Debating Out of the Box

1. Debating Out of the Box A Box of Strategies to Ignite Our Thinking

2. Debating Out of the Box • a programme that aims to encourage usto think, argue, rebut and speak in a nonconformal, creative yet persuasive manner. • Debating is like a puzzle--We can explore numerous concepts and perspectives in the debating context, and use them to define and solve ambiguities in definition, language, and logic reasoning before wecreatea persuasive speech for a debate.

3. Our ultimate goal: • To think and make judgment as we check the quality of reasoning about a problem, issue, or situation based on advance organisers, such as, the universal intellectual standards from Paul’s Elements of Reasoning • To learn self-regulated and –directed learners • To apply the skills to all areas of learning

4. Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, we will: • Learn our roles in planning, designing and monitoring of ourtasks ahead. • understand the significance of critical thinking in debating. Lesson 1

5. You and your friends/classmates are talking about where to go for the next class monthly gathering. • You and your customers are talking about the limited period of use for the coupons of your company. • You and your family are talking about the use of computer at home. • You and the citizens in the district under your charge are talking about the use of study rooms in public libraries. • You and other forms/grades of students are talking about to whom the multi-media learning centre should be open. • You and your relatives from the USA are getting a table at the reception of a restaurant. Debate or Discussion?

6. You and your principal are talking about the cancellation of early classes.   • You and your neighbours are talking about the frequency of the bus running through the town. • You and your manager are talking about the use of paper and energy in the office. • You and the tourists are talking about the queue jumping. • You and the government are talking about the development of Disneyland in Hong Kong. • You and your classmates are talking about the abolition of school uniform. Debate or Discussion?

7. Venn Diagram

8. Venn Diagram

9. Debaters sometimes argue for or against a motion which they do not necessarily believe in themselves. This helps them understand other points of view. Build a strong resolution—simply agreeing or disagreeing based on personal beliefs is NOT enough

10. Put aside opinions but look for the strongest reason Finding the Strongest Reason

11. 1. Students should offer seats to people in need on MTR trains because: • It is a way to demonstrate a virtue they have developed. • It will help make more space on a train. • It will help reach the destination sooner as the time needed for all passengers to get on board can be reduced. • It will bring a safe and smooth journey Which is the Strongest Reason to Support or Defend the Statements?

12. 2. Schools should stop organising reading schemes because: • We now live in a ‘less-is-more’ era. • We are learners independent of external rewards. • We should think of a better way to spend money. • It is about time we thought about organising an e-reading scheme. Which is the Strongest Reason to Support or Defend the Statements?

13. 3. Architectural conservation is better than building a landmark because: • Architecture is part of history. • It can be an investment for the development of social solidarity and citizenship. • It saves time and money. • Carefully planned developments are needed in urban areas. Which is the Strongest Reason to Support or Defend the Statements?

14. 1. Students should offer seats to people in need on MTR trains because: • It is a way to demonstrate a virtue they have developed. (It is not the only way to do so.) • It will help make more space on a train. (Why not offer seats to anybody, or I myself take the seat so I can make more space!) • It will help reach the destination sooner as the time needed for all passengers to get on board can be reduced. (Wouldn’t the soonest way be to take the seat or find a space quickly to make sure that the doors can be well shut for the train to start again right away.) • It will bring a safe and smooth journey (When everyone, including those in need, can be well taken care of during the journey, all passengers will benefit from the safest and smoothest ride.) Which is the Strongest Reason to Support or Defend the Statements?

15. 2. Schools should stop organising reading schemes because: • We now live in a ‘less-is-more’ era. (What is the meaning of ‘less-is-more?’ Does stop organising reading schemes is something that we are doing to do less for more? What is less? What is more? How will ‘less’ bring ‘more’?) • We are learners independent of external rewards.(Reading schemes are systems developed by teachers or librarians. The schemes will not be necessary when students become readers with their own interests. They read because they like to read, regardless of whether there are reading schemes.) • We should think of a better way to spend money.(Is organising reading schemes just a way to spend money?) • It is about time we thought about organising an e-reading scheme.(An e-reading scheme is a reading scheme.) Which is the Strongest Reason to Support or Defend the Statements?

16. 3. Architectural conservation is better than building a landmark because: • Architecture is part of history. (Are we talking about architecture, history or architectural conversation?) • It can be an investment for the development of social solidarity and citizenship. (Isn’t it a stone that hits two birds? If architectural conservation can become a landmark which recalls people’s memory or represents features of the place, why is it necessary to pay to build a representative landmark?) • It saves time and money. (Why is it so when architectural conversation involves a lot of processes through which material, historical and design of built heritage can be prolonged? It also demands carefully planned interventions and many discussions about values before an appropriate choice is made based on social consensus. All these take a lot of time and money.) • Carefully planned developments are needed in urban areas. (Architectural conversation does not only happen in urban areas but also in rural areas, for example, the forts on the outlying islands in Hong Kong, the castles and churches in the UK and the sandstones in Australia. Carefully planned developments are particularly needed in urban areas for a densely populated city such as Hong Kong. For the same reason, architectural conservation in urban areas requires more wisdom and calibre to realise.) Which is the Strongest Reason to Support or Defend the Statements?

17. How critical are you? How many scores have you got? Rate Yourself—Critical or Not?

18. Elements of Matter include: • Arguments, ideas • Observations • Propositions • Statements of opinion • Facts • Evidence • Quotations • Examples Three Qualities of an Effective Debater

19. Elements of Manner include: • Eye contact • Voice modulation • Hand gestures • Language • The use of notes • Rhetorical style and confidence • Humour • Any other element which enhances or detracts from the effectiveness of the speaker Three Qualities of an Effective Debater

20. Elements of Method include: • The fulfillment of speaker roles • The management of speaking times • The allocation of arguments between speakers • The cohesion of the team Three Qualities of an Effective Debater

21. Find at least one debate example from any social media that is of interest to you and/or your classmates. Or alternatively youmay bring along a prompt which tells a debate example youhad with others. Show how a debate differs from a discussion. Take-home Job