There is a certain kind of joy as you challenge your opponent on the dais, defeating him through a war of ‘words’! No bloodshed, no loss of life and yet you are the undisputed winner. All you need to do is put forward your views, compare it with that of your opponent’s and establish a fact. And, you are the hero of the day. Who said you must fight gory battles to conquer your enemy? You can even do so by words that are stronger than a sword.
Wondering what am I talking about? Still no clues? Well friends, I am speaking about ‘debates’. Today, several academic institutions have been embracing debate competitions to encourage students to reason logically. At times, teachers divide students into groups for debating purposes. However, sometimes school debates are also conducted individually – where there is one opponent pitted against another.
Undoubtedly, debate is one of the most effective techniques of collaborative learning in schools that motivate students to think outside the box. And, if you have participated in your school debate, I bet you would know it the best! Want to know how school debates make students sharper? Continue reading my friends:
- Encourages critical thinking: Modern youngsters are glued to electronic gadgets for almost the entire day. Gone are the days when students would spend time reading books or other reference study materials. Logic is formed by imbibing knowledge. In such a scenario, how can you enhance your powers of critical thinking? The only solution to this issue is school debates! When you are debating, you’re using unique problem-solving skills and thinking differently for presenting your opinion in the best way possible. It improves your creativity to a great extent.
- Educates you: Most debates compel you to analyze a wide range of topics, a majority of which might be completely unfamiliar to you. Alien topics and terms suddenly surround you. And you must conquer them if you aim to emerge victorious in the debate competition. For, you cannot expect your judges to propose a topic as per your preferences or interests! So, you might have to navigate the unknown waters of politics, history, current events or even philosophy. It builds your general knowledge and educates you.
- Makes you mature: How many times have you been assigned a group project by your teacher? Do you know why such assignments are so important? It develops team spirit and teaches you how to cooperate with your peers. Cooperation and coordination are two of the key lessons you learn in group assignments. Debates work in the same way. It enables you to identify the thought processes of others. Besides, it also lets you learn settle disputes in an amiable manner. It actually prepares you for professional environments.
- Increases your academic scores: Debaters automatically gain better analytical, oral and written communication skills. These achievements manifest themselves through impressive scores in academics in school. If you have been actively involved in group discussions and debates, you are more likely to shine in high school and college rather than your peers. Not only that. Your SAT scores become perfect, and so does your performance in other competitive exams. You would be happy to know that participation in debate also expands your opportunities for winning college scholarships.
- Refines your leadership skills: When you argue, oppose and present your viewpoint, you are representing a self-confident, smarter version of yourself to your opponent, judges and the audience. You are constantly interpreting the response of your opponent too. Moreover, you are focusing attentively on the statements made by your opponent that makes you a good listener. Each of these qualities are necessary to be an efficient leader. So, naturally, indirectly debates aid you in picking up great leadership skills. You can use them academically and even professionally.
- Develops courage: Oh yes! It takes a lot of courage to stand at the dais and present your opinion in front of a large number of people in the audience. Trust me, not everyone has the guts to do so. And continue to speak for ten minutes, trying to prove his own point and confront your opponent, with every eye on you. I know most of you prefer being one with the crowd, hearing others speak. Debate participants are more disciplined and braver than most students.
- Builds computer skills: Well, I know some of you are thinking, how can debates help one develop basic computer literacy? Okay. Now, you got to trust me, as this is a fact. For any debate, participants must engage in a substantial amount of research. Nowadays, a majority of students go about this research with the help of computers or laptops, thanks to technology! For books are not enough to educate you alone. So, you learn how to find information, analyze it and implement it beautifully while you are debating using computers.
So next time your school organizes a debate, think twice before you refuse to take part in it! No wonder debating is amongst the top learning strategies followed by quick learners across the world. What’s more, you start enjoying the battle of words in a debate. Wish you all the very best for your attempts at debating, friends.
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