EFL debates

During this class Mr. Litman showed us a power point with quite useful hints about how to debate in a ESL (English as a Second Language) class.
In relation with all kind of debate environments, it is really important to realize about the significance of debating, and how to promote this whole set of neccesary skills which allow us to share our opinions, using respect, tolerance and solid foundations.

Now we should consider why it is important to teach how to debate in an ESL classroom. It is crucial because, as I already mention, it would allow us to share opinions, but in this case, using English would develop a critical thinking on students and it is a good way to employ language skills and to correct grammar.

Another important point that I remember from the pp, was a list of baby steps to follow in teaching to debate. These steps are the following:

1. First of all, we need to know what is an opinion, which can be defined as our feelings or thoughts about something. In this part it is also important to consider how we can express agreement or disagreement, using respect and politeness.

2. Now we can express our opinions and give reasons in a logical and convincing way.

3. Supporting ideas is our next step, this can be through explanations, examples, statistics, etc.

4. Opinions need to be organized through an affirmative speech, on the other hand, introductions and conclusions need to be drawn.

5. Refutation it is also important because is our way to prove that the other person's opinion may have a mistake or it is untrue.

As we can see, we need to follow these clear stages.

If we have a beforehand preparation and pay attention to these steps, we may have good results in teaching to debate and also in the debates we should participate.

After the class finished, Mr. Litman gave us a list of topics because we are going to prepare a 20' debate. I'm working with Diego and Felipe and we will present on the second tuesday after the winter break. We are really excited with this evaluation but unfortunately, we haven't decided our topic yet.