes and proverbs.

Using Debate in the classroomcan help enable a child in 5th or6th class to meet the followinglearning outcomes as outlined bythe Department of Education and Skills:


PURPOSE

This activity invites students to form anopinion on a particular issue, to not be afraidto let others know where they stand, to givereasons for their opinion and to change theiropinion if persuaded to do so after discussionwith others.

MATERIALS

Four sheets of chart paper, each labelled inlarge letters with one of the following:

Strongly Agree

Agree,

Disagree,

Strongly Disagree

PREPARATION

Place one of the four sheets in each cornerof the room.

Prepare a list of statements upon which youwant students to Take a Stand.

This activity is best suited to an area wherestudents can move about freely such as ahall or gymnasium.

ACTIVITY

Gather the class in the centre of the roomand point out the four sheets in each of thecorners.

Tell the students that you are going to readout a number of statements and that youwant the students to go and stand in thecorner that best describes how they feelabout the statement.

An example of statements are:

• School uniforms should be banned

• Homework is good for us

• There is nothing I can do about climatechange

Encourage students to voice their opinionsfrom their respective corners….”so thisgroup over here disagrees with banningschool uniforms?...tell us why? Etc

After some discussion from each of thecorners ask the students if any of themwould like to change corners and if so togive a reason…perhaps they wereconvinced by a comment from one of theother corners…

Invite each group from each of the cornersto work together to write a clear statementexplaining their position.

Where do you stand?


PURPOSE:

This is a good exercise to help studentslisten to another point of view as well aslearn how to respectfully disagree(refutation and rebuttal) while offering theirown point of view.

PREPARATION:

Find/create a space where the class canline up facing one another.

Prepare a list of statements similar toActivity 1.

ACTIVITY

Have students line up facing one anotherabout two feet apart.

One side is ‘proposition’ the other is‘opposition’.

Read out a statement, e.g ‘’all Zoos shouldbe banned’.

The first person on the Proposition siderepeats the line and gives a reason why e.g‘All zoos should be banned becauseanimals belong in the wild and not behindbars’.

The first person in the Opposition line thensays; ‘I couldn’t disagree more becauseanimals in zoos today are extremely welltreated and get lots of proper care.

The second person in the proposition linethen says I couldn’t disagree with youmore, all zoos should be bannedbecause…

And so it goes back and forth until nonew points can be made.

Once all of the students have had achance to propose or oppose the motionask the proposition side to repeat anypoints or arguments they heard from theopposition side and vice versa.

Ask for a show of hands on the motion…does the class believe Zoos should bebanned?

Move on to the next statement.

P.S a student who would prefer not tomake a point for whatever reason can justsay ‘pass’.

I couldn’t disagree more

PURPOSE:

To help students identify different styles ofspeaking some of which are very helpful andothers they should try and avoid.

MATERIALS:

Prompt cards

Stop watch (phone)

Bell

Youtube (optional)

PREPARATION:

Prepare two sets of prompt cards onemarked ‘topic’ and the other marked ‘style’.

On each of the ‘topic’ cards write a subject(topic) that the student can speak about forup to 1 minute e.g my favourite foods, mysuperpower, countries I would like to visit,games I like to play etc. Make sure you haveenough cards for every student in the class.

On each of the ‘style’ cards write how youwant the student to speak…e.g. Mumble,speak very quickly cough a lot, speak tooloud, do not look at the person you arespeaking to, use your hands a lot when youspeak, be confident, be very nervous, uselots of ‘emms’, be angry etc. Make sure youhave enough cards for everyone in the class.(You can use the same style a number oftimes).

Place the two sets of cards beside oneanother.

Say it with style


ACTIVITY• Divide students into pairs• Ask each student to take a card; one from thetopic pack and one from the style pack

• Tell them not to show their cards to their partner• Tell them that they must speak for up to oneminute on the topic that has been given to them

• Allow the students a couple of minutes to thinkabout the topic and what they want to say

• Tell them they must deliver their speech in thestyle they have been given…for example speakabout my favourite food (topic) using lots of‘emmms’ and ‘ers’ (style)

• Ask speaker 1 to start…go for one minute andring the bell

• Ask all those who were listening what they feltabout what their partner was saying…were theyeasy to listen to? Could you understand them?Were they interesting?…can they identify thestyle the speaker was asked to use?

• Repeat the exercise inviting speaker 2 to go forone minute

• Ask all those who were listening the samequestions as above

• As a class make a list of things that make usgood communicators

• As a class make a list of things that make usless effective communicators

• Once the activity is complete you can showYoutube clips of various well known peoplegiving speeches such as Emma Watson,Barack Obama, President Michael D. Higgins,Malalla Youseffi, Martin Luther King

FOR MORE CLASSROOM DEBATES ACTIVITIES GO T0: www.concern.net/get-involved

Research

Researching a debating motion provides a great opportunity for whole classinvolvement.

Initially it may be difficult for students tocome up with suggestions for debatingmotions. They may find it hard to pick aquestion or topic with two sides. Or theymay choose a topic that everyone wouldfind easy to agree with but which nobodywants to oppose.

Start by providing some topics you choosefor the class until they start to come upwith their own. You can link some of thesedirectly to what they are studying orlearning about in some subject area. Youmight want to choose something topicalfrom the current news cycle, providing it isnot too complex! Throw in some fun, non-academic, youth culture debates or somewacky ones eg.

The colour red is much moreuseful than the colour blue.

Cats make better pets than dogs.

As a whole class exercise, brainstorm thetopic from both sides. Start with theproposing arguments. Discuss how theymight group some arguments together. Workuntil there are three main arguments. Do thesame with the opposing side. Then divide theclass into six teams. Ask students on eachteam to decide who will speak first, secondand third. Everyone in the team needs towork on their particular side of the argument.

Sources

This is a good opportunity to develop skills inunderstanding different sources ofinformation. It links to the history curriculumbut also to English and literacy.


Some questions you might ask the class tothink about;

Where can we go to look forinformation?

What is the difference between aprimary source and a secondarysource?

How can we choose whichsource is better? What role doesmemory play?

How do we know howtrustworthy/reliable our source is?

This also presents a good opportunity todiscuss how we use the Internet as asource of information. How do we usesearch engines? Understanding how theywork.

Can we tell who has put up information?How can we tell if it is accurate? How totell if the website we are looking at is anofficial website or not? Encourage childrento look at web addresses.

Apart from the internet, what other placescan we look for information? Is the authorof the information from the time or arethey writing after the fact? Were theythere and is it a first-hand account or dowe know if they are a reliable witness?

Collecting primary sources (SESE/Maths Integration)

This can become a class activity in itself. Itcould be linked to history class- they couldinterview a parent or grandparent about anaspect of the topic, where relevant.


For example, for a topic such as “Childrenspend too much time on computers”, theycould ask an older family member aboutlife before smart phones were invented!

Or you could explore opportunities forintegration with mathematics by collectingresearch information and exploring waysto present it in various forms such asgraphs and polls. Is there a possibility ofcreating a survey of students in theirschool or an opinion poll among a numberof classes? You could use the data todiscuss mathematics representations suchas fractions and percentages.

Useful websiteswww.scoilnet.iewww.kidfriendlysearch.comwww.funbrain.comwww.factmonster.comwww.kids.nationalgeographic.comwww.worldalmanacforkids.comwww.concern.net

Refutation and rebuttal

This is a core component of debating. Inessence, this is what differentiates debatingfrom public speaking. Refutation and rebuttalare the methods of counter arguing. To refutean argument is to produce evidence (facts orfigures) to prove it untrue. To rebut anargument is to discredit it by offering acompletely different point of view.

Research is essential for putting together astrong argument. Communication is essentialfor delivering that argument.

But refutation and rebuttal are essential todebating your argument. In competitivedebating, this can often be the deciding factorin winning a debate. Outside of competitivedebating, the skills of refutation and rebuttalprovide students with higher order skills ofanalysis and defence of an argument.

In order to be able to counter argue in adebate, students should research both sidesof the topic or statement they are debating.That way they will be prepared for some ofthe points their opposition will use and beready to answer those arguments with factsand statements of their own.


Is a picture worth a thousand words? OR Can I use a prop?…the simple answer is no We believe that debate is about the spoken word and the ability to persuade andconvince through the power of speech and well-structured argument. At this earlystage of their debates career (primary school) we feel it best to develop a student’soratorical powers rather than using a picture (or any prop) as a substitute…

As well as keeping acollection yourself, youcould provide your classwith a suggestion box wherethey could leave ideas for debatingmotions. Some may need work butthat could happen as part of awhole class discussion- allow themto tweak and suggest how toimprove or strengthen a motion.

What does a debate look like?

In a debate there are two teams. Oneteam proposes or argues in favour of themotion and the other team opposes or isagainst the motion.

In general the home team is theproposition and the away team is theopposition but for neutral venues, teacherscan decide between themselves.

Moving on to formal debating should notbe seen as anything daunting orintimidating. In fact, once your studentsbecome familiar with the format involvedin debating, it becomes very easy to runmini debates with your class whenever agood topic arises.

The motion is usually a statement orsometimes a question. It should have twosides. Students often find it difficult toargue against motions they personallydisagree with. This is something thattakes practice. Allow them opportunitiesto debate unpopular topics e.g Computergames should be banned, summerholidays should be shorter etc.

FormalDebates


The debate teamIn the primary debating competition eachteam must have six members. At a formaldebate there are three speakers per school.You can use your other members fortimekeeping, research assistants, subs etc.

One member of the team is nominated asthe captain. The make-up of the teamdoesn’t need to stay the same for everydebate - you may choose to rotate roles.

Speaking orderThe captain of the proposition speaks first.The captain of the opposition speakssecond. The second member of theproposition speaks next followed by thesecond member of the opposition. The thirdspeakers follow next. Finally the captainssummarise, this time with the captain of theopposition summing up first and finishingthe debate with captain of the proposition.

The Captain’s roleThe captain is responsiblefor introducing their team.There are different ways to start a speechbut the follow is an example;

“Chairperson, members of the audience,members of the opposition, we are heretoday to propose the motion that…”

The captain should introduce their team,outlining the arguments that each memberwill talk about. For example “Ciara willspeak about how zoos have been importantin conservation and Aoife will explain howschools benefit from trips to the zoo etc.”

The captain is also responsible forspeaking at the end. They need tosummarise the points their team made andtry to refute the arguments the oppositionmade or answer/defend any points againstthem during the debate.

The debate

Each team member shouldhave a distinct point to talkabout. Each speaker speaksfor three minutes. They will beawarded points against them if they goover the time so it’s a good idea topractice, practice, practice! Make surethey are familiar with hearing the bell tosignal the time up. If they lose their train ofthought and need to wrap up, teach themto finish with “therefore wepropose/oppose the motion that….”.

Practicing their speech also helps them todefeat nerves. Children are less likely toget nervous if they have had numerouspractice runs.

Team work

Each member needs to stay engagedthroughout the debate and not just fortheir own speech. They should have paperand pen at hand and jot down any usefulpoints. They need to listen to the speakersbefore them to find opportunities forrebuttal and refutation.

After their speech, they should be lookingfor points to assist their captain in theirsummation. Marks are awarded forteamwork, so each member should beaware of the importance of making acontribution where they can.


3mins

Marking Sheets

During a debate marks are awardedaccording to different aspects ofdebating. In general marks areawarded to individual speakers forcontent and delivery. This can includeuse of sources and use of refutationand rebuttal. Captains are awardedmarks for their particular duties. Thereare usually marks awarded forteamwork. Penalties can be incurred ifspeakers go beyond the allocated timeallowed. It is recommended thatteachers familiarize themselves andtheir team with the marking sheet priorto each debate. Copies of the markingsheet can be found on page 16.

Adjudicators

It is the role of the adjudicatorto determine the marksawarded during thedebate. After eachspeech they willaward pointsaccording to thecategories on the marking sheet. At the end ofthe debate, the adjudicators retire to a separateroom to tally the scores and determine the result.The chief adjudicator delivers some feedbackand announces the result of the debate to theaudience. Tips for adjudicators can be foundoverleaf on pages 14 and 15. Feedback pointsfor the Chief Adjudicator can be found on theback of the marking sheet.

Contact your local education centre to find out ifthere will be a competition run in your area.

Your education centre will assist you in registering andtaking part. Competitions will run to a regional final butthere will also be fun days run by Concern in regionsacross the country later in the year.


Next Steps

SCHOOL

L o r e m i p s u m d o l o r s i t a m e t , c o n s e c t e t u r a d i p i s c i n g e l i t . V i v a m u s l o b o r t i s

o r c i u l t r i c e s l a c u s p u l v i n a r , v e l i m p e r d i e t n u l l a f e r m e n t u m . M a u r i s n e c v a r i u s m a g n a .

Complaints ProcedureEach Education Centre is responsible for the administration of the Concern Debates Programme. Volunteer Adjudicators are recruited externally of Concern Worldwide by education centres. Please contact your local education centre focal person with any complaints.

For feedback on the competition, resources or to book a workshop, please contactConcern at [email protected] or on 01 417 8078

Adjudicator MarkingSheet: What Should Ibe Looking out for?

REMEMBER…as an adjudicator it is yourjob to be completely neutral and impartial.You must be careful to assign marksaccording to the marking sheet and notbecause you personally agree or disagreewith a particular side of the argument.

The following tips are here to help you tofill out the marking sheet.

MARKS for Captain, Speaker 1 andSpeaker 2: We recommend the following guide forassigning marksExcellent 5Good/Very Good 3 or 4Need for improvement 1 or 2

Marks for Captain’s Summation:Excellent 9 or 10Very Good 7 or 8Good 5 or 6Need for improvement 4 or less

CAPTAINS

Introduction of team arguments: Thecaptain of each team will open the debate.In their 3 minute speech the captain should;

• Define the motion: Go over the mainwords of the motion and define anywords or phrases that need clarification.For example in the motion ‘ClimateChange is not my problem’ The captainwill need to define (very briefly) whathis/her team means by ‘climate change’and should say why his/her teambelieves it is not their problem…

• Introduce his/her teammates andname the three arguments his/her teamwill be using in the debate e.g. as teamcaptain I will argue that as a countryIreland is too small to make a differenceto global climate change our secondspeaker Siobhan will argue that India,China and United States must deal withClimate Change first and our thirdspeaker Cian, will argue that scientistsare already coming up with solutions…

• Start the debate: The captain will thengive the first of his/her teams threearguments which in the above examplewill be to argue ‘why Ireland is too smallto make a difference.’

Thank you for agreeing to be an adjudicator, the primarydebates simply couldn’t happen without you.



The Captain of the opposition will thengo through the same process only defining,introducing and arguing from his/herteams’ side of the motion.

Organisation and Clarity:

• Is the speaker well prepared?

• Is there an order or structure to thearguments used?

• Is the overall argument clear?

Use of Facts:

• Did the speaker present any facts(statistics or quotes) to support theirargument rather than just giving theiropinion?

• Did the speaker name the sources ofthese facts? E.g. “According to theUnited Nations…”

Relevance of arguments:

• Did the speaker stay on topic?

• Did the speaker present up to dateinformation?

• Were the examples they used linked tothe point they were making

Use of Rebuttal: This is a very importantdebating skill. Using rebuttal to counter anopponent’s argument is what separatesdebating from public speaking.

• Did the speaker challenge theiropponents on a particular point?

• Did the speaker effectively answer oraddress any of the points raised bytheir opponents?

Persuasiveness

• Did the speaker engage the audience bymaking eye contact, effective use ofhis/her hands or varying the tone of theirvoice?

• Did the speaker use ‘appropriate’ passion• Did the speaker use the three minutes

allotted to them? (Under-speaking canindicate lack of preparation)

• Did the speaker use humour?*

*Humour can be an effective ‘tool’ in debate,however make sure it is appropriate, fair to theopponents and relevant to the motion.Remember, debaters should ‘play the ball notthe (wo)man’. Sarcasm and inappropriatehumour should be docked 1 or 2 marks in thePersuasiveness section.

Captain’s Summation

The Captain’s summation is like a Barrister’sclosing address before the jury. No newinformation should be introduced at this stage.The Captain’s duty is to:• Recap his/her own team’s arguments• Rebut the arguments of their opposing side

Points for Teamwork

• Did the debaters work together as a team?• Did the debaters refer to each other’s

arguments?• Did they help each other during the debate

by passing on (whispering or writing on apiece of paper) possible points of rebuttalto the captain for his/her closing speech?


Captain

Introduction of team's arguments/ Definition of the motion

/5

Organisation and Clarity /5

Use of facts /5

Relevance of arguments /5

Persuasiveness /5

Total Prop. Captain /25

Speaker 2



Use of facts /5

Use of rebuttal /5

Persuasiveness /5

Total Prop. Speaker 2 /25

Speaker 3



Use of facts /5

Use of rebuttal /5

Persuasiveness /5


Captain

Introduction of team's arguments/ Definition of the motion

/5


Use of facts /5


Persuasiveness /5

Total Prop. Captain /25

Speaker 2



Use of facts /5

Use of rebuttal /5

Persuasiveness /5


Speaker 3



Use of facts /5

Use of rebuttal /5

Persuasiveness /5


Venue: _______________________________________________________________ Date: _____________

Proposing School: _________________________________________________________________________

Opposing School: _________________________________________________________________________

PRIMARY DEBATES

Adjudicator Marking Sheet

continued over

PROPOSITION MARKS OPPOSITION MARKS



Recap of team’s arguments /10

Rebutting Opposition’s arguments /10

Total Captain’s Summation /20

Points for teamwork /5

TEAM TOTAL /100

Deduct Time Penalties –(deduct 1 point per minute over the 3 minute limit)

PROP. FINAL TOTAL

Adjudicator Feedback to students:

� Be positive and constructive

� Do not select one student for particular praise and never single out an individual student for criticism, ratherrefer to teams as a whole in a constructive way

� Highlight particular areas of strength such as the amount of research, the rebuttal, the clarity of argument andpersuasion skills such as body language, use of voice and eye contact

� Give one or two suggestions for improvement such as “try to avoid reading your speeches and over-relianceon notes” or “make sure you let us know where you got your information from by quoting your sources”, or“make sure you listen to your opponents and directly address their points by rebutting them” or if there havebeen time penalties to “make sure you stick within the two minute limit”

� Do not show the marking sheet to the debaters but be available to them after the debate if they seek outfurther advice.

The motion was:

Carried (proposition accumulated the most points)

Defeated (opposition accumulated the most points)

On behalf of Concern Worldwide, your local Education Centre and the Association of Teacher Education Centres Ireland;

Thank You.

PROPOSITION MARKS


Recap of team’s arguments /10

Rebutting Opposition’s arguments /10

Total Captain’s Summation /20

Points for teamwork /5

TEAM TOTAL /100

Deduct Time Penalties –(deduct 1 point per minute over the 3 minute limit)

OPP. FINAL TOTAL

OPPOSITION MARKS

please circle


PRIMARY DEBATES

Chairperson’s Duties

Remember – give both teams equal time to answer questions or comments.

This is just a guide for chairpersons – you don’t have to follow this speech to the letter!

Welcome everyone, to today’s Debate between (proposing school name and town or village)and (opposing school name and town or village).

And many thanks to name of the host school or venue for hosting this debate.

By exploring the issues we’re debating today we hope that you as young people will learn moreabout each other, about our environment, and about our place in the world.

As you know, a debate is much like a conversation or an argument between two or more peoplewith opposing views. I urge you all to listen carefully and to pay attention to what both teamshave to say. Please do not interrupt or try to distract the debaters.

And now, to begin today’s debate I call on the first speaker of the proposition student’s name …………………… from school name……………

Thank you. Now I call on the first speaker of the opposition ……………………… from schoolname.

Thank you. Now I call on ………………………………… the second speaker from theproposition.

Thank you. Now I call on ………………………………… the second speaker from theopposition.

Thank you. Now I call on ………………………………… the third speaker from the proposition.

Thank you. Now I call on ………………………………… the third speaker from the opposition

Thank you. Now I call on ………………………………… again, the captain of the opposition.

Thank you. Finally, I call on ………………………………… the captain of the proposition.

Now the adjudicators will leave the room to tot up their marks and we will open the discussion tothe floor.

Ask if anyone has any comments or questions for either team. All these comments and questions shouldbe addressed to you, the chair. Please encourage audience members to offer comments or ask questionswhile the adjudicators are away. Respect for both teams is to be maintained at all times so any negative orunfair comments should not be tolerated and should be dealt with immediately.


� Each speaker has 3 minutes to present their arguments.

� Sound the bell (or tap the glass with your pen!) at two minutes and thirty seconds (02.30)and again at two minutes fifty seconds (02.50).

� The speaker should then wind up his/her speech and return to his / her seat.

� When a speaker goes over 3 minutes then 1 point should be deducted from that team’stotal points for every minute they go over time.

� Fill in speech-timings on the grid below, then add up time penalties.

PRIMARY DEBATES

Time Keeper’s Sheet

Captain

Speaker 2

Speaker 3

Captain (2nd Speech)

TOTAL points deducted

PROPOSITION TIME (00.00)

Captain

Speaker 2

Speaker 3

Captain (2nd Speech)

TOTAL points deducted

OPPOSITION TIME (00.00)

REMEMBER: Give this time sheet to one of the adjudicators before they leave the

room to add up their marks.

Participating teacher education centres include:

LET’SDEBATEIT

SO WHAT’SSTOPPINGYOU?

Primary Debating Handbook - admin.concern.net · PRIMARY DEBATING HANDBOOK 3 Introduction to Primary Debating Why teach debating? How is this relevant in my classroom? I’m not sure

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