top of page

Kensington Wade School Debating & Interview Clubs - 10th May

Dr George Gross

We were again hugely impressed with our Kensington Wade Debating & Public Speaking Clubs.


Our skill focus this week looked at presentation/and argumentation with the use of a list format. Not only does this provide structure, it is also particularly useful in a conclusion or summary speech as a way to cover lots of material quickly whilst highlighting key points. 


Our newsround saw reference to the resignation of the First Minister in Scotland, the results of the local (and mayoral) elections in the UK, the Northern Lights, VE day and the return of the King to public duties. 

 

For our warm up we then turned to our interview style question with an emphasis on 'why'?:

'Tell us about a book you have recently read and enjoyed?' The key here was to look for detail and explanation (not forgetting author's name). 

From Roald Dahl to Harry Potter we had lots of detailed description of what made a great 'page turner'. 


We then turned to the Space Race, 20th century history and NASA's latest efforts with Boeing's Starliner.


The motion: 'This House would invest more in Space Discovery' & 'Should NASA build their own machinery or buy from the market?' We saw arguments centre on the vital role for the world to look beyond the planet or alternatively focus that investment on key themes/topics such as education, climate change and transport links. Given Boeing's recent performance, voting fell unanimously in favour of NASA making their own. 


We also debated two topics on the back of anniversary occasions - 30 years of the Channel Tunnel and the Coronation anniversary for King Charles III. 


Motion 1: 'This House would supports the idea of monarchy over the idea of presidents' &

Motion 2: 'This House would invest in more undersea trains'. 


With tradition, continuity and the apolitical nature of the role, support for monarchy exceeded that of the idea of a presidency. 

Undersea trains divided the floor, with many in favour of new links and infrastructure, whilst others very concerned about cost and lack of planning/budget. 


We also touched on another environmental debate:

The Motion: 'Should we eat less meat to help the planet?'

Here, the focus turned to modifying the motion, so as to encourage a more varied diet and better ethically produced meat (higher animal welfare) rather than some form of ban or restriction.  

Concern was also given over to food production and farming as well as health. 


An outstanding set of debates and discussion - well done all! 

1 view0 comments

Comments


bottom of page