Classroom Debate

Many schools offer Speech and Debate clubs or classes where debate is classified as a competitive sport. In every classroom, however, it serves as a simple framework for discussion with numerous educational benefits. Classroom Debate is an activity featuring elements of public speaking and arguing which helps build confidence, boosts classroom engagement, strengthens communication, and improves critical thinking skills.

What is a debate team?

A debate team is a collective of students who research and debate topics. They come in all sizes, but since the minimum number of participants required for a debate is two, most teams have at least two members. Many schools offer debate programs in the form of clubs or elective classes depending on the resources available to them and prevalence of competitive debate in their area. Often, debate teams compete in tournaments on the regional, state, and national levels.

NOTE: In 2v2 debate, such as Policy Debate, debate teams refer to the individual 2-person teams in a debate round. They function as sub-teams of the larger school team.

What is a debate club?

Debate clubs are similar to debate teams, and the two labels are sometimes used interchangeably. There is a difference between the two, however, as teams are born from clubs which grow, evolve, and eventually compete. In most cases, a teacher with expressed interest in debate volunteers to start a debate club. If the club grows and demonstrates potential to earn recognition for their school, administrators may decide to call it a team.

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