Tennis Debates!

What better way to get used to having an orderly debate than with a game of tennis?! Children managed to have a coherent debate, signalling the end of their turn with the swish of their racket. We begun rallies with a serve and ended debates with a ‘winner’ to signal the end. We debated about whether uniforms were a good idea in school. I was very impressed with the children’s concentration and respect when listening to opposing ideas.

First week for the new ‘Debate Club’

What a fantastic group! It was a privilege to welcome the new members of Debate Club to Class 10 this afternoon. We got to grips very early with the important skills you need in a debate:

Can we be persuasive?

Can we show respect to the opposing team? ‘I hear your argument, but…’

Can we add coherence to our own teammates points: ‘To add to this…’ or ‘Furthermore,…’

Can we ask a rhetorical question?

The children added these features into their comments whilst trying to persuade neutral listeners that the picture below was either a rabbit or a duck. It ended an even 7:7 in the final vote. It was a great start to the unit.