Student handout 8.4: Planning sheet for the chairpersons - Living Democracy. The first chairperson’s task – chairing the debate The chairperson conducts the debate and makes sure that the debaters observe the rules of debating (see student handout 8.2), and treat each other fairly and with respect. The chairperson is neutral and doesn’t tend towards one of the debating teams. In particular, the chairperson is the time keeper. No speaker must speak longer than one minute. In practice this means that after one minute is over, the speaker may finish his or her last sentence and then must stop. Equipment A stopwatch or watch that accurately shows the seconds. The chairperson’s task during the debate The chairperson’s role after the debate After the debate, the audience has a brief follow-up discussion on the debate (five minutes) and then votes on which side presented the more convincing arguments. The chairperson’s second task – chairing the audience’s vote and discussion. BusyTeacher.org.
They involve all of the four central skills - speaking, listening, reading and writing - and include a positive element of competition, as well as encouraging the critical thinking and personal confidence which will do wonders for our students in years to come. But organizing a debate isn’t easy, and getting the best out of this opportunity takes some planning. Here are some tips for creating debates in which everyone can participate, and which all of your students will enjoy. 1Info in AdvanceMake sure everyone knows what’s going on. Debate formats vary widely around the world, and you need to be sure your students know what to expect, so that the debate goes smoothly, without too much procedural complication. I hand out a simple sheet of debate rules, which include:The debate title. I follow the rules of the Oxford University Debating Society, which frames every debate as a statement: “This house believes that fox hunting should be banned”; or, “This house believes that aliens exist”.
How Structure A Classroom Debate For ESL Learners; And Free Rubric Printable | ESL Debates. ♦ Download this entire lesson plan as a PDF file. ♦ Download the debating Assessment Criteria PDF This debate lesson structure is aimed at maximising student opinion and encouraging student to student interaction. In a class environment, it’s best to provide appropriate time for students to create points and to think of examples that would support their side. Explain that some students might be debating positions opposite to their beliefs. This is an important skill for them to learn as it will encourage them to use persuasive language and use logical arguments. Debating Structure Explain the debate motion to the students, clarify any language as needed.Present students with additional material to formulate ideas. Using this Oxfordesque debating structure gives plenty of time for students to create ideas and to use them in the classroom.
Now that you have a working debate structure feel free to make changes as needed and adapt to the student level. Debating at Higher Levels. Image credit: The Merkle Follow me on twitter This is a lesson plan for higher levels (C1+) designed to help students develop their discourse management and debating skills. Download the handouts below: Discourse Analysis: Guardian 5-minute Debates In this section of the lesson students will watch a video from the Guardian 5-minute debate series in order to analyse the ways in which the speakers structure their arguments and the language they use.
Should slang words be banned in the classroom? In the debate the two speakers (Michael Rosen and Lindsay Johns) are specifically talking about London street slang. If you want to look up any of these words you can use the urban dictionary. Language to pre-teach: code switching – changing from one language, dialect, or way of speaking to another depending on who you’re speaking to.cultural relativism – the theory that beliefs, customs, and morality exist in relation to the particular culture from which they originate and are not absolute.
Language.