What's Not Up For Debate

When I was a first year teacher, my seniors persuaded me, somewhat against my will, to have a class debate.  Perhaps tellingly, I can no longer remember what the subject we were debating was.  What I can remember is that I had no idea how to run a debate, so consequently, students lined up on either side of the room, and just sort of... had at it.  Predictably, within seconds it devolved into a shouting match, with one girl fleeing the room in tears.  Never again, I swore to myself.

Sra. Ossman's AP Spanish students

Thankfully, this year in the BGenius lab, we have been witness to over 20 debates, and my colleagues have taught me that class debates are rigorous opportunities to promote critical thinking in reading, writing, speaking and listening. The key is to structure them correctly, and there are many ways to go about that.  So, if like me, you like the whole idea of hosting a debate in class, but are slightly intimidated by the prospect, here are some lessons we've learned:

1) Provide opportunities for students to research ahead of time.  In Ms. Hackman's AP Psych class, students spent multiple days preparing arguments about various theories of intelligence so they could answer any arguments against the theory they were assigned.

2)  Assign "sides" of the debate ahead of time, but allow students at some point to weigh in with their true feelings.  In Ms. Goebel's Chemistry class, students debated their assigned side of a debate about the benefits and consequences of nuclear energy.  However, as an exit activity, they wrote what their true feelings were about the issue after listening to their classmates.  In Mr. Foster's English class, students were asked to put their heads down on their desk and cast a silent vote about which debater was most persuasive.

Ms. Shin-Cooper's Human Geo class

3)  Actively promote listening.  Ms. Shin-Cooper requires her Human Geo students to restate what their opponent says before weighing in with their own views.  This simple technique reinforces the importance of internalizing the other side of the issue.

4) Use timing structures effectively.  In AP Spanish, Senora Ossman and Senora Heissel use stopwatches and are very systematic about how long each side speaks and rebuts, assuring for a controlled and equitable conversation.

5)  Find fun ways for students "invest" in the activity.

Mr. Crandall's APUSH Reformers

 In AP U.S. History, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Crandall allow students to dress up or bring props that represent the progressive reformer they've been assigned.  We saw some great acting that hour, with students speaking in first person as the reformer, and in some cases wearing costumes (and hilarious wigs!) to make it more real.


In fact, when Mr. Brooks brought his students down to the lab, he began the class with this famous quote:  "History doesn't repeat itself; it rhymes." This couldn't apply more to the debates occurring here at Buffalo Grove High School.  While all the debates promote similar skills and outcomes, they are all a little different from each other in terms of their logistics.  Ultimately, with a little planning, this engaging activity is worth a try in any classroom--there's no debate about that.