Course Overview

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

Key Features

Runs over 1.5- or 2-hour weekly sessions, depending on venue
Designed for mixed-experience Year 5 – 7 students
Takes students through the essential skills to help them understand this integral co-curricular activity
Helps students build confidence through learning key debating skills, such as cases, rebuttal, argumentation and persuasion
Provides students with plenty of opportunities to practice their newfound skills in a range of debates
Follows a similar structure each week – students begin with an activity, run through a new element of content and consolidate with practical speaking tasks
High priority is placed on a supportive and nurturing learning environment
Small classes to ensure everyone can practice and receive plenty of feedback

Term Focuses

Whilst Debating Parrots always covers the fundamental concepts involved in policy debating, the focus of the program changes every term, with the following emphases for 2024:

Term #1 looks at how to develop Policy Cases as a team;
Term #2 focuses on the various Debate Roles that speakers play;
Term #3 focuses on Practical Points and making stronger arguments; and
Term #4 goes beyond just policy debating, and emphasises Topics Analysis.

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

When debating, whilst you might get a topic area, you don’t really know what topic you’re going to get. Whilst this can make things more difficult, it’s also part of the thrill of debating as an activity – but what do you do if you’re not even sure what a topic means?

In Term #4, our Parrots students will take a deep dive into Topic Analysis. After revising the fundamental ideas involves in debating, students will cover two main ideas over the term. Firstly, they’ll look at how to analyse topics in a way that can make even the most difficult motion understandable. This is then followed by some more novel types of topics that go beyond the usual ‘policy’ style debates, such as ‘support’ and ‘regret’ motions, which are increasingly popular in major debating competitions. .

This program connects theoretical concepts to the real world through engaging activities and debates, ensuring learners are able to apply what they’ve learned. They’ll also receive personalised feedback every step of the way – helping them realise their full potential.

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

learn the fundamentals of debating, either as revision or an introduction to the concepts;
explore topic analysis and how to make sense of motions that may at first appear difficult;
consider different types of topics, such as ‘regret’ and ‘support’ motions;
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 Parrots program is a mixed-level class for students in Years 5 – 7 designed for students starting out in the world of public speaking as well as those with some speaking experience.

Debating Parrots caters for:

Students who have no (or little) debating experience and/or no (or little) public speaking experience;
All students in Year 5 who are interested in learning debating (as the intermediate Debating Pandas program only accepts students from Year 6 onwards);
Students who have already completed one or more terms of Debating Parrots, but aren’t ready to move up to Debating Pandas (the focus changes every term, students can continue the program across Years 5 – 7 with no repetition);
Students who have done one or more terms of Debating Wallabies, which looks at different types of topics (and so builds a different, if complementary, set of debating skills); and
Students who have public speaking, but no debating experience (such as completing Public Speaking Penguins, Public Speaking Wombats or Speaking Camp Kangaroos).

We usually recommend that students do at least four terms of Debating Parrots, especially those in Year 5, before moving up to Debating Pandas to ensure that 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, the first half of this program 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

The second half of the 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!

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 Parrots 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 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 6 or 7 (but not students in Year 5) move up to the Intermediate Debating Pandas 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 or Public Speaking Polar Bears (for Year 6 & 7 students), 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!