About This Activity
Instructor: Debate and public speaking skills are of extraordinary value to middle school students. Participation in debate can boost a student’s self-esteem and self-confidence while building the habits associated with becoming a critical thinker, and ultimately an informed global citizen. Debate at O’Dowd will provide students with valuable skill set building, that includes: ● Empathy Building: Students are rewarded for listening to and quoting their opponents and teammates ● Note Taking: Students and judges take detailed notes during debates, as the content of debates determines their outcome. ● Research Skills: Students will deliver informed extemporaneous speeches based on their own research that center on an identified, pre-assigned resolution. ● Dynamic Format: Debates include interactive elements to ensure students are engaged throughout the course of practice sessions, with constructive critiques to assist them in gaining confidence and mastery of this oratorical discipline. ● Multiplistic & Evaluative Thinking: Debaters must be prepared to argue either side of an issue and weigh the importance of different arguments, crystallizing and synthesizing the most important elements about the topic at hand.
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