Nothing
kills a discussion-driven lesson like a roomful of students with one-sentence
answers. Recently in studying Oedipus Rex,
the following conversation took place in my class:
Me: What most significantly influences Oedipus’s outcome
in this play, fate or free-will?
Student: Fate.
Me: Why?
Student: I don’t know; it’s like he’s got no choice.
Scholars
have written volumes answering this question, yet I can’t get more than ten
words from a teenager. When discussion
lags like this, I like to pull out a method of informal debate.
Debate can
be used as a means of eliciting deeper responses in the classroom, a way to get
to the “why” of a question. This method
works beautifully for several reasons: it is a student-driven conversation, it
naturally prunes lame responses, and it is highly adaptable, filling ten
minutes or ninety.
Informal
Debate Method:
1. Pose a
debatable question to the class.
2. Give the
class time to consider it individually.
3. Arrange
students in two groups—for and against.
4. Give
students time to meet to define their arguments.
5. The
groups choose their first representative.
6. The representatives
begin to argue their stance.
7. When the rep tires, the group substitutes a new
student to continue the argument.
8. Afterwards,
evaluate the conversation with the class.
In the course
of one debate, the class begins to identify what types of arguments work. They recognize ethical, logical, and
emotional appeals. They think
independently, without the teacher serving up answers. They are forced to consider the “why.”
This type
of discussion can be used for almost any subject: the US ’s Vietnam
Some
ideas for adaptations:
- Create a rubric
to score students’ responses
- Introduce
logical fallacies and tips for avoiding them
- Turn the
debate topic into a writing prompt
So
whether your class is considering fate vs. free will or the efficacy of a
bi-cameral congress, if the discussion is lagging, try a debate and see what
you can learn.
Awesome. Someone should tweet this. I just wish I had a class where discussion was a part of it.
ReplyDeleteDo you have an example of a discussion rubric you can post? That might be helpful. Sometimes it seems as if the 10 word answers come from students who really do not know how to debate or discuss. Having specific guidelines to share with them might be useful.
ReplyDeleteWe did this activity last week for the third time this year. Here's the breakdown I used:
ReplyDeletePreparation notes = 10 points
Debate Participation = 10 points total*
Participation/written reflection - 7
Presenting an argument - 8
Responding to an argument - 9
Responding with textual evidence - 10
*I do allow some students (EL and super shy ones) to write out their arguments instead of speaking.
The beauty of this activity is in its flexibility. It can be informal or formal, quick or long, surface level or deep. Usually my rubrics get more specific as the year progresses. As students know more about argumentation and logic, then I hold them accountable for the types of statements they're making, logical fallacies, etc.