Introduction for Teachers

History now looks at the past in a spirit of inquiry rather than by simply listing "one thing after another."  And the spirit of inquiry is something that is caught as well as taught.

One way of teaching how history itself a series of questions and controversies is to have students themselves debate the issues of the time. The past like the present is fully of hotly debated decisions to be made. By having students to pretending to live in a particular time and to debate without the benefit of hindsight, we can help students truly appreciate the dilemmas people have faced, the ones we are facing now, and those to be faced in the future.  Classroom debating benefits literacy, citizenship as well as history and the art of speaking.

On this website you will find resources and materials to help you teach your classes to debate and to pursue those areas of debate that engage your particular students. We have placed a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary topics of use to a wide range of subject areas.