GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Dec. 21, 2010) An electronic “Civil Debate Wall”, social media, an innovative online curriculum and a “citizenship fellows”program are new ways that The Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida will use to encourage civic commitment among University of Florida students. Top researchers will evaluate the pioneering approaches and share the information with other universities across the nation.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which promotes informed and engaged communities, is supporting the initiative with a $3 million grant. The grant is the largest ever received by the Bob Graham Center.

“Knight Foundation promotes programs that inform and engage citizens.  We think that is key to sustaining democracy,”said Alberto Ibargüen, the foundation’s president and CEO. “It isn’t enough to simply bring back civic education.  We should be open to new approaches that foster civic engagement, especially ones that use digital technology. The Bob Graham Center is an ideal laboratory for testing and studying new ways of strengthening the civic fabric of our society.”

“This wonderful grant from the Knight Foundation will allow us to launch some very novel programs in areas like social media and interactive online experiences that will greatly expand our reach,”said former Senator Bob Graham. “We believe these ideas can spread to other campuses and create an exciting new generation of student leaders, citizen activists, who will go out and spur changes in their communities at the local, state and national level. “

“There is so much information that inundates students and leaders every day,”Graham continued. “The skill we at the Bob Graham Center need to develop in our citizens and leaders is how to assess that information, and act on it. This important grant from the Knight Foundation will help us create programs to develop that next generation of citizen activist and leaders in both the civic and public sectors.”

“The Bob Graham Center forms a central component of our university’s effort to produce our state’s future leaders,”added Bernard Machen, president of the University of Florida. “We’re grateful to Knight Foundation for supporting groundbreaking work in new media and civic engagement among young people.”

The initiative will create:

• Knight Effective Citizenship Fellows, who will do research to develop best practices in encouraging a lifelong civic engagement;
• A high-tech “Civil Debate Wall”that will allow students to instantly engage in debate and conversation on issues. The wall will anchor a series of interactive kiosks both on and off campus that will poll students on their views, and present them with opposing opinions on issues.
• An interactive, online course called “Rethinking Citizenship”that will teach students civic engagement on the local, state and national levels. The curriculum will be reviewed by a panel of experts and scholars.
• A series of live forums and panel discussions that will use live streaming, multi-media imagery and social media tools to link students and scholars in public policy discussions around the world.

Civic health is a pressing issue in Florida. The National Conference on Citizenship has ranked the state 34th nationally in average voter turnout, 48th in public meeting attendance and 49th in volunteering – making it one of the weakest civic cultures in the nation.

The Bob Graham Center’s central mission is to reverse these dire trends. Former Florida Gov. Bob Graham, who also served three terms in the U.S. Senate, created the Center and has been active in pushing for curriculum reforms in civics education. He is the author most recently of “America: The Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work for You,”which details his approach to using detailed case studies of citizen-led campaigns to teach students the “nuts-and-bolts of democracy.”

About the Bob Graham Center for Public Service

The Bob Graham Center for Public Service is a community of students, scholars and politically engaged citizens, devoted to enhanced citizenship; the training of current and future public and civic leaders who can identify problems and spearhead change; and the development of policy on issues of importance to Florida, the United States and the global community.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed and engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

Contact: Marc Fest, Vice President of Communications, Knight Foundation

305-908-2677

fest@knightfoundation.org

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http://www.urbandebate.org/policyandpractice.shtml

Recently the Jacksonville Bar Association took interest in support of the local league to help turnaround schools in the area.

PHASE 2 OF SUMMER DEBATE!! INTRODUCING VIRTUAL DEBATE LABS! OPEN REGISTRATION TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE DEBATE CAMP AUGUST 2ND – AUGUST 6TH AT RAINES HIGH SCHOOL. STUDENTS CAN ALSO BENEFIT FROM ONLINE DEBATE ACTIVITIES RIGHT AT HOME THROUGH AUGUST 20TH.

This year marks the first year for policy debate in high schools within Duval County. Join the great debaters as we make history! Free registration! The 2010 DUDL Summer Debate Institute is geared toward reviewing the fundamentals of debate, and then using that foundation to advance rhetorical theory and argumentation techniques for serious competitors. After completion of summer camp students will gain the confidence they need to succeed in any academic subject, any school debate, and any debate team competition. Students will also engage in online activities using various collaborative applications. The benefit of using virtual tools and applications is to foster synchronous and asynchronous sessions to reach students who may have challenges attending camp, enabling them to review materials, provide feedback, and ask feedback. Educators will be trained on using and assessing these types of tools in real time.

Small Group Learning Strategy & Practical Application

The 2010 DUDL Summer Debate Institute will challenge students to apply materials learned in daily instruction, online. We will set an agenda for each asynchronous/synchronous session. At the beginning of camp, students will know at a glance when each synchronous session is scheduled so they can make arrangements to participate. In addition, each session will have a specific agenda so that the discussion stays relevant to the national debate topic. Immediately following each mini-lecture, students will split up into small groups to strategize and put the materials discussed in the lecture into practice. After a presentation on the first affirmative and evidence, for example, students will break up in teams (of two) and be challenged to find flaws in the affirmative case presented within a limited time frame. Through instructor guidance, debaters will come up with winning strategic moves (in their words), which they can use in future debates. We envision an interactive, collaborative blackboard debaters can use for the remainder of schools year 2010-2011.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Summer camp debaters will have the opportunity to have practice debates and receive lengthy feedback on how to improve, and then deliver, speech “do-overs” the next day. We will watch all debaters carefully, drafting copious notes for improvement in each debater’s notebook. We will then challenge the debaters to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Our aim is to see a progression of improvement by the time each debater leaves the institute.

Topic Lectures & Strategies

Our expert debate staff will teach students the art of refutation. From detailed lesson plans on effective delivery, to proper rebuttal, each student will take home a wealth of knowledge on how to successfully debate.

Online Communication Tools

Virtual tools make it easy for students to move past the classroom walls and connect with their peers around the world, as well as with experts in the fields they are studying. Access to our e-Learning applications give students an opportunity to experience learning in multiple ways, develop a public voice, and compare their own ideas with those of their peers.

National Debate Topic 2010-2011:

(2010–2011) Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce its military and/or police presence in one or more of the following: South Korea, Japan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey.

The camp will teach students how to:

• Structure an advanced argument strategy

• Back an argument with evidence

• Research evidence

• Understand and draft disadvantages, as well as answer them

• Write a persuasive case, as well as frontline arguments

• Draft a persuasive case

• Deliver a winning speech

• Refute the other team

• Use and answer stock issue arguments

• Take a winning flow techniques

• Use advanced pair-share techniques, and other partner strategies

• Use advanced cross-examination strategies

• Use e-Learning applications for home reinforcement throughout the year

CLICK FOR FULL SCHEDULE | REGISTER ONLINE

My involvement in Forensics Debate began when I was a Sophomore in high school. Being rubbish at acting, and unable to get cast in a play, I decided to join my school’s Speech Team.  I had several friends who were active members in both Speech and Theatre. They enjoyed Speech. Could not quite explain to me what it was (“competitive speaking and acting…sort of”), but their obvious jovial nature aroused when speaking of Forensics was plenty to transform me into a Speech Kid.

Three years later I qualified to compete at Sectionals, was a Team Captain, and had sharpened my acting/analysis skills so I was successful in high school drama. Despite some strain on the team my Senior year, I loved the experience. Even my decision to attend Bradley University was influenced by the knowledge that if I continued involvement in Forensics I would be competing on one of the Nation’s strongest teams.

Although I might not have joined Bradley’s Speech Team, opting instead to pursue my dream of obtaining a Minor in Theatre, Forensics has been a constant source of growth, development, and confidence since when I entered my first round to perform a scene from Alice in Wonderland. I could not imagine having not been in Speech. Where would I be? Who would I be? If people truly are a composition of their past experiences and what was learned through them, I doubt I would be who and where I am now. Frightening. It is impossible to know how a lack of Speech would have transformed my life. What is possible to measure is the positive influence it has had. Every student should be so fortunate.

But the fact is they are not. I have no idea the scale of high school’s with Forensic or Debate teams. With The National Forensic League, at least one State run Speech and Debate League per State, and there exist various other leagues as well, Forensics is strong. Yet, there are still an enormous amount of students without access to Forensics. Especially with the current economy, school’s are being forced to make challenging decisions to cut “unnecessary” programs. And Speech and Debate can become expensive with travel costs. Couple that with a small program and disaster occurs.

There are sources of good though. Educators and Forensics alum know of Speech and Debate’s benefits. So much so that there are independent organizations that exist to provide students with access to Forensics. For instance the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL) is a network of Urban Debate Leagues across the country. Started in 1997, or 1985 if including the first Urban Debate League ever from Atlanta, the NAUDL recognizes Debate’s importance for students. Debate has been linked to a higher GPA, a higher chance of attending college, a lesser chance of dropping out of high school, increased communication skills, improved analytical and critical-thinking skills, more confidence/motivation/community awareness, et cetera for most students who participate (Urban Debate Value). As you read there are currently over five-hundred high schools which are part of the NAUDL. The number continues to grow with newly formed Urban Debate Leagues across the country.

Leagues like The Duval Urban Debate League (DUDL) of Jacksonville, Florida. The DUDL is “a public-private partnership operated by the Duval Urban Debate League Community Debate Council…a private group of civic and business leaders, and [the] Duval County Public Schools”. The goal can be simply stated: provide a league and activity that can help a child achieve both character and educational development. The means to do so are not so easy. Finding backers to fund the League, train and organize teachers and parents to operate tournaments, teach educators and adults how to Coach Debate, getting the community and students involved, integrating a Debate course into the curriculum, and so on.  Forming an Urban Debate League is NOT an undertaking for the weak. Yet, the Duval Urban Debate League has not succumbed and is a growing League after only being formed in September of the 2009-2010 school year.

Jermyn Shannon-El leads next wave of Great Debaters

I have been fortunate enough to be able to speak with a leader of the Duval UDL, Jermyn Shannon El.  More of this in Part II.

Thus concludes Part I.  Stay posted for the release of Part II.

Works Cited:

“About.” dudl.org. Duval Urban Debate League, n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.

“Urban Debate Value.” urbandebate.org. National Association of Urban Debate Leagues, n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.

The costs of white privileged forms of competition were that the quality and truth of arguments really didn’t matter, so when I wrote great arguments about racial issues, the techne and arugment strategies of the game allowed those arguments to be ignored or dismissed in the evaluation process. None of this was inviting to African American students interested in using debate as a training ground to become a better advocate for their desire to address the problems of the black community through logical, reasoned, advocacy training. So I struggled to make good on my promise to use debate as a tool of empowerment for African Americans.

Read more

Family First: The Value of Debate

Originally Posted – February 25, 2010 12:46pm

Atlanta, GA – After declining in popularity, high school and college debate teams are now making a comeback. Today, there is a new pool of young students who are learning to battle against each other using words and their wits and gaining important life skills along the way.

On the court and on the field, kids love to compete. And now on the intellectual front, a familiar type of competition – a contest of reasoning and persuasion that some kids misunderstand – is gaining popularity again.

“Before I got into debate, I thought it was for geeks,” 15-year old Hannah says.

Willie, 14, echoes those sentiments. “I thought you had to be a nerd or you were geeky or you weren’t cool [to debate].”

As it turns out, many students say it is cool to match wits and win an argument against other students. And while these students are having fun, they are also learning.

“Debate teaches us three things that we can use in almost any field we go into,” says Bill Newnam, associate director of debate for Emory University. “It teaches us incredible critical thinking skills, very good research skills and strong organizational and presentational skills.”

In fact, some studies show that teenagers who participate in organized debate for at least one year are able to significantly improve their critical thinking skills. And kids say that debating is training for the mind.

“It’s helped with my school work and my articulation skills,” Willie says. “I speak out more. I comprehend better.”

“In class, I used to not talk. I used to sit back in the corner, but now it’s like I know what I’m talking about so I talk more,” Hannah says.

Participating on a debate team also helps boost kids’ confidence and teaches them how to use words and ideas to resolve a conflict.

“Words are strong enough themselves. So if you speak what you think is right, people will accept or reject it,” Willie says.

In the past, competitive debate was mostly associated with students who attended private schools and came from affluent backgrounds. But the argumentative practice is now gaining popularity with students all across the United States, even those who attend inner-city schools. In fact, the Urban Debate League (UDL) says approximately 3,000 students take part in its nationwide program.

So why are more students choosing to exercise their minds by joining high school debate teams? According to a study conducted by Gary Alan Fine, author of Gifted Tongues: High School Debate and Adolescent Culture, the reasons for teens’ involvement in debate fall into three categories:

Strategic Involvement – Many students associate debate with the worlds of politics and law, and some who desire to follow these career paths say joining a debate team is a “logical choice.” Others join in an attempt to “beef up” their transcripts before applying to college.

Fun Experience – The number of students who join because “I always liked to argue” is considerable. These students find competitive debate both challenging and conducive to camaraderie.

Network Recruitment – Many students join a debate team because their friends are members. Others say that their parents, siblings or teachers whom they admire often influence their decision to try competitive debating.

Tips for Parents

The UDL says that because students involved in debate regularly engage in writing, information analysis, and in-depth library and Internet research, they often receive higher grades than non-debaters in high school and are more likely to continue on to post-secondary education.

A recent study published in the journal Communication Education lends further evidence to debate’s educational benefits. The study’s findings showed students who participated in organized debate for at least one year improved their critical thinking skills by 44 percent. If you want to encourage your teen to join a debate team, the Puget Sound Speech and Debate Association suggests informing him or her of these potential benefits of participation. Debating …

Offers preparation for leadership.

Provides for investigation and intensive analysis of significant contemporary problems.

Develops proficiency in critical thinking.

Emphasizes quality instruction.

Encourages student scholarship.

Develops the ability to make prompt, analytical responses.

Develops critical listening skills.

Develops proficiency in writing.

Encourages mature judgment.

Develops courage.

Encourages effective speech composition and delivery.

Develops social maturity.

Develops multicultural sensitivities.

Develops computer competencies.

Although the popularity of debate is rising, many schools do not have a debate program in place. The National PTA encourages parents to approach their children’s school administrators with concerns about student programs or the lack thereof. If your child’s school cannot provide a forum for debate, you can find information for student involvement in national or state high school debate programs by contacting the UDL or the National Forensic League.

References

Urban Debate League

Gifted Tongues:  High School Debate and Adolescent Culture

Communication Education

Puget Sound Speech and Debate Association

National PTA

National Forensic League

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Many thanks to Principal Daryl Perry for his strong advocacy and support of the Duval Urban Debate League.