The Less the Teacher talks
and the More Students talk, the better.
The goal is for you as the instructor to provide
guided activities where
students prepare actual cases and responses, speech
scripts/outlines/slides,
and students practice speaking,
drills, presentations, and debates.
Know your Schedule! Check the Who works where and when
You’ll see on the instructor
page for your program,
the things you are expected to do for each class session.
FOR THE FIRST TWO CLASSES OF INSTRUCTION . . .
We have PowerPoints.
Present and do those PowerPoints (which
have activities in them).
Can
you change the slides? Yes BUT you must
make sure you don’t lecture for more than 5 to 7 minutes without a meaningful
activity that the students do.
AND the students must be ready to use scripts on the topic in debates.
You can’t change the start and end times of class for
the day.
Let students leave early? NO. do NOT do that. Add on an activity
if that is an issue.
Camp? Lunch happens at the time shown in the schedule AND class ends as shown
in the schedule.
FOR CLASSES 3-6 OF INSTRUCTION . . .
For debating,
you receive a ballot that includes a link with instructions and an online
comment form. For your instruction, you:
1. Guide students through preparation (often with a
PowerPoint).
2. Watch and guide the debaters in the debate—making
sure the students are preparing for and giving the arguments they should.
3. After the debate, email winner/points, give verbal
feedback, have the kids do redos, then fill out the
online comments form (link provided).
4. Do skills drills (practice) after debate feedback/redos are fully completed. These drills can be on delivery,
responding, impact comparisons, etc.
Students need to use the scripts and to follow them. That includes making sure the students are doing the
scripts before they get up to speak.
For speaking,
each class 3-6, students do 2 to 2.5 minute impromptu speaking
(with a heavy emphasis on their delivery—using eye contact and very little use
of
notes) (note that on classes 5-6,
students practice presenting speeches might
replace this impromptu speaking BUT make
sure you give comments on the
students delivery)
and they prepare and work on their
longer speeches with your guidance. At the end of class, you fill out the
comments form for their work.
Teaching Debating
Confirm that they are doing the work and doing it
correctly—as in SEE IT
YOURSELF, make them show you they are doing what they should be doing during
the debate.
BE THINKING—HELP THE SPEAKER ABOUT TO GO AND ALSO THE
NEXT SPEAKER AFTER THAT
You have to be thinking “what does each kid need to be
doing—
especially the next speaker—and MAKE the kid do what they are supposed to do.”
Example: Before a 1st con speaker begins—ask
the 1st pro speaker, “Are you ready to write responses to the con
speaker’s arguments?”
Example: “Show me your flowsheet with the responses
you wrote.”
If you don’t do this—you are damaging the student’s
learning and hurting everyone because the debate will not go right.
Worthless question: “Do you have flowsheets and
scripts ready?”
Reworded so you get the debate going right: “SHOW ME
your flowsheets and your scripts.”
If you don’t do this—you are damaging the student’s
learning and hurting everyone because the debate will not go right.
It is often a good idea to do the same thing as above
with returners.