Debating Pandas

Debating, like many sports and other activities, is won and lost as a team – whilst individual performances are important, it is the team element that really defines success in a debate.

Our Term #1 program focuses on Intermediate Cases, and how debaters can work as a team to best persuade their adjudicator. Students will be stepped through the importance of burdens, which are relatively complex in ‘policy’ style debates, and how they can work together to link their arguments and rebuttal to what they need to prove as a team to win a debate.

These are then tied into a range of speaking activities and debates, all with plenty of personalised feedback, to help them put these concepts into practice.

Over the course of the term, students will have the opportunity to:

• learn core theory about ‘Policy’ debates;

• explore case development, argument structure and rebuttal strategies, and how these all link to the burdens they need to prove to win debates;

• deploy what they have learned in at least three in-class debates across the term;

• practice different speaking roles and argue from both affirmative and negative sides of a debate; and

• learn how to work effectively in a team environment!

Our Debating Pandas program is a mixed-level class for students in Years 7 – 9 designed for students starting out in the world of debating as well as those with some speaking experience.

Debating Pandas caters for students in Years 7 who:

• have completed one or more terms of Debating Parrots (or our Debating 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 Years 8 & 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 & 9); 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 7, 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 commences with the coach creating a welcoming class environment and ensuring that all students grasp the fundamental rules and concepts of debating – ensuring everyone, regardless of experience, is on the same page.

The initial sessions also incorporate various speaking activities to aid students in honing their debating skills.

Developing Strong Cases

In the initial sessions, students will dive into the essentials of debating. This includes understanding how to build both affirmative and negative cases, structuring practical points effectively, and identifying key burdens. To ensure these concepts extend beyond theory, students will regularly participate in interactive activities. This way, students can apply their newfound knowledge in real time.

As the term progresses, students will be guided through the fundamentals of rebuttal, learning about the different types of rebuttals, how to structure a persuasive rebuttal and strategies for using rebuttals to either counter the opposition or fortify their own case. This will be coupled with practice debates and activities to further their knowledge.

Practice Debates

In addition to all the theory, students will have the opportunity to participate in multiple practice debates and speaking activities 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 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 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!