Activity: Practice Debate

The aim of the present activity is to prepare learners to participate in structured classroom debates. The outcomes of the activity are to support learners is receiving feedback in terms of how they can improve their participation and performance in debates.

The present activity expects learners to form pairs, an individual labelled 'A' another labelled 'B'. The self-organising pair are then assigned a number that can be used to select pairs randomly to perform their debates.

Topic

The topic of the debate is the In re Boucher case. Learners should have already considered and summarised the case. Learners should consider the legal instruments and protections that prevent access to data and what other routes could be adopted to circumvent such protections.

Position

For this debate, speaker A and speaker B are to adopt opposing position whether they agree with those positions or not. Speakers will have FOUR minutes to present their position to the floor. The speakers should represent the following:

• Speaker A should advocate, that is form arguments and gather evidence for the position that such a system should be deployed.

• Speaker B should advocate, that is form arguments and gather evidence for the position that such a system should not be deployed.

Speakers should gather evidence and develop points designed to convince their opponent that their position is the most optimal of those presented. If selected, both speakers will present their arguments to the class before receiving feedback from their partner, and then the wider class.

Feedback

Learners, both in their capacity as an opposing speaker and a class members, should judge and provide feedback to speakers along the following dimensions:

• Presentation

  • How well organised is the speaker?
  • Is the speaker persuasive in their positioning of points?
  • Does the speaker remain focused around the crucial and central aspects of the debate or do they drift?

• Research.

  • Does the speaker cement their position in evidence?
  • What is the quality of the evidence?
  • Is the evidence relevant and recent?

• Balance.

• Do you think the evidence presented by the speaker is biased?

• Does the speaker consider or recognise alternative positions?

• Does the speaker avoid oversimplification or generalisation of relevant points?

The feedback provided to the speaker should be framed to support them in refining their skills for subsequent debate activities. Speakers upon receiving feedback should use the plan for action sheet to act upon the feedback received.

Materials

• In re Boucher Case Summary.
• Plan for Action