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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