On Tuesday 22 November, University of Kent staff and student ambassadors delivered an Introduction to Debating Day to a group of 15 Year 8 Students at Saint George’s Church of England School. The day was a great success and gave students an opportunity to participate in a range of interactive sessions which helped students develop their knowledge of debating rules as well as their public speaking skills.
Initially, participants were asked to consider essential ground rules for debating such as respect, listening and not talking over each other. Students moved on to discuss the skills required to be a good debater had the opportunity to practice their public speaking skills, through speaker challenges such as ‘Triple Speak’ and ‘Flip Flop Debating’. The day culminated in a Big Debate, following the rules of the British Parliamentary style. Students were allocated to teams and worked together to prepare the debate and develop structured arguments.
When asked to reflect on the sessions, students indicated that they had learned confidence, how to get their points across as well as the rules of formal debating. They also wrote that they had enjoyed the activities and in particular the Flip Flop Debating and the Big Debate.
We were delighted to receive the following feedback from the school:
The University of Kent representatives are extremely knowledgeable and lead well-planned sessions. Within one day pupils are able to plan, deliver and evaluate their own and others debating skills. Their confidence has been developed and this will allow them to transfer these skills to other subjects as a result. We cannot wait for our next session! – Miss Cutler, Saint George’s Church of England School, Gravesend
A second debating day has been planned and will be designed to further challenge the students, using research to support their argument, pre-empting counter-arguments and making their argument more convincing.
For further information about this event, please contact outreach@kent.ac.uk.