Today we finished discussing the debate topics that people had selected and to reflect on the debate process. In this format, we focused on debate partner and heard from them regarding what they thought about their topic and what they learned. There was then an opportunity for the rest of the class to weigh in on the topics. We managed to discuss capitol punishment and the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown today. Tomorrow we will look at bans on assault weapons, abortion, and raising the minimum wage.
Questions that we used to guide today's discussion were as follows:
Partner Groups
Now that you’ve prepared to argue both sides and did argue one side of your debate, what is your final decision on the topic? Do you feel you are “for” or “against” the topic or somewhere in between?
What do you feel you learned from researching this topic?
Group Discussion
What was the actual debate like for you? How would you improve your presentation in a debate another time?
Complete the diagram/rating scale on the back of this sheet and use it to explain your experience of this process.
At the end of the period, I returned assessed work. We will look at grade report sheets in class tomorrow.
Homework:
Revise your position papers (for and against) on your debate topic (see post on 12.17 and rubrics above for more information on paper writing).
Final revisions are due next Friday (1/16)
