This Monday saw a very thoughtful session of debating and public speaking - with very carefully considered arguments, active listening and attention to detail. Well done all!
Our skills focussed this week involved a recapitulation of opening statements (and closing/conclusions) as well as a discussion of Aristotelian rhetoric: Ethos, Pathos and Logic, and how best to incorporate these into our debates, arguments and discussions.
Our interview style questions / philosophical tasks asked:
'Is poetry still relevant in the 21st century?'
'Describe a computer to a Victorian, using as varied vocabulary as possible'
In both cases the group provided sophisticated responses from those that felt poetry was outdated, to those that saw the expressions and feelings of the likes of Shakespeare as timeless, fun and traditional in education for a reason. The typewriter saw a bridge or link to the Victorian age as a way of beginning the focussed description.
Our newsround took in:
The War in Ukraine - President Biden's missiles for Ukraine
Trump's appointment of RFK Jr (Robert F Kennedy Jr) to the US Department of Health
The COP conference and the President of Azerbaijan's comments on 'oil and gas being a gift from God'
President Xi / China foreign policy & meeting with the PM Starmer
Our central debate looked at the motion 'Books are better than television?'
The group split evenly in the voting, with issues such as screentime, documentaries, opportunities, cost (of books and technology) featuring.
We concluded with an unseen, involving Elon Musk:
with the question, 'Should Elon Musk be allowed to work in the US Government?' (given his unelected position)
Many were concerned as to conflict of interest and his lack of political experience in government. Those in favour thought it was refreshing to see such an influential businessman involved, with an ability to drive forward change on electric cars and technology more generally.
Well done all on such thoughtful points and carefully worded arguments, many adopting Aristotelian rhetoric.
We will be working on structure and list format in the coming weeks, to add signposting to the speeches being made.
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