Coming to terms with Dabate

I’m a pretty open and accepting kind of guy. Who am I to tell you that you are wrong?* I don’t know everything and I’m certainly not going to tell you that your way of viewing the world is wrong.* I’ve tried very hard over years to rid myself of seeing the world from one point of view and have attempted to “stand in others shoes” as it is. And this is a practice that I think is utterly integral when doing much of the work that needs to be done to form a more just and healthy society. 

So why would I want to debate anything? I know what is fair, just, and right in terms of human, civil, and ecological rights. All other comments can do as they please. I’ve never been one for arguments or debates. I’m more into the style of listening and learning and then sharing. Queue the Kumbaya and bring out the guitars. But in all seriousness this is how I was raised and educated. We listen to each other and in doing so learn about the vastness of our world.

When reading Developing “Real-World Intelligence”: Teaching Argumentative Writing through Debate by Randi Dickson I’ve come to understand the importance of debate. I never had to debate in high-school (not sure how I managed that one) but now in light of the reading I really see it, as Randi puts it a “real-world skill.” “Argumentation and debate are crucial to participation in democracy.” This statement launched me into why his is so important. Our student body is becoming increasingly diverse and with this comes racial and social inequalities. We need these citizens to be able to stand up for their rights –with solidarity from already established communities. The only way this is possible is being about to stand up in front of committees and hearings and other such legal bodies and be able to defend oneself. To argue is to have power; it is to claim agency. As Leah pointed out in class “writing is power”. To speak is to have power and to know how to argue/debate is wield the power effectively.

Dickson’s lesson where the students research and debate on a topic is fairly basic for a high-school English class. What I particularly liked was the follow through. “I ask them to write another journal enter in which they state whether their opinion has changed on the subject and what made them change their mind to what solidified their view.” (Dickson 2004, 38). This kind reflection is exceptionally powerful. It’s one thing to reflect upon a view that has changed but it’s “why” or “what” that is the key. If students can hone into these two reasons why and what made them shift in perspective or hold fast to their current beliefs then they become exceptional debaters. They are able to take this knowledge and skill into future classes and into many other “real world” spaces.

Debate isn’t just for winning. Maybe this is true in the “real-world” but in the classroom and by extension the “real-world” we need to promote more than a completive, winner-takes-all mentality. This is why I really enjoyed the final part to Dickson’s article entitled “Broader Goals”. Dickson “never declares a winner” yet he places the “emphasis on understanding an issue more fully.” (Dickson 2004, 39) I really love how he ends the article. “[it’s] about making considered decision about complex subjects…” The world is rapidly changing and unfolding with tools such as the internet becoming increasingly accessible. This allows for more diversity of thought in our public conversations. For our students to leave our classrooms prepared to meet this increasingly diverse common space equipped with tools in which to expertly dissect thought and relay their own seems not only necessary but to not do so would be counter to our 21^st century education system.

*That is of course unless your are spouting some hate speech, or disenfranchising people or being discriminatory, or attempting to espouse revisionist history… cause then I’m going to debate you on the spot and shut you down.