Classroom Debates: shifting the focus

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While debates can be a useful means for language learners to practice fluency and exchange opinions, they can easily turn into disastrous sessions where hostility runs rampage out of adamant views and unexamined preconceptions. When there is risk of the latter happening, particularly with complex and controversial debate topics, it is necessary to balance spontaneity with structured pre-debate activities and controlled language practice to facilitate a cooperative learning experience. This article offers suggestions to shift the focus of debates from winning arguments to appreciation of diverse perspectives, development of critical thinking, and use of functional language.

Have you ever witnessed your classroom turn into a battlefield, where your usually friendly students become aggressive extremists with unyielding opinions, and wondered what happened to your role as an educator and what on earth the students were learning and experiencing? While clashing opinions are inevitable during class debates on contentious topics, balancing fluency practice with an organized structure can shift the focus on winning an argument to sharpening critical thinking skills, developing multiple perspectives, and gaining a better command of functional language.

The following is a method of facilitating debates for mid-intermediate to advanced students, that may be adapted for use in your teaching context. It was developed after I experienced the ineffectiveness of trying to redirect conflict in midstream as students obstinately argued for their views. The method focuses on developing multiple perspectives, critical thinking, functional language usage, and offers a structure for students to think through and create a strategy for opposing debate positions. In the process, students gain broader perspectives on both sides of a debate topic. In addition, it addresses the common situation of dominant students taking up much of the speaking time while more reserved students hardly get a word in edgewise.

Before getting to the “debate table,” here is a suggested sequence of activities:

1. Selection of a debate topic via a vote on the topics provided as well as topics students suggest.

2. Pair work: create a “Debate Outline” of issues that the topic evokes, and up to four major reasons for taking each position of the debate.

3. Teamwork: create a “Debate Strategy” that identifies a challenge and defense for each of the reasons for each position of the debate topic.

4. Review of “Functional Language for Debates”: phrases to present a view, to support a team member’s view, and to disagree and present an alternate view.

5. Provide a number of “gambit cards” to each student.

6. Random assignment of a debate position for each team.

Pair work: Create a Debate Outline

The pair work activity could simply be a random pairing of two students: 1 and 2; 3 and 4; 5 and 6; 7 and 8; 9 and 10, etc. Students brainstorm their ideas on issues and reasons for each position of the debate topic, and outline them on a worksheet:

1. Discuss and write down some issues that the topic evokes.

2. Discuss and outline 4 major reasons for taking each position of the debate.

Teamwork: Create a Debate Strategy

The paired students are split into two teams: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 in one team and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 in the other team. This way of grouping maximizes the variety of issues and reasons that each team has available to work with. The objective of this task is to examine multiple perspectives on a topic, and to consider the validity and relativity of opposing opinions. Depending on the complexity of the debate topic, this activity can take thirty minutes to an hour.

In planning their debate strategy, students prepare to take on either position of the debate, as at this point, they still do not know which position of the debate they are on. Each team is given a large piece of paper to chart out their “Debate Strategy.” Students write the debate topic in the center, and after discussing all the reasons that each member has come up with through the previous task of creating an outline for the debate, they chose the best four good reasons for each side of the debate, and “mind map” them out on the chart. They will write a “challenge” and “defense” statement for each of the four major reasons they have chosen for both positions of the debate topic. After this stage of pre-debate tasks, students tend to be more conscious of the relativity of views and opinions and have a greater tendency to listen to others with a more sympathetic ear.

Using Gambit Cards for Debates

In this preparatory activity for the actual debate, students are given “Functional Language for Debates.” They do oral practice of each of the phrases to:

1. Present a position:

I think...
I feel that...
I believe... because...
The way I see it...
From my point of view...
My perspective is...
In my opinion...
I know that... , so...
I must say that...
My position is...

2. Support a team member’s comments:

Yes, I think so too because...
I agree with him/her because...
I’m of the same view because...
That’s how I feel too, considering...
That’s exactly what I think...
That makes sense to me because/considering that...
I fully support his/her point because...
I totally agree with him/her, considering that...
For sure, considering that...
I’ll say yes to that because...

3. Disagree and present an alternate view:

I don’t agree because...
I tend to disagree because...
I don’t think so, given that...
Yes, but have you thought of/about...
Yes, but what about...
Okay, but what if...
Granted, however,...
I see, but on the other hand...
That sounds unreasonable because...
I see things differently, in that...

Each team is given a set or two of ten “Gambit Cards for Debates.” Each gambit card has three phrases, one from each of the three categories above. How many sets you give out will depend on your class size and the language abilities of your students. Students divide up the sets of gambit cards so that each team member has an equal number of cards.

Remind students that they should use one of the three phrases on each card every time they speak during the debate. Each team member should try to use up all his/her cards. A team scores a point when a member expresses his/her ideas by using the correct functional language on the cards. Each card is turned over as the language is used. You can easily monitor which students need to speak up by looking at how many cards each student has turned over. Very often, you will see students nudging each other to use the correct language on the cards to express their opinions, in order to score a point. And, with their “Debate Strategy” fully in front of them for reference, no one is tongue-tied or short of ideas, challenges or defenses to express.

Ready for the Debate Table

Unless a student feels very strongly about the debate topic and insists on being on one side or the other, randomly assign a position for each team. The random assignment just before the actual debate, after the process of creating a “Debate Outline” and a “Debate Strategy,” drives home the point that the purpose of the debate is to practice functional language usage, gain awareness and understanding of opposing opinions that are diverse and relative, and to consider the strength and weakness of each perspective.

Students tend to be less bent on winning an argument based on their own views and more accepting of others’ opinions, when the focus is on using correct, courteous functional language and examination of multiple perspectives. In using the gambit cards that also serve as cues for correct language, everyone has equal support and opportunity to speak up and walk away from the debate table with broadened perspectives, a better command of the English language, and most importantly, a greater capacity for tolerance and appreciation of divergent thinking.

This method of facilitating debates is from Teaching Global Unity through Proverbs, Metaphors, and Storytelling, a 130-page teachers’ resource book by Vivian Chu.

Vivian Chu (B.A. English, RSA CELTA), is an English teacher at Pacific Gateway International College in Vancouver. She is also a teacher trainer, author, and international conference speaker, with interests in global education, intercultural communication, materials writing, and teacher development.
Email: globalun@telus.net
Website: www.globalunityed.com