Debate Competition Review
2017-09-03 双语国际课程部
On the 12th of August XiWai took part in its very first national debate competition, facing off against schools from all across China in a top tier public form style debate on the topic: “The United States Federal Government should implement a Universal Basic Income.”
This was an
extremely complex topic
and the competition was joined by several schools with highly advanced and mature debating programs. What Steve and I were most happy to see before the competition and even more so during the competition was the joy, passion and dedication all of or students showed towards the competition and towards debating in general. Many have said they want to help set up a XiWai debating society which is a plan we definitely will follow through on this semester.
Due to
the Calibre and experience on
the other teams we did not make it through to the 2nd round this year, in fact the final 8 teams all came from one school: Shanghai American School (SAS) highlighting the experience they have in school debating in their long tradition as a school but it was a fantastic learning experience and our students showed admiral spirit during the first round. So much spirit in fact that XiWai of all the first time entrants to the competition this year was awarded the prestigious “best new school award” highlighting the commitment the NHSDLC has to improving debate in new areas of education.
Teacher：
William Bond Head of History
Steven Herring Middle School Coordinator
Due to
the popularity of the
competition with our students and the benefits it can have in developing critical thinking abilities, Steven & I propose to create and inter school debating competition this coming semester between both the International & Domestic Middle Schools, with each homeroom putting forward a two person team to take part. Details and organisation to follow in the coming weeks, we fully believe that this will continue to cultivate debate in XiWai and will allow us be successful in following competitions. Jiā Yóu!
Debate！
中文版
Chinese Version
8月12日，上海还处在炎热的暑假中，西外双语国际课程部师生代表参加了第一个全国性的辩论比赛。此次辩论赛的话题争论性十足——“美国联邦政府应实施全民基本收入。”
这的确是一个非常复杂的话题，而且参与的辩手水平都很高。令Steve和我高兴的是，在整个比赛过程中，我们清楚地看到了学生们对辩论的喜爱、激情、奉献精神，以及学生们对如何进行辩论的看法。许多人表示想要帮助西外成立辩论社团，这其实也是我们本学期的计划。
这次辩论赛，我们遇到了一个非常强劲的对手：上海美国学校（SAS），该校一共有8支参赛队伍留到最后，且在辩论方面很有优势。面对如此强大的对手，我们的学生并没有因此而示弱，而是以更积极、更自信地态度去应对对方辩手抛来的任何问题和挑战。对我们来说，这次比赛不仅仅是一个展现自身实力的机会，更是一个不可多得的学习机会。因为我们可以同更优秀的团队同台竞争，也可以向他们学习和借鉴更多的辩论方法。虽然这是我们第一次参加全国性大赛，但我们的团队凭借优秀的表现赢得了评委的一致好评，并荣获了享有声望的“最佳新学校奖”。
辩论这种有竞争力的活动对发展学生批判性思维非常有利。因此，史提芬和我提出了一个计划，这学期，我们将在国内部与国际部之间举办一次辩论比赛，由每班甄选出两个学生参加。细节和流程会在未来几周内公开。我们完全有理由相信，这次辩论赛的举办将会为西外培养更多优秀的辩论团队和辩手，也将为我们能在未来的大型辩论比赛中取得更多成功打下坚实的基础。加油！
