GOZONE Debating = Action Learning

1 Children learn more when they see, hear and do something.

2 Debating is action learning. You can experiment and use your imagination as you work with the rules of debating. All your different talents can come into it. Your love of dramatic tone and your curiosity about things are helpful tools to convince others.

3 Many people are social learners and gain more from working in a team, bouncing ideas around with a team.

4 Very imaginative children find a great outlet in debating for the constant flow of ideas and possibilities that their minds produce. In a normal class setting this flow can be dis-ruptive, in a small team in debating it finds an outlet. We brainstorm it all out onto a huge sheet for future reference.

5 Public speaking is less terrifying if you start young before all the layers of self consciousness multiply. You start by trying to convince your team mates. We play arguing games. There is an In-house debate first.

6 If you know how to prepare and put information together, you want to share and you have something real to say.

7 If everyone contributes in our society we have a richer range of thoughts to consider before we decide. Sometimes the quiet thoughtful observer adds the missing observation which makes sense of a problem needing to be resolved. We want quiet people to feel confident to speak out when they choose to do so.

8 Debating in primary school is more for fun and challenge, it gives children the chance to play and learn how arguing works with less pressure.

9 If we put the emphasis on learning and not on winning, it’s less scary and many more children will move through their shyness and speak out. They build an inner strength which allows them to respond in the moment and not depend on others to tell them.

Arguing “That music can change the World”, these PLC Year 6 Debaters won Silver Awards in the 2008 Grand Final at All Saints College.