How to Use Debate in ESL

Perhaps a teacher has been teaching a topic and wants a way to get students to talk more about this topic. Debate can be an excellent way to get students talking, enhancing opinion sharing and encouraging critical thinking. Debate can be used to both reinforce previous content and spur excellent conversations. 
However, debate should never devolve into conflict; therefore, teachers must use a formal structure for facilitating debate in a profitable way. 

Debate Topics

Debate topics depend upon many factors. These include the proficiency levels of the class, curriculum topics, and cultural context to name a few. Simpler topics can be used for lower level students; such as, comparing two restaurants or debating two popular songs as to which is superior.  More advanced topics could include questions such as, "should children be allowed to have cell phones," or "should guns be banned?" The debate revolves around a resolution either affirmed or negated by separate teams. 

Debate Structure

The formal structure of an ESL debate can vary a great deal depending upon the size and level of the class, and the time a teacher has. The basic format is to assign teams a debate topic and position. Allow the teams about ten minutes to formulate their opening statement and arguments. These arguments will evaluate the pros and cons of their position.

In the next stage, each team presents their introductory statement and arguments. The members of each team could take turns presenting arguments. This is important to give opportunity for everyone to speak.

After the second stage, teams can be given time to discuss their rebuttals. Then, each team presents their rebuttals and closing arguments. Finally, the debate can be concluded by a constructive, judgment from the teacher or even a previously assigned team of judges amongst the class. 

Avoiding Conflict

A great way to avoid argumentation in a team debate is to assign teams their debate position. Do not allow students to choose their side on the issue, rather assign it. This helps the student focus upon thoughtful arguments rather than their personal opinions. Another great strategy is to have a formal structure involving time limits for each speaker in each stage of the debate. This prevents students from dominating the conversation. Lastly, the teacher can act as moderator not taking sides and encouraging students to focus upon communication rather than winning the debate.   

In Chinese class, I recall a fun and challenging debate in which I was assigned to support the drinking of alcohol. It was challenging because I had never held this position and also lacked personal experience in the use of alcohol. My arguments suffered as a result and made my personal habits evident! 

Final Thoughts

Debates can be excellent conversational exercises. I encourage teachers to begin with simple topics, and structured time segments. Start with a simple debate exercise and then tweak future debates according to the context of each class. Some classes may be able to handle more complex topics and increased formal structure, while others may need to remain simple and short. 

Lastly, think creatively about how debates can be used. Could it be used in pair work? Yes, pairs could draw slips of paper with simple topics to be debated such as, "Dogs make better pets than cats." The potential for inspiring ideas and conversation are endless. 

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