The document summarizes a presentation on incorporating debate into English language teaching. It discusses what debate is, the skills it helps develop, how to design a debate-focused syllabus, and tips for structuring classroom debates. Debate involves arguing for or against a resolution and helps improve students' critical thinking, research, public speaking and listening skills. The presentation provides examples of debate topics and structures for classroom debates, as well as suggestions for supporting arguments and developing counterarguments.

1. 5th CamTESOL Conference on
English Language Teaching
Pham Tien Hung
Foundation Studies Department
Hanoi University
February 2009
Email: hung.pt@hanu.edu.vn
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2.  What is debate?
 Why debate?
 What skills are needed?
 How to design a syllabus that suits your
students?
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3.  A formal method of presenting arguments in
support and against a given issue in which
debaters present reasons and evidence to
persuade an audience or a group of judges
 Governed by some explicit rules
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4.  A game or mental gymnastics: participants
sharpen their thinking and speaking skills,
find best way to win
 A lab: one team tests its arguments against
the ones of another
 A way of finding truth: winning arguments
should be truest arguments
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5. Common terms
 Resolution: a simple statement that is subjected to critical
analysis.
 Affirmative team: supporting the resolution („pro‟ side); speak
first
 Negative team: opposing the arguments offered by the
affirmative team and offering arguments against the
resolution („con‟ side)
 Rebuttal: explaining why one team disagrees with the other
team
 Judge: neutral third party, decides which side is most
persuasive
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6. Resolution
Affirmative team Negative team
Listen & take notes
1 Present arguments
Prepare rebuttal
Listen & take notes
2 Present arguments
Prepare rebuttal
3 Break
4 Present rebuttal Present rebuttal
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7.  Speech 1: first affirmative speaker introduces the topic and states the
affirmative team's first argument.
 Speech 2: first negative speaker states their first argument.
 Speech 3: second affirmative speaker states their second argument.
 Speech 4: second negative speaker states their second argument.
 Give a 5-10 minute break for each team to prepare their rebuttal
speech.
 Speech 5: negative team states two rebuttals for the affirmative
team's two arguments and summarizes their own two reasons.
 Speech 6: affirmative team states two rebuttals for the negative
team's two arguments and summarizes their own two reasons.
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8.  Do your best to argue your side of the
debate, rather than relying on your personal
opinions
-> Sometimes argue something that is against
your personal views
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9.  “Honest disagreement is often a good
sign of progress”
Mahatma Gandhi
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10.  To provide meaningful listening, speaking,
writing practice
 To develop argumentation skills for
persuasive speech and writing
 To increase social skills and conflict
resolution abilities
 To enhance self-esteem and academic
confidence
 To lead to competitive success in the future
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11.  Public speaking  Researching
 Critical thinking  Writing
 Note taking  Listening
 Organizing  Teamwork and
people skills
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12.  Identify goals, length of the course
 Determine needed skills
 Compile input materials
 Select resolutions, suggested ideas for both
sides
 Brainstorm classroom activities
 Design test and assessment criteria
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13. Support consists of evidence. There‟re four
kinds of evidence
 Examples
 Common sense
 Expert opinions
 Statistics
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14.  Repeat the argument you‟re going to
refute
 Refute – explain what is wrong with
other team‟s argument
 Replace the argument with your
argument
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15.  thinking about how you think
 process of asking, answering questions
and trying to understand how and why
you come to the conclusions
 in debate: plan what to say, anticipate
other team‟s response, think of an
argument to counter other team‟s
arguments
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16.  Compare viewpoints of other people to your
own ones
 Find ways to ask questions that apply to
many perspectives
 Understand why some statements are
correct, others are not
 Understand how problem solving works
 Establish criteria for making judgments
 Present arguments in a constructive way…
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17.  Select a topic
 Choose a side: affirmative >< negative
 Discuss in your team:
 arguments,
 possible counter-arguments
 and find a way to refute them
 Start the debate
 Listen to the other team‟s arguments
 Take notes
 Prepare to refute their arguments
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18.  http://idebate.org
 http://wiki.idebate.org
 http://www.conservapedia.com/Debate_topics
 ttp://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krieger-
Debate.html
 http://teachingdebate.typepad.com
 http://www.educationworld.com/
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19.  Rybold, G (2006). Speaking, Listening and Understanding
Debate. International Debate Education Association.
 Ziegelmuellerm, G., Harris, S., & Bloomingdale, D. (1995).
Advancing in Debates – Skills and Concepts. Clark
Publishing Company.
 Ruth Sunda, “Debate and Persuasive Writing”
 http://thepeoplespeak.org
 http://www.aracorporation.org/files/ARA_debates_Handboo
k.pdf
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21. Contact me: hung.pt@hanu.edu.vn
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