Written by Han Huynh
Critical thinking might not be a foreign concept in our ever-evolving world, where society continues developing as information dominates on social networks. As we navigate the endless transformation in the market, a question arises among educators: should debate be introduced into the curriculum to equip students with the opportunities for intellectual development? Besides the academic discourse, debate provides a way for students to deeply approach and explore problems from many perspectives. Also, they gain different skills by analyzing complicated situations.
The incorporation of debate into the school curriculum offers advantages in promoting skills and mindset. By practicing debate, combined with lecture settings in class, students can “exercise their critical thinking and collaboration abilities.” When it comes to making a decision or disagreeing, most people tend to make arbitrary statements without researching or analyzing the core of the problem. Debating, rather than arguing, is the backbone of establishing one’s statement as it enables students to develop a smooth progression of ideas. As debate requires strong structured arguments and counterarguments, it helps observers develop the ability to identify logical fallacies in both sides of the problem. In addition, debate gives room for students to be curious about new phenomena, which results in students learning to question the circumstances behind a particular mention or conclusion. Rational thoughts are fulfilled and developed when students get the chance to practice building a mixture of proper reasoning and organizing their point of view on both sides of an argument.
Classroom debates heighten presentation skills and gain confidence, as they have to collaborate with team members and express their ideas publicly. Besides sound reasoning and evidence, debating is a skill that requires effective communication and persuasion. To engage an audience and attract their attention, one must have the ability to articulate their thoughts and convert them into structured arguments. A good debater is judged by how well they present their speech in front of many people. Thus, debating helps students overcome the fear of public speaking and drastically improve their language. By doing debate and speech, students can deliver presentations with more confidence and enthusiasm that include not only basic arguments but also body language, emotions, a variety of vocabulary, and a connection with the audience. To capture the attention and interest of the audience, speakers must succinctly articulate ideas and a certain skill level of speech delivery. These skills will be practiced through debate as debaters gain experience in constructing arguments clearly and persuasively. By regularly engaging in debating, students will have better poise and become more eloquent communicators.
Finally, using debate as an educational tool helps stimulate students’ creativity. When it comes to looking at the problem, debaters always see problems through different viewpoints and come up with out-of-the-box proposals. This is because they have acquired a multi-dimensional way of thinking. The process of digging deeper into pressing issues, researching tangible solutions, and brainstorming ideas to address every facet of the issue at hand helps students broaden their vision. Debates encourage students to be more curious since debaters ask countless questions about the same subject from different perspectives. Debaters tend to be more adaptable and responsive when they face a familiar problem and come up with a groundbreaking solution. Debating helps students to build their multifaceted knowledge even outside the learner’s academic subjects.
It can be seen that debate is not limited to just an academic discipline. It encourages students to move forward in their educational paths and is considered a valuable activity for modern innovative teaching and learning.
Sources
Awal, Abdul. “7 Reasons Why Debate Is Important for Students.” Campus Career Club, 4 Mar. 2021, www.campuscareerclub.com/why-debate-is-important-for-students/. Accessed 10 July 2023.
Perspective: The Debater’s Playbook | Urban Debate.” Urbandebate.org, 28 Sept. 2022, urbandebate.org/debater-handbook/. Accessed 10 July 2023.
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