Students are assigned to a particular side of a given topic or issue and have to construct and present arguments to defend that viewpoint.
Debate is an alternative to a discussion, where students need to build their arguments, defend them, refute claims, provide counter-evidence and add further arguments to support their view.
- Activity goal
- Assess | Exchange knowledge | Practice skills
- When
- In class
- Where
- Offline | Online
- Duration
- < 60 minutes| > 60 minutes
- Group size
- Small
- Materials
MS Teams. Zoom
Step-by-step
Step 1
Choose a topic that is suitable for a debate, ideally one that has clear opposing viewpoints ‘For’ and ‘Against’.
Step 2
Explain the rules of the debate and assign students to appropriate debating groups (i.e. ‘For’ and ‘Against’). This assignment can be based on their personal opinion, or they can be assigned randomly, enabling students to experience the other side of the coin.
Step 3
Give students time to prepare initial arguments in their group. This can be done either as preparation or in the class itself. Make sure to highlight that arguments should be persuasive and substantiated as much as possible.
Step 4
Let each group present their arguments in a short speech (e.g. 5 min). Instruct the other group to pay attention and write down the arguments of the opposition.
Step 5
After both groups have presented their initial arguments, both groups will formulate counter-argument to the ones stated by the opposing group.
Step 6
Both groups then present a rebuttal or response. You can plan to have one or several rounds of responses, depending on the size of a group.
Step 7
Allow time for discussions and a debrief of the process at the end of the debate.
Tips:
- Make sure to avoid topics that can be personally sensitive to students and lead to an emotional debate.
- Ask the groups to pick a different person to present each round.
- Decide in advance which type of debate you are going to use and the instructions students need to get before the debate. For inspiration, a quick online search reveals many already existing debating forms, with established rules and procedures, such as various styles of parliamentary and competitive debating. We suggest adjusting those to fit the goal of the lesson and available time.
- With larger groups, you can decide to let non-debaters be adjucators. Provide them with a rubric for reviewing the debate.
MS Teams, Zoom
Consider the tools and materials mentioned here as suggestions. In many cases it’s possible to use alternative tools. Please turn to the Learning & Innovation team of your faculty first to see which online and offline tools are available and how to apply them.
Always use (generative) AI tools that are GDPR-compliant. Refer to the usage guidelines for Generative AI and the theme page about AI in education as well.
The Practice Partner
How many sub-skills are needed for effective debating? Practice with ChatGPT!
Prompt
I want to generate a debate activity in which students practice the key sub-skills of debating. The AI should act as a debate partner or evaluator and provide targeted feedback on the student's performance.
Here are the details:
- Debate topic: [e.g., climate change, artificial intelligence, free public transport, etc.]
- Number of sub-skills to practice: [e.g., argumentation, rebuttal, speech pace, persuasiveness, listening skills, etc.]
- Debate format: [e.g., one-on-one debate, defending a statement, Oxford-style debate, etc.]
- Student level: [e.g., beginner, advanced, expert]
- Role of AI: [e.g., opponent in the debate, neutral judge, coach with feedback]
- Desired feedback: [e.g., strength of arguments, logical reasoning, emotional persuasiveness, etc.]
Example:
"I want to practice a debate about artificial intelligence. The student defends the statement: ‘AI creates more jobs than it destroys.’ Practice three sub-skills: argumentation, rebuttal, and speech pace. The AI plays a critical opponent and provides feedback after each turn."
See AI strategy 'The Practice Partner’ for more information and a step-by-step plan on how to apply this in practice.
