ASPAS

For many, coming back after the Christmas holidays is challenging in itself. For Ashton debaters, it was marked by the Debate Camp given by Dr. Joseph Schatz, PhD, hosted in our school from January 9^th to January 12^th, 2024. 

“Dr. Joseph Schatz, PhD, is the Director of Debate at Binghamton University where he teaches courses out of the English Department on Media & Politics, Argumentative Theory, and Community Building Through Debate. His debate program has consistently been ranked in the top ten in the United States for the past two decades and was ranked first in the nation in 2009. He has published articles on debate and pedagogy, environmental activism, critical animal studies, parenting and pop culture, as well as technology and apocalypse. He lives in Upstate New York with his wife and two kids.” (www.binghamton.edu) 

This debate camp is evidence of how the school commits to develop the four C’s of 21st Century Education: Critical thinking/problem solving/analyzing, and considering multiple perspectives, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity/Innovation skills.

During the workshop, where students from different levels of experience in the debate forums met, Dr. Schatz took the group through the basics of debate: How to give impact analysis, how to adapt to different audiences, as well as strategies to improve public speaking. Each lesson included both a lecture in addition to an activity where students were able to practice what they learned and internalize the lecture by putting their knowledge into action.

In addition to these lessons, students were also introduced to the Public Forum debate topic that would be addressed during the Harvard competition.  Students also watched a demo debate and participated in two debates on the topic. 

Take-away thoughts from participants:

“The mini-camp with Mr. Joe was very educational and enjoyable. We learned many different skills for debating such as reading in reverse and practiced debating with many different themes in fun and exciting ways.”

– Nickolas Rivera, 9th grade. 

“I learned a lot from this camp not only for my future debates but also how to negotiate in real-life situations. I learned techniques for debate that have been very useful and I also learned different ways to communicate my arguments better. I would love to participate in this camp next year not only because I learned a lot but I also got to meet people from other grades and I made new friends because of this camp.”

– Miranda Taveras, 8th grade

“The main takeaway for me from the debate camp in January was the invaluable opportunity to enhance my critical thinking skills, refine my argumentation techniques, and collaborate effectively within a team. Additionally, the camp provided a platform for me to expand my knowledge on various topics and engage in meaningful discussions with peers who share a passion for debate. As for whether I would like to be chosen again for that camp in January 2025. Participating in the camp was a transformative experience that not only enriched my understanding of debate but also fostered personal growth and development. I believe that returning to the camp would allow me to continue building upon the skills and insights gained previously, while also contributing to the vibrant exchange of ideas within the debate community. Some effective collaboration within debate teams leads to successful teamwork, mutual support, and the achievement of common goals during practice sessions and competitions.”  

– Beatrice Rangel, 11th grade.

“My takeaway was how we were taught how to be better which may sound pretty cliché but things such as reading books fast, from beginning to end, or even saying watermelon in between each word, and we cannot forget the slide show presentations about the basics of arguments and ethos, pathos and logos helped a lot! As well as the constant debates we would have and how we would have to improvise with the information we got in a short amount of time and try our best to debate why what we chose was better. Finally, I cannot leave out how it prepared me and my teammates for the Harvard Debate by working on the topic and simulating a debate.”

– María Andrea Herrera, 11th grade