What is debating?

What is a (good) debate?

A debate is an organized clash of good ideas. Each side employs worthwhile evidence to promote their viewpoint and to rebut the "flawed" evidence advanced by the other side. Debating is a formal intellectual contest and there are endless ways it can be played. However, a good debate is like a tennis match where each side, following the rules set down, bats ideas back and forth to defeat the other team. As in any other subjective sport, debaters have to persuade the judges that they have won. Yet, debating can be an exciting even dangerous activity for students because emotions often run high. Debaters attack ideas not each other. Like other sports, fair play is critical. Regular debaters will be transferred to play on the other side later in their careers, so it does not pay to be too emotionally tied. A debater is a spokesperson for the moment for or against a motion and is not a fanatic for a cause.

Why debate?

Debating is an enriching multi-task classroom activity. Debating requires: research, analysis, organization, co-operation, anticipation, listening, reaction, control, civility and oral presentation. Knowledge is constructed, learned, and taught by the students and class engaged in a debate. Civility and listening carefully are integral parts to a debate and this has to be impressed upon classes new to the activity. Debating is never a disorganized, heated, shouting match. Controlled formality is part of the fun. Debaters marshal then advance arguments containing hard evidence that convinces their judges, that on balance, their side is correct and has won the contest.

What is the "motion"?

The motion is the topic being debated. The trick with class debates is to word motions and to find issues that genuinely divide and interest the class. Age appropriate motions are a must. However, a class can debate any issue at any age provided the motion is worded appropriately. For instance, "B.I.R.T. (Be it resolved that) we save the whales" is useless because all students want to save the whales. "B.I.R.T. war is hell" falls flat with younger students. However, "B.I.R.T war is hell for animals," plus some information about horse casualties in W.W.I, converts this into a hotter topic for younger students.