Debate Basics
· Debate: a game in which two opposing teams make speeches to support their arguments and disagree with those of the other team
· Resolution: the opinion about which two teams argue
· Argument: an argument explains why that opinion is held
· Proposition Team: agrees with the resolution
· Opposition Team: disagrees with the resolution
· Rebuttal: explains why one team disagrees with the other team
Debate Structure
Number of Teams and Debaters
Each debate has 2 teams. One team is called the proposition. The other team is called the opposition. Each debate team has 3 students. One student is known as the first speaker for the team; one is the second speaker for the team; and the third student is the team’s rebuttal speaker.
Remember you do not necessarily have to believe the side of the motion you are on. You just have to make it appear as though you strongly believe in it.
Speaking Order and Duties
• First Speaker, Proposition Team defines the resolution, introduces the team, and briefly states the arguments of his/her team and their order of delivery. Then he/she states his arguments in detail.
• First Speaker, Opposition Team defines the resolution, introduces the team, and briefly states the arguments of his/her team and their order of delivery. Then he/she states his arguments in detail.
• Second Speaker, Proposition Team states his/her arguments.
• Second Speaker, Opposition states his/her arguments.
• Rebuttal Speaker, Opposition is expected to reply to the arguments of the other side and sum up his/her side's argument.
• Rebuttal Speaker, Proposition Team is expected to reply to the arguments of the other side and sum up his/her side's argument.
The first four speeches are called constructive speeches. In these speeches, each team constructs, or builds, its arguments. The final two speeches of the debate are called rebuttal speeches. These are the final speeches of the debate for each side. They are summary speeches. In these speeches, the debaters try to make the best case for its side of the debate and, at the same time, try to reply to the major points of the other team.
Supporting Argument
First and second speakers of both teams give arguments to support their resolution and their arguments consist of examples and evidence-which comes from research.
Sample Supporting Argument
Resolution: Smoking should be banned in all public places.
Example: Whenever I go to a restaurant or bar and there are people smoking near me, I feel that I am breathing their smoke. This makes me a smoker even though I don't want to be.
Argument: Everyone knows that secondhand smoke is very unhealthy for nonsmokers.
Evidence: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year."
Rebuttal Speech
Rebuttal speakers take notes during their opponent's speeches to be clear about what they argued and compose counter for the opposing team's arguments.
Sample Counter Argument
· STEP 1: "The other team said that smoking is harmful for nonsmokers."
· STEP 2: "That may be true, but I think that if nonsmokers want to avoid cigarette smoke, they can walk away from it."
· STEP 3: "Because nonsmokers should look out for their own health."
· STEP 4: "Therefore it is not the responsibility of smokers to protect nonsmokers."
Debate Rules
1. Research the topic and prepare logical arguments.
2. Gather supporting evidence and examples for position taken.
3. Anticipate counter arguments and prepare rebuttals.
4. Team members plan order and content of speaking in debate.
5. One person speaks at a time. No side discussions!
6. You may bring some brief notes, but you may not read them.
7. Maintain good eye contact with the audience.
8. Use proper language and be polite in referring to your opposing team.
Debates
AITIS Should Not Be Upgraded to High School
Home School is Better
· Debate: a game in which two opposing teams make speeches to support their arguments and disagree with those of the other team
· Resolution: the opinion about which two teams argue
· Argument: an argument explains why that opinion is held
· Proposition Team: agrees with the resolution
· Opposition Team: disagrees with the resolution
· Rebuttal: explains why one team disagrees with the other team
Debate Structure
Number of Teams and Debaters
Each debate has 2 teams. One team is called the proposition. The other team is called the opposition. Each debate team has 3 students. One student is known as the first speaker for the team; one is the second speaker for the team; and the third student is the team’s rebuttal speaker.
Remember you do not necessarily have to believe the side of the motion you are on. You just have to make it appear as though you strongly believe in it.
Speaking Order and Duties
• First Speaker, Proposition Team defines the resolution, introduces the team, and briefly states the arguments of his/her team and their order of delivery. Then he/she states his arguments in detail.
• First Speaker, Opposition Team defines the resolution, introduces the team, and briefly states the arguments of his/her team and their order of delivery. Then he/she states his arguments in detail.
• Second Speaker, Proposition Team states his/her arguments.
• Second Speaker, Opposition states his/her arguments.
• Rebuttal Speaker, Opposition is expected to reply to the arguments of the other side and sum up his/her side's argument.
• Rebuttal Speaker, Proposition Team is expected to reply to the arguments of the other side and sum up his/her side's argument.
The first four speeches are called constructive speeches. In these speeches, each team constructs, or builds, its arguments. The final two speeches of the debate are called rebuttal speeches. These are the final speeches of the debate for each side. They are summary speeches. In these speeches, the debaters try to make the best case for its side of the debate and, at the same time, try to reply to the major points of the other team.
Supporting Argument
First and second speakers of both teams give arguments to support their resolution and their arguments consist of examples and evidence-which comes from research.
Sample Supporting Argument
Resolution: Smoking should be banned in all public places.
Example: Whenever I go to a restaurant or bar and there are people smoking near me, I feel that I am breathing their smoke. This makes me a smoker even though I don't want to be.
Argument: Everyone knows that secondhand smoke is very unhealthy for nonsmokers.
Evidence: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year."
Rebuttal Speech
Rebuttal speakers take notes during their opponent's speeches to be clear about what they argued and compose counter for the opposing team's arguments.
Sample Counter Argument
· STEP 1: "The other team said that smoking is harmful for nonsmokers."
· STEP 2: "That may be true, but I think that if nonsmokers want to avoid cigarette smoke, they can walk away from it."
· STEP 3: "Because nonsmokers should look out for their own health."
· STEP 4: "Therefore it is not the responsibility of smokers to protect nonsmokers."
Debate Rules
1. Research the topic and prepare logical arguments.
2. Gather supporting evidence and examples for position taken.
3. Anticipate counter arguments and prepare rebuttals.
4. Team members plan order and content of speaking in debate.
5. One person speaks at a time. No side discussions!
6. You may bring some brief notes, but you may not read them.
7. Maintain good eye contact with the audience.
8. Use proper language and be polite in referring to your opposing team.
Debates
AITIS Should Not Be Upgraded to High School
- More resources will be required.
- More space will be required.
- More construction will destroy natural environment of AITIS.
- We will no more benefit from plants and animals around.
- School fees will increase greatly.
- Students in higher grades will be distracted by inappropriate stuff.
- They might bully their juniors.
- They might skip classes leaving a bad influence on juniors.
- Fixing disciplinary issues might make teachers go crazy.
- More students will mean more trash ending up hiring more cleaning staff.
- More classes will mean more noise which will ruin the peaceful environment of AITIS.
- AITIS students will not have to look for other schools for further studies.
- They will not have to wake up very early and travel to far places.
- Studying at AITIS will be cheaper than the other international schools.
- Students won’t need to adapt to a new environment.
- Students won’t benefit from the facilities in other international schools that AIT provides (like 7-11, Lawson, and Sports Courts).
- Upgrading AITIS to High School will mean getting more educational equipment (like computers, library books, Science lab, music and PE equipment.
- AITIS will also have its own transportation.
- AITIS students will be able to stay longer with their friends.
- With bigger student population, the school will become well known.
- AITIS will have bigger canteen with variety of food to offer.
- There will be more teachers to interact with and learn from.
- The school will facilitate for scholarships to schools abroad.
Home School is Better
- No chances of bullies.
- Students can choose which topic they want to learn and when.
- No pressure of class or homework.
- No school fees to pay
- Students get to use any available devices at home for learning
- Students spend more time with parents.
- Less depression due to school competitions
- Students can have break any time.
- Personal tutors can focus on one child only.
- No uniforms
- No inappropriate distraction.
- In case of emergency, they can reach out their parents immediately.
- No worries of getting your work copied.
- When others have sickness, you won’t get it.
- Students will be able to choose any project they want to do.
- No fear of crowded classrooms
- Students can also help do house chores at home.
- Students can invite their friends at home any time they want.
- When students are done with their studies they don’t need to wait for the others.
- Safety all the time
- No strict rules
- Students won’t get to meet with their friends every day.
- They will be too relaxed at home and won’t learn a lot.
- They will get to learn any time which will make them lazy.
- They won’t be able to learn things like sports etc. that requires expensive equipment.
- They won’t learn to socialize.
- Learning with friends helps you learn more than learning from internet.
- They won’t learn to work in groups or with teams.
- More exposure to internet will lead them to get more cyber bullied.
- Not learning in a regular school will create problems for them to get used to university routine.
- After school clubs help students develop more interest in other areas aside from academics.
- It helps students avoid wearing inappropriate cloths.
- No need to search for what clothes to wear every day.
- No need to worry about rules what to wear and what not to wear.
- A habit of wearing no uniform might cause problems of making it a habit for students switching to a school where uniform is a must.
- Uniforms can help keep track of students going to field trips and also in case there get lost.
- Uniforms help students earn respect if they are outside of school.
- Uniforms are an identity of a school. If the students are performing good, their school will be respected.
- Wearing inappropriate clothes may influence others to wear the same.
- Not everyone can afford to buy uniform.
- You have to buy new uniform every year because it gets smaller.
- Usually uniforms are white and when they get dirty, it’s hard to clean them.
- Sometimes the required uniform sizes are not available in shops then what to wear.
- In case of uniform, you have to do more laundry.
- At school events, where you have to changes clothes for performances, the students’ uniforms usually swap.
- Due to limited number of uniforms, students have nothing to wear if uniforms are not washed for some reason.
- You might have to wash your white uniforms separately so that they don’t get the color of other clothes. In that case, more laundry and waste of electricity.
- In case uniform stains cannot be removed they cannot be used but house clothes with stains might show they are part of color patterns on clothes.
- No worries for students who forgot to wear PE uniforms on PE class days.
- Uniforms are hard to take care of and have to be kept ready every day but in case of uniform you can grab any clothes if you wake up late.
- House clothes are more comfortable to wear especially in case of injury.