Using Debate Techniques in Your Classroom- Sides Debates

In this election year, there may not be a better time to introduce debate concepts to your students. Formal debate involves complex reasoning abilities as well as verbal communication strategies that will benefit any student. As a Middle School teacher, I have found that introducing these concepts in chunks is the most successful method for my students. I use several activities to chunk this learning.

One activity that has been very successful is Sides Debate. Sides Debates are simple to implement and easy for students to engage in.

1. Label opposite sides of the room. One side is labeled "AGREE" while the other side of the room is labeled "DISAGREE".

2. Have a group of students (you can do this with the entire class, as well) stand in the center of the room, between the opposite "AGREE" and "DISAGREE" sides of the room.

3. Read a statement aloud to the students. The statement must be one around which students can form an opinion (This statement is called a Resolution. You can introduce this term to your students).

4. Have the students select a side of the room where they will stand. If students agree with the resolution, the students stand near the "AGREE" sign. If the students disagree, they stand near the "DISAGREE" sign.

5. Student must then express why they have chosen their side, verbally.

6. Students may change sides at any point during the Sides Debate, that is a student standing on the "AGREE" side may move over to the "DISAGREE" side and vice versa. Students must be prepared to share, verbally, what instigated the switch in opinion.

This activity can be a quick warm up to begin class and is designed to last around 5 minutes or so. I have extended discussions into class, as well. It is a great way to structure a quick and controlled debate while introducing concepts to students.

Additional Suggestions and Example:

If you want to ramp up the forensic aspects of this activity, teach students to formally present ideas by using formatted responses for introducing arguments and rebuttals.

For example, let the Sides Debate Resolution be "Our school should require students to wear a formal uniform."

A student introducing their argument would begin by stating their opinion in relation to the resolution. For example, "I agree with the resolution that students at our school should be required to wear formal uniforms."

Next, require students to define any vague terms within the resolution. For example, in our resolution, what do the students believe is meant by the terminology formal uniform. The student could state, "I agree with the resolution that states that students at our school should be required to wear formal uniforms. I believe that formal uniforms should require students to wear collared shirts, khakis or an approved length skirt and dress shoes."

Finally, when introducing an argument, require students to give support for their opinion. Let students know that fact-based support is the best type of support. For example, the student could state, "I agree with the resolution that states that students at our school should be required to wear formal uniforms. I believe that formal uniforms should require students to wear collared shirts, khakis or an approved length skirt and dress shoes. Currently, students wear t-shirts, gym shorts and leggings every day. We would look better if we wore formal uniforms instead of casual clothing." The student in the example offered the italicized opinion supported by the bolded fact.

In the case of a direct rebuttal, students must restate the point that they wish to counter. For example, a rebuttal for the sample argument presented previously could be, "It has been argued that formal uniforms make students look better than our current casual dress code."

Then, a student could be required to offer a counter argument in the form of a consideration. For example, "It has been argued that formal uniforms make students look better than our current casual dress code. Have you considered that the formal uniform you described may be less comfortable than our current, more casual dress code?"

Students would then offer an assertion that is supported by their consideration. For example, "It has been argued that formal uniforms make students look better than our current casual dress code. Have you considered that the formal uniform you described may be less comfortable than our current, more casual dress code? Students will work better and behave better if they are more comfortable."

Finally, a student ends their rebuttal by restating their opinion in relation to the resolution. For example, "It has been argued that formal uniforms make students look better than our current casual dress code. Have you considered that the formal uniform you described may be less comfortable than our current, more casual dress code? Students will work better and behave better if they are more comfortable. Therefore, I disagree that students at our school should be required to wear a formal uniform."

Utilizing the formatted responses and structure as I have presented forces students to think through their reasoning and gives students some concrete communication tools for future debates and written assessments. Also, it helps to manage the activity so that it doesn't devolve into a shouting match.

Please leave comments if you have any question or further clarification of this awesome and exciting activity.

Checkout my YouTube channel: Chaka Cummings (The Dedicated Educator). Also, find me on LinkedIn and check out some of my published posts on education.

The Journey Into Education Administration

I believe that there are 5 keys to taking the leap, successfully, from the classroom to Education Administration. 

1. Tell stakeholders about your interest in administration.
2. Find a mentor.
3. Get involved in different facets of your school.
4. Find the right first administrative experience.
5. Always keep an eye on the future.

Tell Stakeholders about Your Interest in Administration

When I departed from the corporate world, I interviewed at several independent schools. I chose Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, Texas. One major reason was Karla Long, the Middle School Head. She asked me about my future and I told her my desire to work in administrator. She supported my aspirations- and followed through by supplying tremendous administrative experiences to me as a Sixth Grade Geography teacher.

Karla selected me for the Curriculum Committee. She also allowed me to lead the middle school history department's reporting during our accreditation. She allowed me to collaborate on student discipline, assist her in curriculum mapping, redesign the geography curriculum and attend professional development opportunities to further my goals. She assisted me in finding these valuable administrative experiences because of the direction that I wanted to take in my career.

I communicated my aspirations and my division head partnered with me to gain the types of experiences that have helped me immensely as an assistant division head. You must find a leader that is committed to helping your leadership development. Find someone that is willing and able to provide you with meaningful leadership experiences.

Find a Mentor

Another reason why I chose Trinity Valley School was Gary Krahn. He is the current Head of School at LaJolla Country Day in San Diego, but he served TVS as their Head when I started there. Gary is one of my mentors in education. He has given me great guidance in pursuing administration.

When I looked for a mentor in education, I looked for a person who I respected because of their character, decision-making and ability to communicate. I, logically, needed a person who had a position in administration, because they could share their experiences with me and I could learn from their war stories.

Gary would have discussions with me, about my teaching style, about the future of education, about managing a classroom. He would play the devil's advocate and challenge me. He forced me to approach issues in a unique manner, and when I had an answer-he would change the question. He always secured articles and books that he would pass along- case studies from Harvard on leadership and books on management like Good to Great. We continued a discussion on education that not only touched on my classroom, but also other facets of school, like admissions, hiring practices and evaluation of faculty.

Find a committed mentor, dedicated to your goals and aspirations. Find a mentor that wants to see you in administration as much as (at times, even more than) you want to be an administrator. Once you find that person, use them. Have conversations- learn as much as you can. Apply the teachings and reflect with them.

Get Involved in the Different Facets of Your School

One of the great advantages to teaching in an independent school is that you have access to so many parts of your school. Of course, this can be true at any school, if you seek out the opportunities.

I coached football. I had the pleasure of coaching with some of the best coaches in the state of Texas and I also served under tremendous athletic directors. I learned a ton about the workings of the athletic department, from organizing travel and communicating to parents to planning multi-school tournaments.

I developed a program called the Community Partners Program while at Trinity Valley School. We partnered with students across grade levels to invest in local service organizations, to learn how they operated and the importance of philanthropy. In developing this program, I worked with Public Relations and learned about advertising and marketing a new initiative. I collaborated with our development staff to understand our fundraising efforts and the importance of development to the financial structure of a non-profit organization. I trained with our Central Administration office to develop a schedule, organize meeting locations, times, and coordinate guest speakers. I worked with my Head of School to find organizations and foundations that financed our program and provided speakers and volunteer opportunities for my students. I got to see behind the curtain on many of the inner-workings of a school while learning how all of these pieces connected.

Serving on hiring committees for two division heads not only solidified my desire to be an administrator, but also provided me valuable experience in hiring and human resources. The conversations and vision for what these teams had for a division head helped guide me in learning what experiences I needed to fortify my candidacy for administrative positions. I worked on cross divisional teams led by two incredible division heads. I saw how they managed these conversations and how they stimulated discussion. They were great captains and were models of level-headedness.

I had the opportunity to see so many aspects of the school that were outside of my classroom. All of these parts are integral to the function of a division and a school. Find ways to see and learn about all of the different pieces that make a school tick.

Find the Right First Administrative Experience

What I looked for in my first administrative opportunity was very similar to what I looked for in my teaching role when I left corporate; I wanted to find people that would support my growth and help me to climb the administrative ladder.

John Stephens is the Head of Middle School at Fort Worth Country Day. As his assistant division head, John, from day one, told me that I would be involved in all aspects of running the middle school.

I managed the scheduling and execution of our standardized testing. I handled student discipline and faculty coaching. I partnered with parents of our students that struggled academically. I managed an expansion project. I spearheaded an iPad program. I developed a prototype daily schedule for our middle school.

You have to find the right administrator for you. Find someone with whom you have a connection- John and I talk sports and food in the middle of our conversations on curriculum and core values. Find someone with the patience to guide you through every step.

Also, find a great team. Know that you will be partnering with other administrators that will help your growth. Find out who you will be collaborating with most often and understand the type of educators they personify. I worked with a great counselor, solid secretaries as well as a supportive and experienced faculty. Ask Dan Marino how important it is to have a great running back. Ask Ginger Rogers about the importance of an experienced dance partner. If you do not have a solid team to teach you, mentor you, support you and grow your experiences, it will make your journey difficult.

Always Keep an Eye on the Future

One off the numerous things I have internalized in speaking to folks about pursuing administration is that there are many paths that can lead you to your ultimate destination.

What is your ultimate destination? Look for postings of positions that you hope to obtain in the future and highlight what experiences they demand from applicants. Then, seek positions and experiences that will provide you with similar opportunities in your current role.

If you want to be an athletic director, find experiences in coaching and find a head coaching position. If you want to be a division head, find experiences leading a department, or as a dean, or as an assistant division head. If you want to be a Head of School, lead a division, get involved in admissions, and learn about budgeting and fund raising. Give yourself a wide variety of opportunities and experiences. If you are a young teacher, you are lucky in that you have time to search for the right experiences for your needs.

Check out my YouTube channel: Chaka Cummings (The Dedicated Educator). Also, find me on LinkedIn and check out some of my published posts on education.

Education Administration

I was there; the young teacher that looked at the administration and believed “no way!” The pressure, the problems; there are not enough hours to tackle being an administrator.

It is not all roses, by any means. What I loved about being an administrator was the variety of the role. Any day could be wrought with helping a student with their academic issues, or helping a teacher think through classroom management, or helping my division head plan a presentation to the faculty, or helping a parent to understand a decision.

The four major constituencies in a school are the students, teachers, parents and administrators. We all have the same objective- we desire to do what is in the best interests of developing our students, academically, artistically, athletically and morally. Administrators, everyday, function with the different constituencies toward ensuring that this objective is accomplished.

I was not always excited about education administration. In fact, I remember being a sophomore, taking my first education course in undergraduate school at Berea College. My mom asked me if I desired to be a principal some day. I smirked and exclaimed “the classroom is the only place in a school where you can make a difference- when I leave the classroom is when I retire.”

I then went on to leave the classroom- to get my Master's in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky. I worked in corporate America for a year, but I missed the kids (even thought the pay was incredible). I discovered something about myself, however, through this experience. I loved business case studies. I loved working with teams toward an end goal. I loved working on projects and developing programs. Education administration is one area where these roles are a focal point.

The common denominator was problem solving. Looking at a challenge and navigating the twists and turns to come to a final solution is exciting. Looking at different parts of an organization and working with many different people is challenging. Great administrators are problem solvers. Students come with problems; teacher and parents do the same. The great administrators listen to the issue, analyze the problem, create a solution, articulate it to the constituent at hand and work to implement that solution.

Student Investment Pays Dividends

As an MBA turned teacher, I love to discuss investment!

Recently, my mother and I had one of our weekly conversations. I live in Fort Worth, Texas while she lives in Harlem, New York (where I grew up). Our conversations can run the gamut; we will talk about anything from Oprah Winfrey's impact in entertainment to Serena Williams' dominance in tennis to the current fashion trends.

This conversation steered toward education, specifically toward why so many young people in my old neighborhood were not completing high school (forget about the low numbers attending college). We were trying to decipher the cause of the incessant phenomenon of young people choosing to drop out of school rather than being consumed by a long-term view and understanding how important schooling in their early years would be to the rest of their lives.

So, where does investment come in?

I reminisced about my experience as a young person growing up in Harlem and Mount Vernon, New York. I considered my wife, who grew up in rural Kentucky and how she describes her educational experience. I thought about my niece, who lives with me in Fort Worth, and her experience attending an independent school. Many factors that led to the three of us placing a high value on education- families that have preached this virtue, teachers that have a tremendous positive influence and experiencing success in our educational endeavors. 

A common thread, however, kept surfacing when looking at our educational experiences throughout our time at school (for my wife and I, a thread that continued even in college). My wife was a cheerleader and academic team member through middle school, then she joined student government, Future Business Leaders of America and her school's science club. My niece cheered in middle school, then she focused in upper school on volleyball, swimming, track, and chorus. I played football, baseball, basketball, and I served as a student government representative. 

We were involved- but more important than involvement, we were invested in our schools.

The National Center for Education Statistics published research from the US Department of Education in which students that participated in extra-curricular activities at elementary and secondary schools across the country reported higher attendance numbers, fewer skipped classes, higher GPAs, higher performance on math and reading assessments and go on to college at a higher frequency. This research isn't earth-shattering, as I am certain that most teachers are well aware of these statistics. 

The connection that I made is that independent schools do an incredible job of ensuring that this engagement is not only offered as a part of their academic programs, but required to attend and graduate from these institutions. 

Think about this for a second. Independent schools represent incredibly rigorous academic institutions. If independent schools could wave a wand and eliminate non-academic influences, our students' days would still be chocked full of reading, writing, projects, studying, debating and loads of other educational pursuits. Our students would not lack school related activities to fill their time, by any means. When was the last time you heard a student at an independent school say "man, I am so underworked!" 

Yet, there is a recognition by our institutions that teaching to the whole student has incredible value and is truly our responsibility as educators. Mind, body and spirit- these are more than buzzwords at independent schools in this day and age of budget and programmatic cuts in the public school realm. 

How many of our schools require art courses, theater participation or musical pursuits? Does your school require physical education or athletic participation? Especially as our students get older, how many varied club offerings do we make available to our students?

This is how we reinforce student investment. Develop students holistically, and, hopefully, it fosters better people. 

I attended private school in New York. Growing up in urban New York City, there were lots of negative influences. It would have been easy to "cut class" rather than wake up early to take a train, to a bus, to be greeted by Honors Trigonometry- as a 15 year old. What kept me going back? 

Well, I could not look my teammates in the eye if I missed practice while they were enveloped in the same experiences I was- they had to wake up just as early and take classes that were just as difficult; I couldn't quit because they never did. 

Besides, I didn't want to miss hanging out at Welsh Farms, scarfing down burgers while we planned the next school dance with my fellow reps in student government. The bus rides to New Rochelle with my boys were too much fun- and occasionally, we actually did talk Trig (Mr. Leoti might be surprised to hear that, however). They constituted support, as much for me academically as any other system that was offered by my school. 

The investment built a sense of pride in my school. It also reinforced a sense of pride in myself. I developed the integrity that would not allow me to take the path that so many of my friends walked- the one that led to their dropping out of school, that led to their drug use, that led to their criminal activity and, in some unfortunate cases, their untimely deaths. 

Luckily, my reality is the reality for few of our students. However, their choices are as real and as poignant as the choices I made. Independent schools, must continue to do the yeomen work  to offer the vast array of programs that speak to the diverse interests of our student bodies. 

My niece HATES to miss school! I feel it is important to note- my niece is 16! She has lots of reasons for never wanting to miss a day, not the least of which is the difficulty of making up the work from her missed classes. However, she loves her choir class and track team at least as much if not more than she loathes making up Algebra II homework. When she visits family in New York during summer vacation, she always gets back at least a couple of weeks early to make sure she can see her friends and get ready for volleyball. 

Of course, our core is the academic. We must also continue to engage our students meaningfully in the classroom. 

The best independent schools in my experience, though, have found meaningful ways to get students to invest in the school community outside of the classroom. Those communities also have students that whole-heartedly support each other in this shared experience of rigorous academics, fantastic fine arts and stellar athletics. It is almost as if the students subconsciously bond over the shared experiences, both the difficult and the enjoyable. 

Independent schools know the value of what some schools refer to as extra- curricular. In reality, at most successful independent schools, these activities are now a part of the curriculum. As the statistics continue to bear out, this is to the benefit of our students. 

Advisor, football coach, debate sponsor, assistant division head- I am not special in that I wear a lot of hats as an independent school community member. These hats, however, have equal weight in the overall successes of my students. Sometimes, this is lost in the hustle and bustle of a school year.

The renaissance men and women that make up our independent school faculties are doing their part to ensure our students have life-long success. I hope that we never forget that we do this as much on the stage, in the band hall, in the gym and on the field as we do inside our classrooms. The education statistics continue to bear that out. As said by the great philosopher, Shawn Carter (also known as the hip hop artist Jay-Z); "Men lie; women lie; numbers don't."