Wow! Our debaters can get quite competitive! Whilst keeping to all our agreed points of polite debating, including listening with respect, being open to others’ views and speaking when it is our turn, the children turned simple debates practised last week into a tennis match! We decided whether we agreed with a ‘Choice School’ model (a school where children can have freedom to do whatever subject they want all day) or disagreed. Then, in our partners, we gave an opening speech backing up our main reasons for or against, before continuing with the debate rally. There was one extra rule: every time you had finished speaking, you needed to swing the racquet, giving the opponent an indication it was their turn to speak: a serve after our opening speech, a forehand or backhand after individual points, and a ‘winner’ to end our argument! It was a lot of fun.
