Our students have recently been involved in a debating competition that works with over 200 international school teams. This competition will place our students against the very best debaters in the world and has already provided our students with valuable experiences that will aid them beyond their school lives living in Hangzhou.
All our teams scored highly in this international competition and many teams won key rounds against other members. In particular, Jacob and Karen were both recognized for their enthusiasm and speaking ability within this competition – Jacob was even awarded a Speakers Award Commendation for the strength of his speaking.
Worldwide, debating is a highly valued skill. In all walks of life, people need to overcome and find solutions to important issues. Whether you work in industry and have to find solutions for staffing; education, where you need to debate the best practices to aid students; or in politics where you will need to find the best possible outcome to all manner of social issues. These competitions really prepare students for the world outside of the classroom. To do well in debates, students need to have clear and varied world knowledge to use factual evidence to support their debate claims. They need to be able to organise and structure their information to present the strongest argument. They also need to be able to speak eloquently and succinctly, while listening and responding to the claims their opposition make. In English, these skills are among the most complex.
As such, we are proud of our Wellingtonians and the effort they have put into this debate. All have them have succeeded in developing a life-long skill and have excelled themselves by scoring highly on the international stage. Hopefully in the not-too-distant future we can see our students take to an actual physical debating stage.
Parliamentary Debate Competition
Hosted by See Change Education, this is an international competition with over 200 delegates from the Greater Bay Area and the Belt & Road regions. The online event is an exciting opportunity to compete and meet with peers from around the world at a time where physical interactions are limited.
The tournament is part of the American Parliamentary Debate Association circuit and features three categories: Primary, Middle School, and High School. Everyone, including beginners and advanced debaters alike, is welcome to participate, as novelist and advance participants will be divided into separate leagues.