Lesson video

Hello and welcome to the lesson.

My name is Mrs. Butterworth and I am really looking forward to today's lesson because it's all about debating and I love debating.

It is such a good skill to have because it means you can articulate your arguments really well and be able to speak in a public setting.

So this lesson is all about considering what is a formal debate.

So we'll be considering the roles in a debate, the structure of a debate, and where we see debates happening, and why they are important.

Ready to get started? So in this lesson, you will understand how a formal debate is structured and consider your role within it.

Now, before we delve into the lesson, let's look at those all important key words that you may spot popping up throughout.

These words are formal, informed, rebuttal and motion.

Now formal, we're going to use this word in relation to spoken language and how we use language because formal is all about following set rules, traditions, or an official way of doing things.

So we're going to be thinking about formal language.

Informed is to have knowledge or information about something, usually because you've learned or researched it.

So we're going to be thinking about informed decisions or informed arguments.

Now a rebuttal is a specific word used in debates, and a rebuttal is a statement that a claim or criticism is not true.

So you'll get really good at creating and presenting rebuttals as you move through your debating skills.

And then a motion is a statement that is being discussed and argued for, argued for or against in a debate.

So the motion is the statement that you work with in a debate, and that's very often presented at the start of a debate.

Now the outline of the lesson looks like this.

We're going to start by considering the purpose of debate before moving on to looking at the structure of the debate and the roles within those debates.

Great, so let's get started with those first, that first part of the lesson.

So communication is at the heart of academic, social, and working life and spoken language and being able to speak well is a really important skill.

And there are different types of communication.

So these could include but aren't in limited too.

So types of communication can include debate, discussion, conversation, interview, question and answer.

Now I'd like you to discuss please, considering those forms of communication, what do you think are the qualities of these different types of communication? So pause a video to give yourself time to consider your answers.

You may wish to think quietly to yourself if discussion is not an option.

Pause the video and off you go.

Great, some really fantastic answers coming through there with regards to those types of communication.

So let's have a look here.

So I've got some examples here of how you might have defined the terms. So if you were struggling to define the terms, now's the time to really focus as we go through them.

So a debate.

So you may have picked up that this is like a formal discussion.

Okay, so formal means it's structured.

You use formal language, so a formal discussion on a particular topic.

Opposing arguments are aired, and managed by a chairperson or moderator.

So you can see debate in terms of communication is a very formal structured type of communication.

Then we've got a discussion, but a discussion can be both formal and informal and is very often an exchange of ideas and opinions and focused on exploring a topic or solving a problem.

Now conversations, we tend to think of conversations as being informal and relaxed.

So they need to happen between two or more people and could be on lots of topics.

So conversations could cover a whole range of topics, can't they? Now an interview, I would consider an interview more of a formal meeting and we would expect to see interviews in a job or an investigation.

So these definitely tend to be more formal than other forms of communication.

And then finally, question and answer.

This is a bit of a tricky one, wasn't it? Now I would consider this more formal because this is where if we think about where a question and answer would happen is where an audience asks questions of someone or a panel of people.

So you may have seen those very serious and formal news programmes or debate programmes where the audience asks questions of important people and they have to answer them.

And that definitely follows that structure of question answer and that formal way of doing things.

Okay, so we have some examples here and in a moment I'm going to ask you to discuss whether they are debate, discussion, conversation, interview or question and answer.

But let's just read the examples together first and then it'll be over to you.

So he responded enthusiastically to all the questions about his suitability for the job.

After summarising the main points, the moderator invited the audience to participate.

The students considered all of the many possibilities for the end of year celebrations.

The panel discussed the questions of which economic policy would be better for the country.

And finally they hadn't seen each other for years, so they had lots to catch up on.

Okay, so pause a video and I want you to identify, so you can discuss or think quietly to yourself the following examples that we have just read, debate, discussion, conversation, interview or question and answer.

You'll definitely need to pause a video to give yourself time to do this and we'll feedback in a moment.

Pause video and off you go.

Great, thank you so much.

Lots of correct answers flying around there that I can hear.

So let's just share those and you can decide whether you were right or not.

So that first one about the suitability of the job, quite rightly, lots of you identified that that's an interview.

Now the next one was a question and answer and I think the clue here was about the audience being asked to participate so we can kind of assume that the audience will be asking questions.

And then here is a discussion because the idea of the many possibilities of end of year celebrations, hence that there's going to be lots of ideas, opinions.

And then the next one was a debate because the panel addressed the question of which economic policy would be better.

So you get the idea there'll be people for/against, and that kind of hints at this idea of debate.

And then finally, you may have noticed that the last one is conversation.

It definitely hints at a more informal type of exchange, doesn't it, type of communication.

You kind of get the idea they hadn't seen each other for years, so they had lots to catch up on.

Definitely hints at a more conversational style of language and form of communication.

Okay, so time to pick some answers.

Which of the following could be considered the two most formal forms of communication from the list below? So you are picking two answers.

Which of the following could be considered the two most formal forms of communication from the list below? Select your two answers now.

Okay, so hopefully lots of confident answers there.

So well done to everyone that answered B and C, question and answers and debate could be considered the two most formal forms of communication.

Well done everyone, let's keep going.

So I want you to think now.

So I want you to think, we're gonna focus on debates now and I'd like you to discuss where do we see debates happening? So think of your own experiences and where you may have seen debates happening.

So you'll need to pause a video to give yourself time to discuss your answers to this question.

Or if that's not an option, you can think quietly to yourself or even jot down some ideas.

So pause the video and get discussing.

Thank you for your contributions and well done.

It's interesting, isn't it, when you start to think about where we see debates happen, they happen in so many different places.

So let's discuss some of those now and share some of our answers.

So you may have considered some of the following.

So politics is a big one, isn't it? So the houses of Parliament hold debates about laws and policies.

So we see this a lot in the houses of Parliament.

So where laws want to be passed or policies or ideas.

And you can see those opposing, you can see those opposing ideologies start to be debated in the houses of Parliament.

And also during election campaigns, politicians may debate each other.

So you may have experienced that, they sometimes get broadcasted on television too.

So you'll see some politicians from different parties debating.

And media, so we see and debates happening on television talk shows, podcasts and online platforms. So again, you may have seen those more formal debates happening on different media platforms. Schools, of course we see debates in schools.

So in classrooms or debate clubs, students discuss topics and practise public speaking.

So debate is a really important part, important part of some schools and debating can actually be a competitive activity.

And community events.

So town hall meetings or public forums where local issues are addressed.

So sometimes a local council, for example, will invite people to come and listen to their ideas and the idea is that they debate them and find the best solution for a local community.

And then finally, competitions, as I hinted at earlier.

Formal debate competitions, we see debates happening here at various levels including national and even international events.

So as we can see from those discussions, debates are really important and they happen in important places.

Now debates can be considered as a way to help society tackle important issues in a structured and thoughtful way.

So I'd like you to think now, how might we use our spoken language skills in a formal debate? So if we think about how important debating is, how might these spoken language skills be used in a formal debate? So we've got brain thinking, ears listening and speaking clearly.

So pause the video to discuss that question or think quietly to yourself.

Off you go.

Okay, great, let's just share some ideas on that.

So lots of you really picking up on the formality and importance of debate.

So brain thinking.

So you must make informed decisions about what you include and how it can be used to strengthen your argument.

And I think this is a really important thing to acknowledge in debating.

It needs to be really thought out, it needs to be really considered.

So practising helps you to start thinking about how you can make informed decisions to strengthen your argument.

And then ears listening, absolutely a really important skill because in a debate you have to listen in order to respond in an effective and relevant way.

So as well as thinking about your own contributions to the debate, you've really got to listen to what the other side is saying as well.

So being able to listen well is a really important skill.

And then finally, speaking clearly.

Now this just, this does not just refer to being heard.

So you've also got to make sure that you are understood and be able to express your ideas formally with considered vocabulary choices.

And you also want to make sure that you are articulating your ideas and your arguments in a really clear and easy to understand way.

So true or false time.

Debates are an important way to discuss and address serious topics and issues.

Is that true or false? Come up with your answer now.

And well done to everyone that considered true, but we need to say why.

So why are debates an important way to discuss and address serious topics and issues? Come up with your answer now.

Okay, so I'm going to share my answer and you can compare it to yours.

Hopefully you have something similar.

So why? Because debates happen in important places like the houses of Parliament and community events.

They help society tackle important issues in a structured and thoughtful way.

Hopefully you came up with something similar.

Okay, so we're at our first practise task.

What I would like you to do, please, is I would look like you to look again at the definition and example of a debate.

So let's read those three together first.

So the definition of a debate is a formal discussion on a particular topic in which opposing arguments are put, put forward.

And then the example is the panel address the question of which economic policy would be better for the country.

So you've got the definition there and the example, what I would like you to do now is just to use discussion.

So use the discussion questions to summarise what you have learned.

So we're just thinking about everything that we have thought about in this first part of the lesson, and you are now going to use your discussion skills to summarise what you have learned.

So why do you think we have debates? Why are they important? What do you think you need to do to debate well? Okay, remember to use those all important spoken language skills to have an effective discussion and I can't wait to hear what you come up with.

So pause a video and off you go.

Great job.

Some lovely discussions happening there and lots of you clearly understand the importance of debate now.

So what we're going to do is we're going to listen to what some of our Oak pupils said.

So let's listen to those now.

So Aisha said, "We have debates to express and explore different opinions on important topics.

They allow society to address important issues." That's a very good answer from Aisha.

Laura says, "Debates are important because they enable serious conversations to happen in a structured and informed way." Excellent answer there from Laura and using one of our keywords there.

And then Alex says, "To debate well, you need to understand the topic and research facts, actively listen and speak clearly and be respectful." So some excellent answers there from our Oak pupils.

So I'd like you to consider your own discussions now, is there anything that you would like to add? Pause, video, and off you go.

That brings us to the second part of our lesson.

We've thought about the purpose and importance of debate and now we're moving on to the structure of a debate.

So formal debates have a very organised structure and the debaters have specific roles.

Now the debate is focused around emotions.

We've got our keyword there, motion.

So we can think of this like a clear concise statement that the debaters will address, and the debaters will support with arguments and challenge with rebuttals, okay? So it's all about support, really putting forward your argument well, but also challenging the other team with those rebuttals.

So an example of emotion might be something like this.

This house believes that artificial intelligence will do more harm than good, okay? So you can see here how it's kind of opening up to being opposed or supported.

So it shows you the debate environment.

So very often we hear this house, so that's the debate environment.

And then we have the topic.

So in this case, the topic is artificial intelligence.

And then finally the motion, is it for or against? So in this case, actually the position is against artificial intelligence because it says we'll do more harm than good.

So when you're starting a debate, it can be really useful just to look at the motion and really break it down.

So what is the topic and whether it is for or against? Okay, so here is another example of a motion.

And I'd like you just to label please, the debate environment, the topic and the position.

So this house believes that there should be a tax on meat.

So what's the debate environment, what's the topic and what's the position? Okay, when, pause the video and get that done.

Okay, well done to everyone who got the debate environment is this house, the position is there should be a tax on meat.

So there are actually for the argument, and the topic is that tax on meat.

So well done to everyone that got that right.

Now we need to look at the different roles within a debate.

So there is to start with a chairperson or a chair.

And the chair introduces the topic and manages the speaking order to ensure the debate runs smoothly and fairly.

So the chairperson has a very important job 'cause they need to kind of manage the other people in the debate and just make sure that the debate is fair and adheres to the structure and rules.

And then we have the proposition.

Now this refers to the team supporting the motion and they will support the motion by presenting arguments and evidence in favour of it, which means the other side is the opposition.

So the opposition will argue against the motion by presenting reasons and evidence to oppose the motion.

Now it's important to understand that when you are in a debate, you may be arguing something that you don't necessarily believe or support.

And that's all part of the skill of debate.

You will be assigned a proposition or opposition and it's all about formulating an argument for that.

And then finally in a debate, you get an audience, okay? So you may be part of an audience in a debate, you may be an audience member.

Now audiences should listen carefully and they can also ask questions and give feedback after the debate.

So being an audience member is just as important as being some of the other roles because you need to be able to ask effective questions too.

Okay, so we've thought about those different roles and then I'm going to show you an example of how debates are structured.

Now not all debates are structured like this, but this is one way that a debate structure can go.

So we begin with the chairperson introducing the debate, the motion, and the debaters.

So the chairperson will thank everyone for coming and say the house believes that dot dot dot.

And then get everyone starting to debate.

Then person A on the team makes the opening statement proposition for the motion.

So the first person will introduce the opening statement and argument for the motion.

And then person B or the opposition makes the opening statement against the motion.

So you can see in those next stages, both sides have an opportunity to give their opening statement, to give their opening argument whether they are proposition or opposition.

And then person C, this is the second person on the proposition expands on opening arguments.

So they stand up and start to give some more information or some relevant detail to expand the argument, which then obviously means that that's followed by a second opposition.

So they develop the negative case.

So you can see here the importance of turn taking and the importance of developing your teammates argument.

And then the chairman summarise what's happened so far and then invites rebuttals.

So person A or C, so the person, anyone from the proposition can then counter the opposition arguments and likewise any from the opposition, so B or D, can address the propositions arguments.

So that moment there is about both teams being able to challenge the opposite team's arguments in a rebuttal.

Then the chairperson invites and manages questions from the audience.

So they might turn and say, does the audience have any questions? And then finally the teams are given one last say before the chairperson sums up and thanks everybody.

Okay, so I want you to decide now which debate role is missing.

So we've got C there with a question mark, which debate role is missing? Come up with your answer now.

Okay, so hopefully we're feeling confident because the missing role is the opposition.

Of course you have to have an opposing team.

We have reached our second practise task.

So the following shot slide shows examples from a debate.

So we'll go through those together in a moment.

So we'll look at those examples.

And what you're going to need to do with those examples is identify which role, debate role is speaking.

Is it the chairperson, proposition, opposition or audience member? And then once you have identified that, you need to explain how you know.

So what clues in the examples led you to your answers, if you like, okay? So let's look at those examples together.

So the motion for these examples is the house believes that mobile phones should be banned in schools.

So we'll look through those examples.

Then you need to identify whether it's the chairperson, proposition or opposition or audience member and then explain how you know.

So example one, "Thank you to both teams. Now the audience may ask questions." Number two, "We disagree.

Mobile phones are useful tools for learning.

Banning them would limit students' access to important resources." Number three, "We believe mobile phones should be banned in schools because they cause distractions in class, leads to cheating during exams and increase cyber bullying." And finally, "Can the opposition explain how schools can ensure students use phones responsibly?" Okay, so remember you are identifying the roles and then explaining how you know.

So pause the video and get those tasks done.

Off you go.

Okay, so let's check our answers.

So hopefully you all got chairperson for number one.

The opposition is number two, proposition number three, and then the audience member is number four.

And now let's just look at an example of what you might have considered when explaining how you came to those answers.

Can you explain how you know? You may have considered the neutrality of the chairperson's language.

They don't take a stance and they refer to both teams. So that was a real clue in terms of the chairperson.

The use of "we believe" and "we disagree" to emphasise the stance of the proposition and opposition.

So that should have given you a big clue there.

And then obviously that question is posed by the audience member.

So that's how I knew that that was an audience member.

So now considering those roles, we know what a chair does, we know what an opposition does and we know what an audience member does.

I would like you to discuss, please, which of those roles appeal to you and why? So pause a video to discuss your answer to the question.

If you cannot discuss, then think quietly to yourself or even jot down some ideas.

But I look forward to hearing your responses.

Off you go.

Great, lots of really different answers there.

And lots of you are kind of drawn to the different debate roles.

We have our wonderful Oak pupils here, so let's see how they answered.

And as we read these through, I want you to think about whether you, who you agree with and maybe one of them might even change your mind.

So Izzy is taken with the chairperson.

She says that, "I am good at time management and I'd make sure everyone was able to speak." So Izzy's kind of identified those key skills that you would need for a chair.

Sam is drawn to the proposition because they would like to go first because I think that that way you get to set the debate.

That's a really interesting point.

Sophia wants to be the opposition because she says she has strong views and enjoys researching an argument.

Yeah, I can see that.

And then the audience member is Alex.

Alex wants to be an audience member because he likes to ask questions and encourage people to develop their ideas.

And I think that's a really important point from Alex.

When you are asking questions as an audience member, you have to really think about how you structure those questions, how you're going to encourage the debaters to develop their arguments.

So it's a really crucial role there.

So who do you agree with or even has anyone of our pupils made you change your mind? Pause video to consider your answers.

And there we have it.

We are at the end of the lesson.

A very well done everyone.

I hope you have enjoyed really thinking about the importance and purpose of debates.

I know I have.

It's such an important thing to consider.

So we know that debates are a formal type of communication that help us build knowledge and develop critical thinking skills.

A debate is focused around emotion, which is a clear statement.

The proposition is in favour of the motion, which means the opposition is against the motion.

And a debate requires a range of roles and skills.

So again, well done everyone, and thank you so much for joining me for today's lesson.

I really hope to see you all again soon.

So I will say goodbye.

Until then, goodbye.