4.3 Practical thinking through debate
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Building skills through discussion
A key way to develop confidence in personal and professional skills and foster curiosity is through continuous debate and discussion about the world around us. A PPS teacher's main hurdle is keeping resources current whilst enabling students being able to articulate connections. Discussions and debates can be short and snappy as well as lengthy and formal; planned ahead or spontaneous as needs arise. As the course develops, give more and more responsibility to the students to lead discussions.
Whilst this page invariably explores Applied Ethics through debate, it is placed under Thinking Processes and the Application of Thinking quite intentionally as a way of thinking practically, problem-solving and adapting thinking in response to stimulus material
This page includes both the words debate and discussion purposefully. Debate can conjure up an intimidating image of formality which does not really do its diversity justice; by including the word discussion, it is a reminder that confidently articulating, agreeing, disagreeing, synthesising, problem-solving and questioning ideas should be a natural process and an intrinsic part of developing personal and professional skills.
Developing a debating toolkit
There are some guiding principles for giving students the confidence to express ideas in the classroom. Firstly, use real world debates; secondly, value content of student's ideas over style; thirdly, take all students' views seriously.[1]
A debate is based around a suggestion or ‘motion’ relating to an idea or opinion.
People who are arguing to support the motion are called the ‘proposers’
People arguing against the motion are the ‘opposers’.
Participating in debates[2]:
What skills are needed to be able to debate?
Look at the version of the stages of a formal debate below and discuss what does each stakeholder of a debate have to be able to do. Use the worksheet to help you with suggestions. Stakeholder here is defined as: speaker, 1st proposer, 1st opposer, 2nd proposer, 2nd opposer, summarisers and audience members.
Debating order
The order that is followed in a formal debate is:
- The debate is chaired by a 'speaker', who reads out the motion.
- The first proposer presents the arguments for the motion.
- The first opposer presents the arguments against the motion.
- The second proposer presents further arguments for the motion.
- The second opposer presents further arguments against the motion.
- This side-to-side debating of the motion continues until all the people involved have had their say ...and limited to each contributor speaking only once during the debate.
- An opposer then sums up the key points of the argument against the motion.
- A proposer then sums up the argument for the motion.
- The speaker re-reads the motion.
- The audience then votes 'for' or 'against' the motion.
Follow these stages for discussion
1) What skills do you think each stage needs and will be developed? Pay particular attention to the words in bold. You can use the worksheet or produce a class mindmap.
2) Only when you have finished the first stage, either look at the list in the worksheet or your class mindmap. Which stage do they relate to? Can they relate to more than one stage?
3) What could debating look like in your class?
Start by thinking what are the basic principles that you need to keep; how can you have a quick class discussion using these principles? If you have a larger class, would you like to open the debate to the floor and all be able to voice your opinions? Furthermore, how would you like to conclude the debate? Will you vote anonymously or by a show of hands?
Something to think about
A key aspect of formal debating, especially if you are taking on the role of the opposer or proposer, is that it is not about being able to express your own personal conviction but about having the skills to argue a particular perspective. It also is important to consider the way that you vote in a debate; is it about having your mind changed? Is it about who argued best? Is it about voting for someone who argues the closest to your existing value system?
Activity reflection
The outcome of this activity will give students an indication of the skills that they will develop through the process of debating and discussion. This can come with some hesitancy as the very act of expressing opinions in front of peers can be a big hurdle for young people that needs respecting. Giving students time to reflect on the process and identify a key area that they want to develop is key. This can be done at the very start of the course as well as returned to continously to chart progress.
Compass tool
Use the compass tool to assess where perceptions stand right now in regards to communicating effectively in discussions.
Teacher notes on activityThese stages can be followed to encourage discussion. As aforementioned, a key aspect of formal debating for students to grasp, if they are taking on the role of the opposer or proposer, is that it is not about being able to express your own personal conviction but about having the skills to argue a particular perspective. It also is important to consider the way that they vote in a debate; is it about having your minds changed? Is it about who argued best? Is it about voting with someone who argues the most in line with your existing value system?
1) What skills do the students think each stage needs? Pay particular attention to the words in bold. You can carry out this stage utilising the worksheet or complete as a whole class mindmap.
2) Only when you have finished the first stage with students allow them to either turn over the page in worksheet or move onto the second stage. Can these skills relate to more than one stage? Where else have they used these skills? Where might they use these skills?
3) What do you want debating and discussion to look, feel and sound like in your classroom?
How can you ensure that students value content over style and make sure that all students are taken seriously and listened to?
Start by thinking what are the basic principles that you need to keep; how can you have a quick class discussion using these principles? If you have a larger class, would you like to open the debate to the floor and all be able to voice your opinions? Furthermore, how would you like to conclude the debate? Will you vote anonymously or by a show of hands?
Possible skills needed for debating
Using research to form a perspective
Identifying key ideas from a source
Listening to others' ideas and building upon them
Listening to others' ideas and counter-arguing
Expressing ideas empathetically
Communicating effectively to persuade
Summarise others' ideas
Synthesise ideas from different perspectives
Putting aside personal convictions to argue from a specific perspective
If you are going to be a proposer or an opposer of a motion, it is important that you listen well to the contributions of others. This is so that you are able to do the following:
Reflection on the activity
Compass tool: Assessing where you stand in relation to Effective Communication and Debating.
This reflection is about pinpointing where students are right now and where they would like to improve over the following weeks, term and the whole CP course. Consider the class activity they have just completed where they considered the stages of a formal debate. Using the compass principle, they can use each point to reflect on a specific aspect of the activity.
- North – What do I still need to know about debating?
- South – What surprised me the most about the activity?
- West – What do I find most worrisome about debating going forward?
- East – What am I most excited about developing in regards to debating?
The key aspect to stress here is that they will not only identify personal feelings and perceptions of effective communication but also the tools that could be used to help students develop confidence there. Below this are a number of links to thinking routines utilised in the PPS pages that can assist students and become part of their skill toolbox.
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If you want to develop these ideas further into authentic discussion that can not only develop communication skills but really advance understanding of the reflective project further, check out this page on modern social justice and the ability to avoid polarised and defensive discussions.
Discussing social justice issues
How do we navigate modern social justice?It might be stating the obvious that being able to talk freely about social issues, whether they are deemed controversial or not, can be a tricky balancing act....
Developing skills for debating
Depending on results from the Compass tool reflection activity, students will identify different areas for development. There are a number of thinking routines that can be introduced to students as a class to explicit teaching or for students to identify as key for their own personal development. This takes the form of possible comments students can make in relation to their concerns and worries about contributing to class discussions.
CONCERN 1: How can I identify my own feelings about a topic separate to others' ideas?
3-2-1 Reflection
This reflection can take place part way through the debate as participants gather their thoughts or at the end as they are deciding how they will vote.
At the end of this lesson, reflect on:
3 Things I have learnt in this debate
2 Questions I still have concerning the debate
1 Challenge I face in my understanding
Extend: how can this help me in personal and professional situations?
adapted and elaborated on from https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/3-2-1-reflection.htmlx
CONCERN 2: How can I synthesise and summarise others' ideas?
CONCERN 3: How can I understand perspectives that are unfamiliar?
Same and Different
Being able to explore complexities can start with just a picture and a question so using imagery within debates to aid understanding is an interesting way of making the debate more accessible. This can lead to greater understanding of the topic at hand which then, in turn, can lead to having more independent, informed opinions and solutions. This process also can help you empathise more from other perspectives: you do not have to believe and agree with all the ideas but it is a really helpful habit to be able to step into their shoes and consider where they are coming from.
With the accompanying debate motion, you can include imagery such as the gallery pictures below which are all on the subject of Protest. This might be part of the research you do to understand the topic better. These pictures would support a variety of motions associated with topics such as freedom of speech, the rise of populism or topics associated with specific geographic locations. More importantly, the questions can then be used as a reflection once all proposals and opposers have spoken.
Notice: Often judgements can be made at first glance. What was the first impression you had about this?
Perspective taking: From what other points of view could this be perceived? What would one say from those points of view?
Same and Different: What are the similarities? Differences? How is this case the same and different at the same time?
adapted from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/node/773313
CONCERN 4: How can I work out the information needed for a clear contribution to a debate if I am a proposer or opposer?
CONCERN 5: How can I make a decision how to vote?
Sticking Points
It can be hard to get to grips with complexities and controversies, especially in a classroom context in the middle of a debate or discussion. This thinking routine allows to consider different viewpoints on a big issue; this in itself will help you to communicate further and be able to colllaborate with others through ideas. It will also allow you to consider your own independent ideas and develop trust in your own opinions as you are using evidence to support them.
Look at the topic and motion in hand and take time to consider it from four facets:
Facts: What facts do people differ on? What facts do they agree on?
Values: What values do people differ on? What values do they agree on?
Interests: What practical interests do people differ on? (consider investments, land, loyalties etc...)
Policies: What policies (ie general actions to take) to people differ on? What policies do they agree on?
Extend: What ideas do I need to communicate in my role in this debate?
adapted from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/resources/sticking-points
CONCERN 6: Do I have to change my original opinion on a motion?
An outcome from exploring a topic in detail and debating the different perspectives that emerge, is that your original perspective or instinctive response might be unchanged. It is important to go through a process of explicitly acknowledging new ideas, evidence and perspectives to demonstrate a growth mindset as opposed to fixed. This is part of being open-minded an essential characteristic of the IB Learner Profile.
'I used to think ... Now I think'
This is a simple but powerful routine for reflecting on how and why your thinking might have changed about a debating motion. As you progress through your CP course, consider different ways that you could respond to this statement 'I used to think ... Now I think....'; for example you might think how your opinions have been challenged ethically or culturally or, indeed, both.
Write a response to the simple statements:
I used to think .... Now I think ....
Extend: How does this process allow me to value cultural understanding and appreciate diversity in this context?
adapted from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/resources/i-used-to-think-now-i-think
Developing habits of inquiry and independent thinking
Ask students to add weekly to their visual journal to build up a debating resource bank bespoke to their own curiosity, interests and values. Keeping track of particular topics week by week and monitoring developments using any of the thinking routines suggested on this page and the other PPS pages, can draw out key analytical skills useful for the reflective project and other aspects of the DP and career-related subjects.
Developing case studies and resource bank
Give students responsibility to create a resource bank with case studies of a particular topic or specific debate motion that can then be utilised in class by students on both the proposing and opposing sideas. This is an activity that can be developed throughout the course, starting with teacher regulation and provision, eventually building to students resourcing and running debates as a class with minimal intervention.