Debate & Analysis

Introduction

The Debate & Analysis course for the primary section is split into two levels: Developmental and Advanced. The Developmental program is for younger primary students who have not yet been exposed to debate, critical thinking or complex societal issues, while the Advanced program – modeled after the curriculum that has created numerous secondary school debate team members and public speaking champions – is available for students who are comfortable with using debate as a means of presenting and assessing arguments.

The developmental program instills in students the same logical approach to structuring and responding to arguments as the more advanced program, but does so using a variety of fun, engaging and less intimidating discussion topics to encourage student participation. Before being immersed into debate, students are taught the foundations of public speaking to instill greater self-confidence and awareness of “poise”. After a period of time in the Developmental level, and subject to the approval from the instructor, students can choose to move into the Advanced level.

For the advanced level, the course is similar to the secondary school program. The only difference is that the issues that are introduced are presented in simpler terms and are adjusted for the age and maturity of the younger primary students.

The aim of the Advanced level program is to train students to analyze and respond to multi-faceted societal, economic, business, political and moral issues. By developing both a critical thinking framework and the ability to persuade others through speech, students solidify the foundations that support immediate academic success and, more importantly, future leadership. While debate is a central part of the program, the program is focused on developing multiple areas of reasoning and communication.

With years of experience teaching the D&A program (since 2006), we have refined the content and the delivery so that lessons are consistently challenging, educational, and fun for even the most advanced students. Through instructor-supervised research, analysis, discussion and in-class debate on global concerns, Time and Economist articles, Harvard Business School cases, and Capstone-generated content, students are taught to dissect complex problems and present compelling, intelligent argument and rebuttals. The fast-paced nature of impromptu debate and class discussion allows students to develop arguments under stress, building long-term resilience. To supplement the in-class experience, Capstone also hosts its own internal and Hong Kong-wide debate tournaments each year to give students constant motivation to practice and improve.

Parents of our D&A students notice significant increase in their children’s speaking precision, thinking “speed”, thinking depth, reading ability (from the required research) and confidence.

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