Why Teaching Debate Skills to Students is Important
In today’s argumentative age, teaching students how to engage in productive disagreement can offer significant benefits for both learning and life, writes Alex Quigley. New research from Antonia Langenhoff and colleagues suggests that disagreements in the classroom can help students learn better by encouraging them to reflect more deeply and critically on their knowledge.
The study shows that when children between the ages of 4 and 6 are exposed to disagreements with an expert, they spend more time seeking information and revisiting their views. Similarly, teenagers who engage in debates are motivated to produce higher-quality arguments and provide stronger evidence. Constructive disagreement can boost motivation and foster critical thinking.
Quigley suggests three teaching strategies to incorporate productive disagreement into classrooms: using a devil’s advocate to challenge majority opinions, having students rank arguments based on reliability and expertise, and organizing fishbowl debates where students debate while others observe and critique.
Teaching students to argue constructively not only enhances academic success but also prepares them for real-world challenges.
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