When we say ‘debating’ we are talking about a formal discussion between people who disagree over important ideas.
Each team takes one side of the argument, and attempts to convince the audience they are correct. This does not necessarily reflect the speakers’ actual beliefs – it’s like a court of law, except it’s an idea being prosecuted and defended instead of a person.
All the relevant issues and the problems with them are examined calmly and logically, allowing people to then make informed decisions. In this way, debating can change things in a family, a school, a community, a country, or even the world.
When many people hear debating, they may think of cut-throat, competitive arguments or what you hear in politics. Rise & Shine Debating is nothing like that! We think of debating as the art of convincing through friendly, positive and logical argument.
Any team of 3 students from Years 4 - 7 can participate in our interschool debate events provided they are familiar with the Rise & Shine approach to debating. There is a small cost involved to enter an interschool competition. This is included in the fees for students participating in Rise & Shine OSH or In-school programs.
Skills taught in Masterclasses are highly transferable to other areas of school and life and as such, Masterclasses are open to any students, not just those participating in Rise & Shine programs. Workshops are hands-on and allow students to practice skills they wouldn't normally have the opportunity to explore in-depth.
The cost of a Rise & Shine debate event is included within the fees of students who are participating in a Rise & Shine Outside-School-Hours or In-School program. The cost of participating in a Rise & Shine debate event for students not currently participating in a Rise & Shine class is $12 per student. Teams must consist of 3 or 4 students. There is no cost for parents and family to attend the event as audience members.
Debating has traditionally been considered an elite activity. It conjures up images of preppy uniforms and ivy-covered exclusive private schools. Traditionally, debating has been a skill taught in high school in the U.S as an extracurricular activity, useful for college applications.
Here in Australia, where debating has not the history that it has overseas, we have been free to create a far more inclusive program that caters for all students, including those with lower literacy skills, students who have issues with attention and focus, as well as a challenge for gifted students.
HIGH ENERGY STUDENTS
Managing high energy students becomes about allowing movement, lively interaction and the free flow of ideas. Framing debating as an exciting challenge, finding topics of interest to students who often have trouble focusing, allowing for physical activity, incorporating games, working in teams and allowing students to work verbally and focus less on writing are some of the techniques that work well to include high energy students. By making debating sessions interactive, we can include children who sometimes struggle to sit still for long periods. Over the years, we’ve found that many such students aren’t actually “disruptive” but in fact bursting with energy that they struggle to contain. By acknowledging their interactive learning style, we validate their ideas, their strengths and their contribution and often students respond to that approach by being keen to participate and have a go.
STUDENTS WITH LITERACY CHALLENGES & ESL STUDENTS
Low written literacy skills can present in any classroom situation and in our experience this shows up as unwillingness to write and record ideas. This does not mean the student does not have ideas. Often the opposite is the case and they have a lot of ideas but a lack of ability to record them. Other ways of recording and writing can be explored with students who have literacy challenges. Sometimes we find that students with poor literacy skills may make up for it with charisma, personality and a natural ability to speak well, when they are supported to share their ideas without having to rely heavily on reading from detailed notes. We have had students in the past who have delivered award-winning debate speeches from a one-page mind-map. Debating does not rely on literacy - there are always ways to include students if the teacher is creative about finding ways to help students shine in their own way. Even students who are still learning English can participate in debating. It’s just a matter of helping them record their ideas in a way will work for them, or adapting the requirements, such as having them speak for a short time or share a speaker role with another student.
GIFTED & TALENTED STUDENTS
Teaching students who are highly literate, skilled at speaking and or researching becomes a case of challenging their thinking on the topic, extending their arguments, supporting them to work on strategy, encouraging them to support weaker team members and showing them higher level speaking and arguing techniques.
As with any teaching situation, firm but caring direction and guidance, encouragement and praising their successes works wonders. We find that with a belief in a student’s abilities and a commitment to acknowledging the specific skills and strengths of each child, students are able to achieve far more than one might think possible.
When you arrive at a debate event, look for signage to let you know what room your child will be in. Each room usually has 2 - 4 debates. Students and parents sit in the audience unless they are debating. The adjudicator will welcome the audience and a chairperson will introduce each debate. The audience can applaud at the end of each debater's speech. At the conclusion of all the debates in a room, the adjudicator will give feedback to each team and present the awards. We ask that students and parents stay for all the debates in their room. It's disheartening for students who debate last to see that a lot of the audience have left. Watching other teams debate is also very valuable for students in improving their skills.
FUTURE-PROOFING
The World Economic Forum reports that adults will likely need the ten skills listed below to thrive in the workplace in 2020:
· Complex problem solving
· Critical thinking
· Creativity
· People management
· Coordinating with others
· Emotional intelligence
· Judgement and decision making
· Service orientation
· Negotiation
· Cognitive flexibility
Debating helps students develop these skills and supports them to be ready to tackle whatever challenges come their way.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Debating provides the opportunity for students to develop important leadership skills such as those needed in public speaking, teamwork, communication and being able to argue a point of view in a positive, calm and logical manner. Debating helps students to consider different perspectives and ideas and teaches students how to stand up for something they believe in, how to have their voice heard and how to share their ideas with others.
SOCIAL SKILLS
Debating is often referred to as a “team sport” because students work in teams. Usually when a debate is adjudicated, the team will receive a score as a whole rather than as individuals. As such, it’s important that team members learn to help and support each other to improve the performance of the team as a whole. Debating teaches teamwork and collaboration skills. Furthermore, students learn to negotiate with each other, discuss and resolve differences of opinion, make decisions as a team, solve problems, ensure that everyone’s ideas are heard, develop accountability as a team and learn to communicate well with others.
THINKING SKILLS
At the heart of debating is a dedication to thinking logically and critically. Students need to question the information and sources they find, explore different aspects and perspectives of a topic and seek ways to argue a particular point of view. Students also need to look for logical fallacies and flaws in the arguments of others, to back up their opinions with evidence and to rebut opposing information. Debating also provides a surprising number of opportunities for students to think creatively – in coming up with ideas relating to their topic, in making their presentations interesting and effective, in ways to be persuasive and more. Debating is a wonderful activity for developing strong minds! REAL-LIFE LEARNING
Debating programs offer students a way to have their ideas and voices heard in a whole new way. Students become deeply engaged when they are debating topics that are relevant to them, are topical in their communities or that may even lead to some kind of real change. Students can be involved in debating a local issue and then using their research to write letters to the editor of a newspaper or to local politicians. They could also debate decisions that affect them as students, class or school community members. Debating topics that students care about often lead to students developing ideas about ways to improve a situation or make a difference. A debate in front of another class, parents or another school is a real experience that can be very exciting for students and it is great preparation for situations where they may have to speak in public about something. INTEGRATED LEARNING Debating can be integrated into a class program by choosing topics that relate to a current area of study or to the students’ interests. This means that students are researching their debate topic for the purposes of a debate rather than for tasks with no real-world application. Here are just a few of the skills involved in debating that cross a variety of subject areas: · Digital and manual research skills
· Learning to find evidence to support an argument or position
· Learning to identify credible sources of information
· Finding and interpreting data
· Reading and summarising information
· Creating summaries or dot points
· Considering different perspectives on a topic
· Using technology for research
· Structuring a talk or essay (how to write an introduction, conclusion, points, examples)
· Collaboration and teamwork skills
· Public speaking skills
· Developing confidence in working with others and communicating ideas
· Learning how to speak or write persuasively COVERING THE CURRICULUM Debating covers many curriculum outcomes from the learning areas of English and Humanities & Social Sciences in particular. Specific outcomes that are covered are shown in Section 6 of this handbook. Debating topics can also be crafted to include outcomes from Mathematics, Science, The Arts, Physical & Health Education and Technologies. NAPLAN & HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION Debating can be an excellent way of helping students to prepare for the persuasive writing section of NAPLAN testing, as well as learning how to structure their thoughts and writing in other areas. Students learn the skills of persuasive writing through an activity that is much more engaging, collaborative and hands-on. Many schools now are finding that introducing students to debating in Year 6 is also a great way to help students prepare for high school where they will encounter more tasks such as essay writing and independent research. A debate essentially has very similar components to an essay and many teachers are finding that students who have participated in debating programs in primary school have an advantage in tackling the academic work of high school.
People often consider debating as a high school activity – or perhaps the domain of politicians! Rise & Shine debating however, provides debating programs for Years 5 - 7 students, as well as capable Year 4 students and high school students. We introduce students to the skills of debating in a way that is appropriate for their age and stage of development. When teaching debating to primary school students, we don’t expect a high school level of thinking or performance. We also take the emphasis off competition, so that rather than worry about who wins a debate, students are free to focus on learning and growing. Rise & Shine debating is about providing support for students so that they can achieve at their current level. Teachers and mentors are encouraged to offer students as much help as they need to be able to participate fully in the process of preparing and presenting their debate.
Your child should bring a water bottle and a snack. Please be aware that we maintain a nut-free environment. Students should wear comfortable, casual clothes that they can move freely in - there is no need for them to wear school uniform. Students may bring a notebook and pen if they wish, but it is not required as all other materials including paper and pens will be provided as necessary.
We ask that audience members be positive and encouraging. Our students are young and still learning. It takes a lot of courage to speak publicly, especially at such a young age. We want their experience to be something that is exciting and enjoyable, and not one of pressure or judgement. Smile at the debaters, show interest and applaud at the end of each debater's speech. We ask that students and parents stay for all the debates in their room. It's disheartening and unfair for students who debate last if many of the audience have left. Watching other teams debate is also very valuable for students in improving their skills. We also ask parents to only leave the room at the end of a debate if possible. If audience members are coming in and out during a debate, it is very distracting for young debaters.
Gozone Debating is Rise & Shine Debating's former name. After operating as Gozone Debating for over 20 years, it was time for a change and in 2019 Gozone became Rise & Shine Debating - a name that we feel better reflects who we are and our mission to empower students to grow new skills and to develop and share their unique talents.
Please make sure you are at the debate event at least 15 - 20 minutes before it starts. It is important to plan to arrive earlier in case of unforeseen traffic, trouble finding parking or the venue. Please also make sure that you have the phone numbers of your child's teammates' parents so you can call them if you are unexpectedly delayed. It is distressing for students if one of their teammates has not arrived when the debate event starts and cannot be reached. Students don't know whether to go ahead with a team member missing or whether to wait for them.
No! Far from it. The Rise & Shine approach to debating is designed to be practical rather than theoretical.
All students are supported to participate at their own level rather than competing against each other. Debating coaches are trained to recognise the different talents each student has (charisma, comedic talent, passion for the subject, research skills, leadership and so on) and encourage them to use these talents in their debate.
Allowing students to work on topics that are meaningful to them or that they are passionate about is another way that debating makes learning engaging for students and takes it beyond the realm of something purely academic. Working toward presenting a convincing argument on something you feel strongly about is highly practical and hands-on. Debating against an opposing team is something very real and exciting to students.
We also find that taking a light-hearted approach to debating works wonders too. We don’t treat debating like a cut-throat, win-at-all-costs exercise as that really isn’t motivating to most young people, but rather a chance to enjoy working in teams, finding ways to be persuasive and being creative about communicating their ideas. We enjoy being playful and having some fun in our debating classes - and we find students enjoy that too!
No! At Rise & Shine, we believe every child can debate and we try to ensure that the debating experience is a positive one for all students. Think back to your own school years. Did you ever have a bad experience at school that resulted in you being turned off public speaking, art, music or maths? Sometimes all it takes is for a child to have one bad experience to become fearful or turned off public speaking or debating for life. We feel that it is so important to be conscious of treating students with care and consideration for their feelings so that their debating experience helps them grow in confidence. We encourage students as best we can, but we don’t force students to do something if they are not ready for it, and we acknowledge the personal effort and progress made by every child, regardless of their skill level. Of course we can’t make life perfect for students or guarantee that they will never have a bad experience, but we can do our best to be sensitive to a child’s struggle and look for ways to support and empower them. Debating is an activity that offers students a huge sense of accomplishment and we often find that our more nervous students gain confidence in leaps and bounds after their first debate event!
Yes! Low literacy skills can present in any classroom situation and in our experience this often shows up as a reluctance to write and record ideas. This does not mean the student does not have ideas. Often the opposite is the case and they have a lot of ideas but a lack of ability to record them. Other ways of recording and writing can be explored with students who have literacy challenges. Sometimes we find that students with poor literacy skills may make up for it with charisma, personality and a natural ability to speak well when they are supported to share their ideas without having to rely heavily on reading from detailed notes. We have had students in the past who have delivered award-winning debate speeches from a one-page mind-map. Debating does not rely on literacy - there are always ways to include students if the teacher or coach can be flexible. Even students who are still learning English can participate in debating. It’s just a matter of helping them record their ideas in a way that will work for them or adapting the requirements, such as having them speak for a shorter time or share a speaker role with another student.
Each student has 3.5 minutes to speak. A bell is rung at the 3 minute mark as a warning and then at the 3.5 minute mark. Timing a debate is not easy, especially for young students. It's something that comes with time and experience. If students go a little over time we do not cut them off, but if it's clear that a student is not close to finishing once they reach the 4 minute mark, they may be gently asked to jump to their conclusion and finish up.
In 2013, Google decided to test its hiring practices by crunching every piece of hiring, firing, and promotion data accumulated since the company’s incorporation in 1998. The results of 'Project Oxygen' shocked everyone by concluding that, among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM expertise (science, technology, engineering and maths) comes in dead last! The eight top characteristics of success at Google are:
· being a good coach,
· communicating and listening well,
· possessing insights into others - including appreciating different values and points of view,
· having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s teammates,
· being a good critical thinker and problem solver,
· being able to make connections across complex ideas, and
· STEM expertise and technical skills
There is an activity that helps students develop all of the top seven qualities… You guessed it – it’s debating! With the Rise & Shine method of teaching, debating is so much more than just arguing a topic and trying to persuade others of your view, although that’s a part of it too. 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 and rapidly-changing world. It helps young people to build their confidence, collaborate and communicate, practice courage and creativity and think big.
Students who participate in debating in school may never debate again in their adult life - but the skills they develop through debating are relvant in every career as well as in living a personally fulfilling life. Debating helps train the next generation of leaders, humanitarians, creators, thinkers and people who are not afraid to stand up, speak out and let their talents shine!
Classroom teachers will typically be present in the classroom when a Rise & Shine program is running, though not always. During a debating lesson, the teacher may choose to be actively involved, assisting their students, or they may use this time to prepare other lessons. There is no requirement for extra work between sessions, but the quality of the students' learning and the standard of their debates will naturally increase the more time spent.
A debate usually consists of two teams each with three students, and a chairperson. A chairperson helps keep the debate on track, keeps the audience engaged and connects the various sections of a debate. An adjudicator will determine the award level of each team. The debate starts with an introduction by the chairperson, who will welcome the adjudicator and audience, introduce the topic of the debate and introduce the speakers. Speaker 1 on the affirmative team will then deliver their speech. The chairperson will then comment on Speaker 1's talk and introduce the first speaker on the negative team. Speaker 1 on the negative team will deliver their speech, followed by the chairperson's comment and introduction of the second speaker for the affirmative. The debate continues thus - with the second speaker for the affirmative followed by the the second speaker for the negative, then the third speaker for the affirmative and third speaker for the negative, with each speaker introduced by the chairperson. Each speaker is able to rebut points made by a previous speaker/s, except for the first speaker on the affirmative team. The debate ends with a conclusion from the chairperson. Usually there will be more than one debate in an event, and at the end of all of the debates, the adjudicator will announce the results and share some feedback for each team. Adjudicators' awards refer to the whole team. Adjudicators usually address feedback to the whole team also, rather than singling students out unless for demonstrating outstanding skills. Adjudicators will write comments for each student, however, that their coach can share with them at a later date.