dudl.org » summer institute

Urban Debate Summer Camp Invite and Registration

director — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:01:53 +0000

INTRODUCING VIRTUAL DEBATE LABS!
CLICK FOR FULL SCHEDULE | REGISTER BELOW

We invite you to join us for one to three weeks of intense debate instruction at the Summer Debate Institute 2010. The final week of one-to-one instruction will take place at William M. Raines High School, 3663 Raines High School, Jacksonville, Florida.

Students can sign up for FREE OPEN REGISTRATION FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN DUVAL COUNTY. In addition to one-on-one and collaborative debate instruction found at most debate institutes, such as theory lectures, lab work, and community debate forums, the Duval UDL will places special emphasis on digital literacy, civic engagement, and service learning. Debate participants will have a wonderful opportunity to learn from many of the top debate coaches from across the country and to develop a personal debate portfolio to enhance their college and career opportunities.

The staff of the debate leadership institute possess highly diverse skill sets. Dynamic educators in English, Language Arts, and History will join us to offer a variety of perspectives on debate. More important, staff for the institute are selected with particular attention to their instructional abilities in addition to highly competitive debate accomplishments. Students from previous years remain in close contact with each other and with their lab leaders.

I hope that you will choose to join us this summer at Paxon Middle School beginning Friday, July 19th, 2010. Please complete the form below to get started. Please bear in mind that the Duval Urban Debate League works hard to fundraise to support scholarships for students in Duval County. Each scholarship is valued at $1000. If, for any reason, you are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so that another student has the chance to take advantage of this opportunity.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely yours,

Duval UDL Administration / Community Debate Council
info@dudl.org | 904-419-3211

Summer Debate Institute

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:48:54 +0000

The Summer Middle School Debate Institute is geared toward teaching students the fundamentals of debate. The camp will teach students how to structure an argument, write a case, research evidence, write rebuttal briefs, deliver a speech, and refute the other team. Students will gain the confidence they need to succeed in any school debate and compete on their middle school debate team.

For complete details on the Summer Read Camp, click here >

Please review the important tips below for new students to Debate!

DON’T BE INTIMIDATED – If it’s your first workshop, you may worry that everyone there will be smarter or more experienced than you are. Rest easy. DUDL will provide you with more background and better coaching than many students will have, regardless of where they come from.
ROOMMATE OR PARTNER TROUBLE – Try to make it work. Don’t decide too quickly that you can’t get along with the other person. Do your best to be kind, friendly, accommodating, and patient. If none of that works, and the problem is really serious, speak to a lab leader or dorm director.
Work. No, really. WORK! – It’s summer, and you get to meet new friends, and the college environment is exciting, and it’s sometimes easy to forget what you’re there for. You need to stay focused! Your workshop time is special. Workshop gives you access to great debate minds, a first-rate library, and much else that’s harder to come by when you’re back home. Your summer experience can make you a much, much better debater, but only if you use the time well.
PLAN YOUR TIME – This includes social time. Frequently early evening time, or the time just after lunch, is free time at workshop – use that for exercise, or hanging with friends, and resolve that the rest of your time will be spent on assignments. If you develop regular work habits each day, you won’t be forced into frantic all-nighters late in the workshop. When possible, work alone or with your partner, and find a place where you won’t be distracted.
SHOW YOUR INSTRUCTORS THAT YOU CARE – Here’s the brutal truth: summer instructors expect their students to be motivated. If you don’t seem to care, they may decide that they don’t care about you. This does not mean that they only want to work with star debaters. It does mean that you need to be engaged in lab meetings, with positive participation. If you’re having trouble with an assignment, ask for help. If you finish an assignment early, ask for more.
ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS – This is critical to success. Don’t be ashamed if you don’t understand a term, a concept, or an argument: ASK. If you don’t feel comfortable asking in front of your peers, go talk to your instructor privately.
STAY HEALTHY – Every year there are debaters who are too sick to attend Summer Camp or to compete in the workshop tournaments. Usually these are students who don’t sleep much – when you get exhausted, you’re more likely to get sick. Again, planning is key; if your work habits are regular, you’ll avoid last-minute, sleepless crunches. If the weather is hot, drink lots of water (not soda or coffee); dehydration can sneak up on you. And if you really do get sick, tell the Coach or Director immediately - a quick visit to the doctor might prevent you from getting sicker.
THE WORKSHOP TOURNAMENT IS A MEANS, NOT AN END – You should regard the Summer Camp as a practice round. This is a good time to experiment, to try out new cases or arguments.
(excerpt from the Jersey Urban Debate League)

Duval Urban Debate League Kicks Off Summer Institute

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:33:36 +0000

The Duval County School Board (DCSB) has approved a proposal for the support of a seven school Duval Urban Debate League for the Fall 2009 academic year. For the first time ever, Duval County middle schools wil participate in urban debate, including: Ribault, Paxon, Butler, Gilbert, SOS Academy, John E. Ford, and Northwestern

The newly formed Duval Urban Debate League (DUDL) will introduce a high tech, rigorous instruction for participating debaters. The Duval Urban Debate League advisory board is made of attorneys, educators and business owners organized under the leadership of social entrepreneur, Jermyn Shannon El, League developer and co-founder of Blacksonville Community Network, Blacksonville Community Network.

“This is a historical moment for education in Jacksonville. I have witness the outcomes of debate in the lives of children and communities. Parents in Jacksonville will really be impressed with how fast students will be able to apprach learning in a different style and attitude once they start debating,” says Jermyn Shannon El. Shannon El is a graduate of Florida State University where he too once debated.

Although the League will only accommodate the seven middle schools this year, Mr. Shannon-El is not stopping there to add reinforcement to the program. You can find him pacing the street downtown Jacksonville in discussion with the city’s top leadership and institutions seeking new partnerships that value social change, including, Florida State College of Jacksonville, Edward Waters College, and several other universities. “One critical element to debate is the longitudinal trend of peer-to-peer mentorsip that debate fosters organically when debaters stick with the program,” says Jermyn. “We seek strategic alliances with higher institutions of learning not only to expose students to the campus life, but to develop an Apprenticeship Program that provides scholarships and paid experience to graduate students and mentors. We want the entire community to benefit from this initiative.”

These developments have been met with great enthusiasm by Duval County Public School principals and educators, who see Urban Debate as a “life saver” and welcome the new public-private partnership facilitated by DUDL, as well as the anticipated positive achievement outcomes.

According to Betty Seabrook-Burney, Honorary Chairperson of the School Board, “The Duval Urban Debate League is a model program that we are expecting very positive outcomes from. I believe it is something every child and adult should learn to do.”

If you have a child that you would like to see participate in Debate, please email us at info[at]dudl.org or call (904) 962-7284.