Structured classroom debate

This activity is a structured classroom debate designed to help students practice empathetic argumentation by stepping into the shoes of different cultural stakeholders. Each participant is assigned a short character profile that describes a particular viewpoint either supporting or opposing a proposed school policy. They then spend a few minutes preparing a concise argument that follows a clear structure – stating their character’s position, offering a reason, citing evidence or an example, and anticipating one counter‑argument. The class then engages in a timed debate: each student delivers a one‑minute opening statement, a thirty‑second rebuttal to an opposing view, and a thirty‑second closing statement. At the end, participants write a brief personal reflection comparing their own opinion with that of their character and cast an anonymous vote on the policy. This single‑lesson exercise develops empathy by encouraging students to understand and articulate perspectives different from their own, sharpens their skills in logical argumentation, and fosters respectful listening and civic awareness within the classroom context.

 

Resource creators: Orlanda Tavares & Eva Lopes Fernandes

Contact email: orlandatavares@ie.uminho.pt, evalopesfernandes@ie.uminho.pt

Affiliation: Research Centre on Child Studies, University of Minho (Portugal)

Access to the resource: Debate

Audio description: Orlanda Tavares