Years 7-8

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5 Logical Fallacies Worth Recognising

Logical fallacies are the verbal equivalent of optical illusions; flaws in reasoning that sound convincing, but do not hold up under...

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What is Rhetoric?

Rhetoric is the art of persuasion and was once considered to be among the most influential and important of skills. Isocrates wrote that,...

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4 Types of Debates

There are four distinct types of debate topics: Empirical, Comparative, Model, and Abstract. Any given subject matter can be used for any...

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3 Ways to Involve Students in Choosing a Debate Topic

When students are debating topics that are of interest to them, their enthusiasm, engagement and participation is much higher.

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7 Tips for Great Rebuttal

Rebuttal is often the skill in debating that students find hardest. Students are required to listen to opposing speakers during the debate.

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What Does “Defining the Topic” Mean?

Defining the topic is a very important part of a debate, but one that is often misunderstood or overlooked entirely.

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How Does Australasian Debate Scoring Work?

In traditional Australasian debating, each speaker is given a score out of 100

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8 Benefits of Debating

Debating covers a range of subject areas and outcomes, as well as helping build social and emotional skills, critical thinking and more.

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What is Manner, Matter & Method?

Manner, Matter and Method are the three main components of debating.

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6 Tips for Writing Great Debate Topics

Have you ever attended a debate where children were debating whether smoking should be banned?

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3 Ways to Explain Debating to Students

When we say ‘debating’ we are talking about a formal discussion between people who disagree over important ideas.

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Fostering an "I Can Do It" Attitude

Where you put your focus has a powerful effect on the attitude of your children or students.

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The Art of Asking Questions

Sometimes in our hurry to encourage students to find information for their debate, we forget the importance of asking questions first.

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Are You Underestimating Your Debater?

Students have the capacity to surprise us if we're open-minded! Some students are not always as they seem...

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BTN Debating Resources

Behind the News provides a great source of inspiration for debate topics, as well as some handy debating resources.

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4 Ways to Use Mind-mapping in a Debating Class

Debating isn't just about standing up and speaking in public. It's also about preparation, research and exploring a topic.

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The Power of Introverts

People often think that debating is just for extroverts. This is not the case...

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7 Important Skills for Future Success

Debating allows young people to gain skills that will serve them well in further education as well as their careers in today’s fast-paced...

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How Much Expression is Too Much?

Showing expression when you speak in public is important. No-one wants to listen to a boring speaker, but how much expression is too much?

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Movies about Speaking Up

Looking for a good film about debating or public speaking? Movies about speaking up can be a great source of inspiration for young debaters.

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