Course Overview

Bookings are closed for Term #4 – register your interest to join in 2025 here!

Key Features

Runs over weekly two-hour sessions
Designed for experienced Year 6 & 7 students, and mixed experience Year 8 students
Takes students through the fundamental skills to help them understand this essential source of personal development at a high school level
Helps students build critical thinking skills and resilience through learning the four crucial debating skills – cases, arguments, rebuttal and persuasive speaking
Provides students with plenty of opportunities to develop their skills and practice
Follows a similar structure each week – students begin with an activity, run through a new element of content and consolidate with practical speaking tasks
Strong emphasis on a supportive and nurturing learning environment
Small classes to ensure maximum practice time and feedback from experienced coaches

Term Focuses

Whilst always revising the essential elements of debating – cases, arguments and rebuttal – the focus of Debating Pandas changes every term, with the following focuses in 2024:

Term #1: Intermediate Cases
Term #2: Fulfilling Speaker Roles
Term #3: Argumentation
Term #4: Tactical Debating

While it’s recommended that students try each of these focuses, and the emphases change each year, there is no particular need to start with any of them, meaning students are welcome to join at any time!

More Information

Discover how our in-person and online programs differ on our FAQs
Learn more about the SSA Credits & Refund policy
Find out more about the type of things students cover in our blog

Debating often presents a unique challenge: you may know the general topic area, but the motion itself remains a mystery until prep time starts. This uncertainty can seem daunting, yet it’s also what makes debating exciting.

In Term #4, our Pandas students will immerse themselves in a program focused on Tactical Debating. We’ll start by revisiting the essential debating concepts before delving into three concepts across the term.

First, students will have the opportunity to look at topic analysis as a concept, and cover a range of techniques to help them understand what is intended by a motion. This is particularly important when topics are unclear at first blush, and a very important skill for all debaters.

Second, students will look at ‘support’ and ‘regret’ motions, which are more complex than the ‘policy’ style topics they’re used to.

Third, students will look at actor debates, where students are asked to step into the shoes of a particular person, organisation or group, and debate from their perspective. This adds a range of new challenges, but also a lot of fun for students.

Throughout the term, students will:

Revise the core principles of debating;
Look at the steps required to properly analyse topics;
Study diverse topics, including ‘regret’, ‘support’ and ‘actor’ motions;
Participate in at least three in-class debates to put their skills into practice;
Practice various speaking roles and take on both affirmative and negative positions in debates; and
Learn to work collaboratively in team settings!

Our Debating Pandas program is a mixed-level class for students in Years 6 – 8 designed for students starting out in the world of debatin as well as those with some speaking experience.

Debating Pandas caters for students in Years 6 and 7 who:

have completed one or more terms of Debating Parrots (or our Speak Out Hummingbirds or Debating Hawks holiday workshop) and have been recommended to move up by their coach;
have completed one or more terms of Debating Pandas, and haven’t yet been recommended for the more advanced Debating Club program (which is available for Year 7+); and
are part of their interschool debating team, or have received formal training from another provider, but are still in primary school (and so cannot yet join Debating Club).

Additionally, Debating Pandas caters for students in Year 9 who:

have public speaking, but little (or no) debating experience (such as completing Public Speaking Penguins);
have completed one or more terms of Debating Pandas, and haven’t yet been recommended for the more advanced Debating Club program (which is available for students in Year 8); and
are part of their interschool debating team, or have received formal training from another provider, but are still looking for more of the fundamentals (and so cannot yet join Debating Club).

We usually recommend that students do at least four terms of Debating Pandas, and especially students in Year 6, before moving up to Debating Club to ensure they cover all the essential concepts inherent to debating and feel comfortable with older students!

Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss what’s best for your child!

Fostering a Nurturing Class Environment

Each program starts with the coach facilitating a welcoming class environment and ensuring that all students understand the fundamental rules and concepts involved with debating – making sure everyone, regardless of experience, is up to speed. The early sessions also involve a range of speaking activities that help students develop their debating skills.

Topic Analysis

Once students have covered the essentials, this program first looks at analysing topics. Determining what a topic means, even if you don’t understand it at first, can be one of the key differences between a win and a loss in a debate. By understanding what a topic is asking, and what you need to prove, you give yourself the best opportunity to walk out of the room victorious.

Regret and Support Motions

Secondly, this program then takes students through ‘support’ and ‘regret’ motions. These topics, which students have likely not been previously exposed to, ask the affirmative team whether they prefer a world with something in it (i.e. support) or without something in it (i.e. regret). Given these topics ask students to reflect on what has been, rather than requiring the affirmative to propose a change to the world, it can make for some very fun and interesting new approaches to debating!

Actor Debates

Finally, the Topic Analysis focus takes students through actor debates. These motions add further complexity, and ask students to argue from the perspective of a certain person, organisation of group. Given this involves considering the motivations of the actor, rather than the general good of society like normal debates, it often leads to some interesting and fun debates!

Practice Debates

In addition to all the theory, students will have the opportunity to participate in multiple practice debates during the term. Each debate will be on a different topic, and students will have the opportunity to speak in different roles each time.

End of Term Presentation

Each term ends with a presentation, either to peers or parents (depending on the venue). This is an excellent opportunity for students to showcase what they’ve learned over the course of the term and continue their confidence-building journey.

Students generally spend the last session or two preparing and practising their debating speeches for the presentation.

Coaches will also provide an update to parents on what was covered during the term, as well as what comes next for the students’ debating journeys.

As a mixed-experience program, our Debating Pandas program is designed to be completed multiple times – with a different focus every term, there’s always something new for students to take away from the program!

Alternatively, if your child is in Year 6 or 7 and wants to try public speaking, our Public Speaking Penguins program teaches students all the essential skills they need to become great public speakers!

Once they feel comfortable with debating, coaches may recommend students in Years 7 or 8 (but not students in Year 6) move up to the Advanced Debating Club program, which will help more advanced students engage with more complex concepts alongside older and more experienced debaters.

However, if you’re looking for something during a school break, you may want to try one of our holiday workshops, such as Debating Hawks, Practice Debates or Public Speaking Polar Bears, which builds on the skills learned during the term.

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions, or get in touch using our contact form to learn more!