This was an excellent session with our Knightsbridge Debating & Interview Club.
Our skill focus this week looked at Team work - with a view to competitions at the end of term and our Socratic Debating Grading Certification and Competition at the Dicken's museum at the end of June.
Our newsround saw reference to the Euros, the Olympics, the UK General Election, Taylor Swift, and the G7 hosted by Italy.
For our warm up we then turned to our interview style philosophical question with an emphasis on 'why'/justification?:
'Should we still write letters?'
This saw a wide ranging discussion - with responses centring on cost, tradition, the writing industry and jobs, climate/deforestation points, a key life skill, the special nature of handwritten letters (showing more effort and attention), speed of modern technology (emails, texts etc.) and the wider learning points about forming letters when first learning English. The majority supported modern technology and touch typing as the way forward in education.
Our main debate looked the motion:
'This House would make cooking classes compulsory in school'.
In voting, the group supported the idea of cooking classes as an option within the curriculum, but not a compulsory one.
It was widely felt that this was a life skill that helped with eating a healthy diet, and would be important in later life, beyond those looking for a career in the hospitality industry. Those against the compulsory element liked the idea of the skill, but felt that the curriculum was already stretched and Mathematics, Science and English should have a priority.
We also looked at the motion:
'This House thinks Elon Musk's $56bn pay deal is too much'.
Voting divided 50/50.
Many felt that this was his business (or the idea that he set-up) and would be nothing without his efforts and therefore he was entitled to whatever was decided. Others felt it was too much and worried that many in the company would not be properly remunerated by contrast.
Well done all on a superb session.
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