On Wednesday 15th November 2017, our Year Head for sixth form – Niraj Shukla launched the Debate Club for 2017-18 academic year. It was remarkable to see such a great response from our sixth form team who participated in the first two debates on Vegetarianism and Importance of Formal Education.
Basically, a debate is an argument with rules. Debating rules will vary from one competition to another. Debates can involve single-member teams or teams that include several students.
In a typical debate, two teams are presented with a resolution or topic that they will debate, and each team is given a set period of time to prepare an argument.
Students typically don’t know their debate subjects ahead of time. The goal is to come up with a good argument in a short amount of time. Students are encouraged to read about current events and controversial issues to prepare for debates.
At a debate, one team will argue in favor (pro) and the other will argue in opposition (con). Sometimes each team member speaks, and sometimes the team selects one member to speak for the entire team.
One team is usually declared the winner and that team will advance to a new round of debate.
By participating on a debate team, students learn the art of persuasion. Research has shown that participation in debates increases students’ academic performance and increases their chances of earning a college degree. Students benefit from preparing for debates by honing their research skills. Students also benefit from the experience of speaking in public.
