# Teaching > Lesson Plans >  Classroom debates

## IrishCanadian

My favorite way of learning is to have a constructive argument with someone that disagrees with me. I'm not a teacher but I'm posting here anyway.

In highschool I took every class that I thought would give me the opportunity to increase my argumentative ethic and skill. 
In my grade eleven sociology class we were set up in groups of about 7 people, each with a different independant study topic. The teacher basically assigned the groups and said "Go!" ... and we went! My group got so heated about the issue of abortion that we became a more interesting argument than the rest of the class. I was the only pro-life person in the room. Eventually the other groups slowely started mentioning things about what our group let fly loudly over the room. The teacher said that we could all just join one argument because thats the way it was turning out. I argued against the ideals of about 30 other teanagers, all of us underinformed and all of us headstrong. It was the most fun and the most educational experience that I recall from inside a classroom through all of highschool. After wards some people refused to give me the time of day and other people congradulated me (I was feeling quite proud) for taking them on. 

I don't think I would ever do that now that I have learned a bit more. My oppinions havent changed but in retrospect I see that there was no changing theirs. All in all it was a fine experience. I think teachers should let that happen more often and not be so terrified of the political correctness issue.

In university I took one class that was designed as half debate and half lecture. We didn't touch such hard issues; instead we debated literary ideas and devices that had to do woth the assigned reading of the course. But it was an incredible opportunity for first year.
That was undenyably my favorite of the ten courses I took this past year and, I think, the one in which I will remember the most course content.

In other words, I encourage all teachers that may be reading this forum that they should let their students be wrong or nearsighed as long as there is another student to rebuttle the argument.

... thats one of the reasons I love school so much: information is more fascinating when people dissagree.

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## cuppajoe_9

That happens alot more often in my Social Studies class. Last year I was in a class with the biggest neo-conservative rich kid in the school. I'm an anarcho-communist. It was interesting. He once said to me, and this is a direct quote: "Hadicapped people can take care of themselves".

I wasn't exactly sure how to argue with that.

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## mono

Teaching through discussion, depending on the topic, of course, I have noticed as a growing trend in schools. Though I find nothing wrong with it, I think it should exist in balance with a teacher teaching, but remaining open to discussion.
I took one 'philosophy of religion' class, and a few rather heated debates grew, but I admired how my professor very wisely balanced logical discussion with teaching, which everyone else in the class appreciated, too. With such a style, I remember my professor remarking that no one had failed the course, perhaps due to this reason.

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## genoveva

Participating on the speech and debate team in high school and college really nourished by love of research among other things. Being on the debate team, you had to be prepared to debate either side of an issue. I think by doing this, especially in the classroom, students learn more and make better decisions.

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## shinigami

Haha.. i excel in debates... I'm the fore-runner of my batch in English debates and I'm part of the Filipino Debate Society in my school as well... i'm good at anything verbal... Hehehe... i mean, it's really fun to see people squirm to scrape a response for what i say... And through it all.. We Learn! which is what important.

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## Pensive

Oh, I love to have classroom debates but the problem is that in my English class, there are only three girls who take part in debates and other remains quiet.Oh yes, I will also request teachers who visit this site to let their students to have classroom debates because debates are fun as long as you don't hit your classfellow who is having opposite ideas and this is right that they help in learning.

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## Psycheinaboat

I am going to be finishing my BA in English this coming semester through internet classes, and classroom discussion is a part of school I will really miss.

I do not feel that I learn as much through the net as I do in "real" school, but I have little choice unless I want to travel hours to get to school and back.

I want to go on to get my Masters, and hopefully I will be able to return to a classroom for that.

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## Shannanigan

My most favorite literature courses and the only ones where I felt that I actually learned something and walked away with something were the ones that had debates and discussions. True, it is necessary for the teacher to balance the discussions with teaching...but this can defnitely and usually easily inserted before or during the discussions (after is kinda hard...my classes always kept debating past class hours). True that some students will want to discuss while others will just hang back and listen, but I think that if you get the right atmosphere going, you'll be able to call on the reluctant participants and get their opinion out too. I plan on using a lot of discussion in my classroom...

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## amanda_isabel

> ... thats one of the reasons I love school so much: information is more fascinating when people dissagree.


i agree. i love debate. haven't debated for a long time though, just with the tv screen when i watch the news.

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## IrishCanadian

I know the feeling amanda. I can't stand watching the news anymore. I should stay up to date but media drives me crazy.
I'm so glad to see so much agreement with me here.
YTherefore: all you teachers on the forum ... heres a message!

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## genoveva

> it is necessary for the teacher to balance the discussions with teaching...


But, remember, learning happens when there is discussion. It is important not to rely too much on direct instruction. And, there is a difference between learning and teaching.  :Nod:  As there is a difference between debating and discussing (and arguing...)...

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## Shannanigan

lol...too true....I think what I meant to say was that it was necessary for the instructor, (who we will assume already knows a lot about what is being discussed) brings in information to be worked with and debated about instead of fully handing it over to the class...I can't even begin to describe the crap one of my classes came up with when a teacher experimented by leaving us alone to discuss some poems and then came back to the class....serious damage control ensued....

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## Expounder

I can beat anyone in an argument.  :Cool: 

Try me.

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## IrishCanadian

Okaaaay Expounder.
I will beat you in this argument!
... but maybe this isn't the place?

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## Stanislaw

Throwing down the metaphorical glove...in this corner we have a forum vet...and in the other a forum noobie...  :Biggrin:  heh, all these argumentatives...where is basil anywho?  :Biggrin:  


s'okay back on topic:

Debate, I think its a great thing, especially for humanities related courses or questions, for example debate is most effective when discussing philosophy, social studies, ethics, history, and english interpretation...however I usually draw the line at math.  :Biggrin:  heh, but idealy debate should occure not only in school but in the workplace, at home, on the street, and with your friends: always respectfully question authority (something my philosophy prof told us), I think debate is perhaps the best way to learn.

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## IrishCanadian

> but idealy debate should occure not only in school but in the workplace, at home, on the street, and with your friends: always respectfully question authority (something my philosophy prof told us), I think debate is perhaps the best way to learn.


I firmly belive that when someone is wrong, if they are willing to listen ethically, then it is your duty to correct them. 
Truth is too wonderful to be omitted for convenience sake ... however, if a proper intellegent debate is not going to take place then it is a waste of time.
And thats what I think ... SO THERE  :Nod:

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## Shea

Of the more useful books that I studied for my exams Jim Burke (The English Teacher's Companion) had a very creative way of coming up with fostering a class discussion that wouldn't get off topic. After reading The Lord of the Flies, he had his students set up a courtroom to "try" William Golding. They had witnesses such as characters from the book and historical figures of the time period such a Freud. The jury had to decide if human nature is innate or if society is responsible for a person's behavior. I thought that was fascinating and I can't wait to try it in my class.

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## subterranean

> I firmly belive that when someone is wrong, if they are willing to listen ethically, then it is your duty to correct them. 
> Truth is too wonderful to be omitted for convenience sake ... however, if a proper intellegent debate is not going to take place then it is a waste of time.


Did you ever experience a situation where you think/feel that the teacher take side (even if it's your side)?

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## Hyacinth42

Oooh! I have a class that *is* all about arguement/disscussion... Literally, what we get out of the class is what we put into it... Of course, this makes it a B.S. class, but it can be fun sometimes... I am sadly in the IB Programme, and one of the classes we are forced to take is ToK, Theory of Knowledge  :Sick: . While the few times we got into an arguement on the existance of God, _with_ our teacher prodding the religous kids by saying things like, "Have you ever experienced God?", "How do you _Know_ he exists?", and "Do you have any proof that he exists?". But he ended the disscussion before it got too heated.

One time in history we put the U.S. on trial for the annexation of the United States, that was fun... Although stressful and annoying... I was, of course, against the U.S., and the otherside only called social darwinist bigots  :Sick:  no _actual_ evidence to support their claim that the annexation of Hawaii was legal. And so, one of them led me on this circular arguement. Then, our teacher chose _that_ time to tell the other side that there were lots of objections that they could have made... He was _supposed_ to be just an observer, and there he was giving the other side advise... *sigh* when I had gotten around the second time in the circular argument, the other side objected because, "that question had already been answered"....

But yes, I think debate is fun, I personally will beat a dead horse, and then after the disscussion is over will think up really awsome comebacks for the rest of the day... Heck, this one kid and I got into an arguement for months over whether light has mass (which it doesn't) whith him walking down the hallways and yelling at me, "Light has mass!".... So yeah... Arguement is fun and educational.

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## Matrim Cuathon

haha, i do that last part so much. i hate how you can always come up with way better stuff after its too late. makes me sad.

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