“You never really understand a person until you consider things from
his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” –Atticus
to Scout in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (Chapter 3)
We know we should consider things from different
perspectives in order to gain a more accurate picture of a situation or an
issue, but it isn’t always easy to do, is it? More often than not, we nod our
heads in agreement with Atticus’s wise words, but, in reality, we stubbornly
cling to our own ideas without really considering other perspectives.
Studying literature helps us to see and realize perspectives
we may not have ever considered, but the art of debate forces us to truly think
about and argue two sides to an issue.
Some Background—Debate
in the Classroom
While the members of the Speech & Debate Team prepare
cases for a new debate topic every one or two months (depending on whether they
compete in Public Forum or Lincoln-Douglas debate), students in my Speech
Communications class only prepare for a full, Public Forum debate at the end of
the year. When I introduce debate, we do a number of class debate activities,
but due to the size of the class, each student only participates in one
full-length debate in May. I give students a list of recent PF (Public Forum)
and LD (Lincoln-Douglas) debate topics, and they can either select resolutions
from that list and/or create their own resolutions. Once students form teams
and I determine the debate pairings (which teams will debate each other), the
pairs of teams select their debate resolution together from the compiled class
list. This May, students debated on a range of topics, from the legalization of
marijuana (yes, cliché, I know), to making cigarettes illegal, to stand-your-ground
laws, to gay marriage. Since these students only do one debate, I allow them
some choice when it comes to their topic, and, depending on the students’ skill
and confidence levels, I’m okay with them debating what would be a cliché topic
for a persuasive essay.
Students prepare both sides of the debate (affirmative and
negative), just like they would in competition, even though they will only
argue one side. At first, some of the students are frustrated with what seems
like a ton of extra work, but I keep explaining that since they don’t know what
side they will be arguing (until the coin toss just before their debate), they
must be prepared, and the “extra” preparation helps them to consider opposing
arguments for each case. The students are also frustrated with the idea that
they may have to argue the side that goes against what they personally think or
believe. That, I tell them, is the beauty of debate, and it is also where skill
truly comes into play.
Seeing the Power of
Debate
After he/she debates, each student writes a reflection on
how the debate went, what they would do differently if they had another round
of debate, and which side they felt won the debate and why. In these
reflections, students share the struggles they had with the debate.
This year, one particular student’s reflection was very insightful
and encouraging. This particular student did not have a lot of confidence in
his speaking skills all year, and, although he had prepared for his debate, he
didn’t seem very excited or confident before the debate began. And then the
debate started, and about ten minutes in, he just came alive! I was hearing a
lot of holes in the opposing team’s arguments, and, to my pleasant surprise, my
not-so-confident student pointed out each hole and provided excellent rebuttal
and attack throughout the debate! He was on fire! What I was most impressed
with, however, was this student’s reflection. In his reflection, he shared that
when the debate started, he knew it was going to be a challenge because he had
to argue the affirmative and that side went against his personal beliefs.
However, going through the debate, he completely changed his mind and agreed
with the affirmative. (Note-The purpose of debate is not to "convert" students to another view. The purpose is to get them to think deeply and critically about two sides of an issue.) I asked this student about his reflection.
“The debate
really made you change your mind?”
“Totally!” He said. “Before the debate, I was always against
it. But preparing for and then going through the debate, I realized I didn’t
have a good reason as to why. The debate made me realize that I didn’t have
an argument at all—just a belief without support. I had never considered the
other side before.”
Wow! And the debate topic? The legalization of gay marriage.
Now, the topic could have been anything. (Although I do wonder if those who say
they are against gay marriage have really
thought through their reasoning as this student did through the act of
debating the topic.) The point is that the debate made the student consider
another view and the one he had held.
He truly thought about the issue, analyzed the issue, and, in the end, he knew
what he believed and why. He’s not holding to a belief just “because.”
