Debating is an ability to see one statement or idea from various perspectives, through critical thinking, critical listening and critical speaking. Jabberwocky Debate Club teaches children to reason their point of view, incorporate evidence, and learn the techniques that can turn them into outstanding debaters and presenters. Children review the structure and organization of the formal debate, select and research topics, and prepare arguments to present in the parliamentary debate format. In addition to regular debates in the classroom, at the end of each module, children get to showcase their mastery of speech and persuasion in front of the parents.

Learning how to debate has following benefits for children.

1. Develop their speaking skills and ability to express themselves verbally in front of a group

It builds their critical listening skills and their ability to respond to what other people are saying and helps them to understand how to structure their work and make their points clearly.

2. Learning to debate can help children to develop their research skills.

Research can be an important part of debating, especially if you’re setting children a topic that they don’t know much about,. However, some debates, particularly those on subjects that are close to children’s own experiences, involve no preparation at all, and encourage them to think on their feet: an equally important skill.

3. Through debating, children can broaden their horizons and begin to explore big ethical questions.

‘Teaching them to see things from a range of perspectives is a real life skill that will help them build self-esteem.‘It’s highly validating for children to be asked for their opinion, and shows them that their thoughts and voice matter.

The program is intended to help students organize their thoughts and convey them clearly and effectively. By debating present-day issues, participants develop self-confidence and improve their critical-thinking, public-speaking, listening and reasoning skills. The goal is to improve the social, intellectual and academic lives of our students through debate. The experience and skills acquired from it will serve them well regardless of their future education and career choice.