Section

• English Debating

  

  English Debating Course
  

  by Matt Townend

  

  
  

  • What is Debating?

    
    

    What is Debating?

    BEGINNER

    Debating is a kind of speaking competition where people argue about something to try to decide what is right. For example, Should smoking be allowed? is a common debate topic. 

    At the end, a judge, or a vote, will decide who is right and wins the debate.

    INTERMEDIATE

    There are several kinds of debating such as presidential debates, trials, balloon debate and team debates. In team debates, the topic is called the motion and will be written like this:

    This house believes people should not be allowed to smoke. 

    One team in the debate will be for the motion (agree with it - so here they would say why people should not be allowed to smoke), and one team will be against the motion (disagree - so here they would say why people should be allowed to smoke). Each debater stands and says their point and gives examples and reasons why this is right.

    ADVANCED

    Advanced students may also get a chance to make counterpoints (also called rebuttals) - to say why their opponents' points are wrong. This must be done politely and respectfully, using logic, not emotion.

    Here's a little history of the debate... and there are a lot of great tips here too!

  • Why Debate?

    
    

    Why Debate?

    BEGINNER
    

    Debating is an important kind of speaking and thinking skill.

    INTERMEDIATE

    It helps you think logically and organise your ideas, and also helps writing essays, as the process is very similar.

    ADVANCED

    Most of all, it teaches you to think quickly on your feet, to improvise, and to use critical thinking to think around a topic and see arguments for an against. Critical thinking may be the greatest benefit of debating, and it is the hardest thing to learn. Critical thinking simply means seeing the good and bad sides of something. In debating, it is essential to see the flaws in the opponent's arguments, but also in your own.

    Debating is also at the heart of the western legal and political systems. Governments debate and then vote on laws. Prosecuting and defense lawyers debate an accused person's guilt before a court.

    Watch this famous debater Syed Saddiq tell you about his debating journey.

     

     

  • How To Debate

    
    

    How to Debate

    BEGINNER - Points

    The most important part of any debate is the points you will make - what you will say to win the debate. For example:

    Cats are better than dogs.

    INTERMEDIATE - Example / Evidence

    However, just saying, "Cats are better than dogs" is not enough to make the audience believe you. You need some example or evidence to prove your point. This could be numbers, statistics, logical reasoning, other people's opinions, or stories from real life (called anecdotes). For example:
    

    A cat can clean itself, but a dog cannot.

    ADVANCED - Comment

    Now we need to say WHY our evidence or example proves our point. WHY this example or evidence is important. It may be possible for the audience to guess this, but we need to make it clear. For example:

    This is important, because it is hard to give a dog a bath every day, so they will be dirty. A cat cleans itself many times a day so is a clean animal to have in your house.

    This triad (3 things) or Point, Example and Comment makes your argument very persuasive and hard to argue against. We also use this triad in essay writing.

    Critical Thinking and Counterpoints

    Critical thinking is an advanced debating skill. It means using logic to see the flaws in your arguments, or your opponent's arguments. For example:

    Now it is true that cats use their tongues to lick themselves, and their mouths are not super-clean (they do not brush!), so we maybe cannot say that cats are 100% clean.

    This makes your arguments even stronger. Why? Well, if you are admitting the flaws in your arguments, your opponent cannot attack that flaw as... you already said it. Oh, damn!

    Attacking your opponent's arguments with logic is also very powerful. This is often called a counterpoint...

    My opponent said that dogs help you exercise more. This might be true, but you don't need a dog to exercise. You could go for a run with your dog, or just go for a run by yourself!

    Rebuttals

    Defending against opponent's attacks is called rebutting. For example:

    My opponent said that is not true that cats are cleaner because cats lick their butts and then lick their fur. It is true dogs can't lick their butts, but they like lick the butts of OTHER dogs, so they are still dirtier.

    As you can see sometimes humor or attacking the opponent can be a good defence!

  • How am I graded?

    BEGINNER

    Like Drammar, you get marks for how you speak - your volume, gestures, intonation, eye contact and English.

    INTERMEDIATE

    You also get marks for the points, examples and comments you make during your debate. 

    ADVANCED

    Finally, you get marks for your critical thinking - can you attack your opponent's points (or even your own) and say why they are wrong (and right). You also get marks for rebutting, defending your own points from attack.

    Points - the arguments the speaker makes e.g. Smoking is bad for your health	No points made 0points Some good points made 5points A range of strong arguments 10points
    Examples - are examples used? Statistics, anecdotes, facts? e.g. 20% of smokers develop lung cancer.	No examples 0points Limited examples 5points Many examples 10points
    Comments - are examples commented on to show how they prove the point? e.g. This proves how dangerous smoking is.	No comments 0points An attempt to comment on examples or points 5points Well-developed comments 10points
    Critical Thinking - is able to show flaws in opponent's points or admit flaws in own points e.x. It is true that some people who are not smokers will also develop lung cancer.	No evidence of critical thinking 0points An attempt at critical thinking 5points Strong use of critical thinking 10points
    Rebuttals - defends against opponent's attacks or pre-emptively defends weaker points e.x However, the % of smokers developing lung cancer is much higher than non-smokers.	No rebuttals 0points An attempt to rebut 5points Strong rebuttals 10points
    Volume	Very quiet 0points Fair volume 5points Strong voice 10points
    Gestures	No gestures 0points A few gestures 5points Confident gestures 10points
    Eye Contact with audience or opponent	No eye contact 0points A little eye contact 5points Regular eye contact 10points
    Intonation - does their pitch go up and down?	No intonation - rather robotic 0points Some intonation 5points Natural intonation 10points
    English quality	English hard to understand or needs a lot of Chinese support 0points English can be understood but many grammar mistakes 5points Excellent English with only a few minor grammar mistakes 10points

    
    

  • Your Debating Grade 作业

    Every year, once, in T2, you will have a debate, and you will have a chance to improve this grade.
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    2024年07月28日 星期日 18:51 - 19:51

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  Balloon Debates

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  A Balloon Debate

  BEGINNER

  Your hot air balloon is falling from the sky! You need to lose weight or you will crash! You have to throw someone out of the balloon - but who?

  A balloon debate is a kind of debate where 4-6 debaters all say why they should be allowed to stay in the balloon.

  Each debater chooses one famous person (can be real or a character) for the debate. They are now that person or character. They must talk for 1-2 minutes to say why they should not be thrown out!

  For example, if they chose Florence Nightingale, a famous nurse, they can say:

  I should stay because I helped many sick people in my life.

  
  

  You should think of many reasons why you should stay - write them down in a list:

  1 - I help sick people!

  2 - I am kind!

  3 - I am a woman - I can have children!

  These are your points and you should also add examples and comments. Use this planning sheet to help you!

  
  

  INTERMEDIATE
  

  A good idea is to also say why you think the other people in your balloon should be thrown out! Say their bad points - why they are not as good as you! Watch this video of a good balloon debater!

   

   
  

  ADVANCED

  The best balloon debaters may even have some surprising and very creative reasons why they should stay in the balloon. And if you can make the audience laugh - you will probably win!

  BEGINNER

  Finally, the class will have a vote as to who to throw out and your teacher will give you a mark! Gain a badge for your Debating Experience box!

  Balloon Debate

  You took part in a balloon debate
  话题
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  Team Debates

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  Team Debates

  BEGINNER

  In a team debate, there are two teams. They must argue over an idea called a motion - one team says the motion is true (this team is FOR the motion). The other team says the motion is not true (this team is AGAINST the motion). 

  INTERMEDIATE

  Here are some motions.

  This house believes that all schools should have school uniform.

  This house believes that games are the best way to learn.

  This house believes that cats are better than dogs.

  This house believes that aliens do exist.

  This house believes that we should stop wasting money on space.

  This house believes that we colonizing other planets is foolish.
  

  This house believes that governments letting private companies claim space for themselves and this is bad.
  

  BEGINNER

  As in the balloon debate, you need to make points, examples and comments to say why the motion is right or wrong. Use this sheet to help you.

  
  

  INTERMEDIATE

  It is a good idea to choose a team captain to help organize the team. You don't want two team members making the same point.

  BEGINNER

  Each speaker will stand and say their points, examples and comments.

  INTERMEDIATE

  The side for the motion goes first, then the side against goes second.

  BEGINNER

  Then each side will have a chance to make counterpoints, again starting with the side for the motion. Finally, the judge will decide which side won the debate.

  ADVANCED

  It is a good idea to have a pen to write down the opponents' arguments so you can rebutt them or attack them using critical thinking!

  Team Debate

  You took part in a team debate
  话题
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  Presidential Debate

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  Presidential Debate

  You took part in a presidential debate
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  Trial

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  A trial scene from the movie "A Time to Kill" where a father kills the white rapists of his daughter

  A Trial

  BEGINNER

   In a trial, someone is accused of a crime, and the court tries to decide if they are innocent or guilty. If they are guilty it means they did the crime and need to go to prison. If innocent they go free.

  INTERMEDIATE

  In some trials it is the judge who decides if the person is innocent or guilty. But in important trials it is usually a jury - a group of 14 men and women chosen at random from the public.

  ADVANCED

  There are some problems with this system. Using normal people to decide a trial feels fair in some ways as it is more democratic than just one judge (who may be biased), but they are not legal experts and may just use emotions or their own bias to decide, which means the result of some trials may not be fair.

  How to Do it

  BEGINNER

  In any trial there are two sides - the Defence team who defends the accused, and the Prosecution who try to attack and put the accused in prison.

  In the trial, each side (starting with the prosecution) can make an opening statement to say why they think the accused is innocent or guilty. Then each side calls witnesses, people who saw the crime or know something about it or the accused, to take the stand (sit in a box) and answer questions. The other side may also question the witnesses (called cross-examination). Then the other side calls their witnesses. Then each side may make a closing statement, before the judge or jury decides if the accused is guilty or not.

  In our trial the class will be divided into two teams - a defence and a prosecution. Some students will play the lawyers, some the witnesses, and one must be the accused.

  INTERMEDIATE

  If one side's lawyers feels the other side is cheating or saying something  bad they can say "objection" and the tell the judge why they feel it is unfair. The judge can say "sustained" means they agree with the objection and the lawyer must stop their bad behavior, or "overruled" meaning the judge does not agree.

  Common reasons to object:

  Argumentative: if the lawyer is not asking the witness a question, but it making a statement instead. "You are a murderer" instead of " are you a murderer?" They are only supposed to ask questions. But "You are a murderer, are you not?" is probably ok.

  Badgering the witness: if the lawyer is being rude to the witness or not letting them answer "You are a nasty person, are you not?"

  Irrelevant: the question is not useful to the trial: "What's your favorite color?"

  Compound question: Two questions together, designed to confuse the witness: "You saw him enter the room and then you saw him murder the man?"

  ADVANCED

  For a full list of reasons to object see here:

  Trial

  You took part in a trial

  • The Trial of Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock on Trial

     

     
    

    The Trial

    To do this trial you need to have finished the Sherlock inovel Course and watched the BBC Series Sherlock.

    This trial takes place after Sherlock shoots Magnussen.

    The Crime

     

     
    

    Sherlock is accused of murder, for killing  Charles Augustus Magnussen. Sherlock is entering a plea of not guilty.

    He shot Magnussen in full view of many witnesses, at close range, saying "Oh do your research, I am not a hero, I am a higher functioning sociopath. Merry Xmas,"
    

    Defence Team

    Defence Lawyer - Huckle

    Witnesses:

    Sherlock - the accused and a detective - Ben

    John Watson - the accused's friend, a soldier and doctor - Wynstanz
    

    Lestrade - the police commissioner - Dylan

    Mary Watson - tried to kill Magnussen, Magnussen was blackmailing her - Kevin

    Molly Hooper - the forensic scientist, loves Sherlock - Olga

    Prosecution Team

    The Prosecution Lawyer - Joseph

    Witnesses:

    Moriarty (not dead) - Sherlock's enemy - Ian

    Mycroft Holmes - Sherlock's brother, tried to stop him killing Magnussen, knew Magnussen was dangerous - Jayden 

    Magnussen's Secretary Janine - had a relationship with Sherlock, she let him into Magnussen's office -  Karina

    Detective Sgt. Sally Donovan  - a policewoman who thinks Sherlock is a bad guy - Yvonne

    The Jury

    Other students will form the Jury. The jury  will decide whether Sherlock is guilty (murder) or not guilty (manslaughter). They must say why they make their decision at the end of the trial.

    Jury - Ray

    Jury - Angela

    Jury - Coco

    Jury - Jade

    Jury - Justin

    The Law - What is Murder?

    The killer must be sane
    They must unlawfully kill (i.e. not self-defence or other justified killing)
    They kill a human being which is alive
    It is not war-time
    The killer had intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).

    If it is murder the accused will go to prison for 15-30 years.

    Defences to Murder

    Insanity - the accused was not sane so did not know right from wrong

    Temporary insanity - that at that time they went crazy perhaps due to being provoked (they did not plan to kill the victim)

    Self-Defence - defending oneself or a loved one from harm

    Suicide - killing oneself

    Provocation - the victim provoked the murderer and so the murderer lost control (they did not plan to kill the victim)

    Wartime - it is war and so the killing is part of the war
    

    NB - If it is not murder, then killing is called manslaughter and the guilty person will go to prison for 1-8 years.

  话题
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  Impromptu Debate

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  Impromptu Debate

  BEGINNER

  The word "impromptu" means "without preparation". An impromptu debate is a speech you give on why something is right or wrong - you have to make the speech with only a short time to prepare.

  You can choose which topic you wish to debate from a list.

  You have 10 minutes to prepare. The speech will only be a few minutes long.

  The first thing to do is write down a list of points you can make.

  INTERMEDIATE

  Then it is time to add examples and comments. Examples can also be stories! Watch this guy!

   

   
  

  ADVANCED

  It is also a good idea to think of what criticisms an opponent could make of your arguments and add some rebuttals e.g. "Now some might think this is wrong because X. However, it is not wrong because Y." This is using critical thinking to anticipate attacks on your arguments, which makes your arguments more persuasive.

  Impromptu Debate

  You took part in an impromptu Debate

  • Impromptu Debate Topics

    Some good ideas for impromptu debate topics!

    BEGINNER

    Should the age when people can vote / drive / smoke be lowered / raised?

    INTERMEDIATE

    Should people have to pass an exam before they are allowed to marry / have children / get a credit card?

    Should people be forced to recycle / use renewable energy / stop smoking?

    ADVANCED

    Create your own!

    Start with Should and end with a ?

  话题
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  Yin Yang Debate

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  Yin Yang Debate

  BEGINNER

  A Yin Yang Debate is where you make a speech saying all the good things about something, and then saying all the bad things about something. Just like the yin yang symbol which is half white and half black.

  Your teacher will give you a topic like computer games. You need to say all the good things, and the bad things about computer games.
  

  INTERMEDIATE
  

  This might seem like you are disagreeing with yourself, but it is good to see things in different ways and from different sides.

  ADVANCED

   This is the essence of critical thinking - seeing the good and the bad.

  Yin Yang Debate

  Yin Yang Debate

  
  

  
  
  话题
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