This was another excellent session with our SKI Debating & Public Speaking Club.
Our skill focus this week looked at Explanation in the context of Point, Evidence and Explanation.
Following a discussion of the word 'Values' and what matters to us from school mottos to key goals for the term, we then turned to our warm-up question/interview style question:
What was your greatest achievement last semester/term? and importantly why?
This included high grades and wider exam/test performance.
We also looked at goals for this term?
From more reading, to taking good care of our pets.
Our newsround saw the Trump legal case, the Saharan dust storm and Trinidad news on a hospital inquiry.
We then turned to three debates:
(i) Our first on the motion: 'Should public transport be autonomous (a new word for the group)'.
The group voted unanimously against the motion with safety concerns and fear of jobs being lost at both tellings, but by the second vote, there was a feeling that there might be scope for some autonomous public transport, particularly at night as per South Korea's plans.
(ii) For our second debate we looked at an NGO focussed on 'Adopting a Coastline' and we asked if this should be 'expanded globally'?
The group again voted unanimously, this time in favour of the motion. However, the group was then asked to argue against the motion and quickly established that cost made such plans somewhat unrealistic and the need to make cleaning up rubbish on coastlines a charitable volunteering initiative.
At the end of the session we looked at the US funding of $61 billion for Ukraine in the war with Russia and whether the West should continue to provide support.
Another great session! Well done all.
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