• Debating in the World Schools Style: A Guide [top]
  Published in 2009 in the United States by IDEBATE PRESS (International Debate Education Association) in paperback, 254pp, ISBN 9781932716559

About this book: Debating in the World Schools Style is a how-to-guide to the most popular style of debating among students across the world. The book is designed for all debaters - from those who have never debated before to those who have significant experience - as well as for coaches and supporters. Written by a former winner of the World Schools Championships, the guide covers all aspects of debating: 1. Preparation - including sections on team preparation, individual preparation, and teamwork. 2. Rebuttal. 3. Style. 4. Points of Information and Reply Speeches. A unique organization divides concepts into three levels - beginner, intermediate, and advanced - so that readers can utilize the information most relevant to them. Debating in the World Schools Style also contains activities to assist debaters and coaches as well as a list of 500 debate motions in a wide variety of subject areas, from environment to gender issues; science to religion

Contents:
Acknowledgements; Introduction
How to Use This Book
Debating: A Basic Introduction

Chapter One: Preparation:
The Big Picture
Step 1: The Issue and Definition
- Finding the Battleground
-- Finding the Issue
--The Definition, What is the definition? How to Define A Motion, Limiting Motions by Definition, The Need for a Netural Definition
- The Right of Definition
-- No Exclusive Right, More Reasonable, Closer to the Real Issue of the Motion, The Exclusive Right
- Triggers:
-- Triggers for What Your Team Needs to Prove: Should, Too, Failed, Big Red Ball Motions
-- Triggers for the Degree to Which Your Team Needs to Prove Its Argument: General Truth, Absolutes, "Justify Motions", The Confusing Words "We" and "Our"
-- Triggers for Developing Your Case: Comparison Debates, Debates About A Particular Age or Generation
-- Triggers for Disclaimers, Speculative Debates, Sensitivities

Step 2: The Case Approach
-The Theme or Caseline
--How Often Should the Theme Be Used?
--How Should the Theme Be Presented?
-The Team Stance
--A Model: How Specific Does the Model Need to Be?
--An Alternative from the Opposition: Is the Alternative Really Necessary? Is the Alternative Mutually Exclusive to the Motion?
--The Invalid Opposition
--Drawing a Line in the Sand
--A Stance on Associated Issues
--Ignoring Your Model or Stance
--How Not to Rebut Models
-The Strategy of Case Development
--Debating: A Game
--Playing Hardball
--Fear Complexity, Not Controversy
--Playing Hardball Is a Whole Case Approach: Arguing Too Much
--Criteria: what are criteria in Debating? Using Criteria; Taking Criteria Too Far; Criteria - a loaded term; Criteria - Key Points

Step 3: The Arguments
-The Basic Approach
--What Do We Mean by an "Argument"?
--Why Do We Need Distinct Arguments?
--The Basic Structure of an Argument
--How Many Arguments Do You Need?
-Examples:
--Analysis of Examples. Weak Analysis: A Case Study
--Adding More Examples
--Statistics
--Other Alternatives to Examples
--Finding Content: News and Current Affairs; Research; Fabricating Content
--Credibility in Presenting Content: Home Turf Examples
--Use of Substantiation Elsewhere in Your Case: Sophistication in Explanation
-Testing Your Arguments:
-- Specific Weaknesses; Inconsistency; Insignificance; Arguments That Are Too General; Irrelevance: Dependent Arguments
-Conclusion to Step 3

Step 4: The Split
-The Basic Concept
--Choosing the Grouping
--A Hung Case
--Common Splits
--Where to Start?
--Content Splits

Step 5: Preparing Individual Speeches
-The Need fo Structure
-Speaker Roles
--First Speakers
--Second Speakers
--Third Speakers
-Signposting
-A Formal Introduction
-A Brief Introduction
-Setting Up Your Team's Approach
-A Brief Link to the Team Case
-The Outline and Summary
-A Conclusion
-Timing

Teamwork in Preparation
-Introduction
-The Basics
--Basic Steps: Brainstorming; Feeding Back; Case Development; Writing Speeches; Final Discussions
--Resolving Differences of Opinion
-Short Preparation Before the Debate
--The Basic Timing
--Hastening Slowly
--Leadership
-"Oh &@!#$^@!!!" (or Short Preparation during the Debate)
--Deciding to Abandon Your Case
--Start with the Big Picture

Chapter Two: Rebuttal
The Important of Rebuttal
What Should You Rebut?
-Rebutting Your Opposition's Theme
-Rebutting Examples and Statistics
-Rebutting Rebuttal
-The Importance of Being Thorough
--Preparing for Rebuttal

Definitional Rebuttal
-Definitional Rules Revisited
-Deciding to Rebut Your Opposition's Definition
-How to Rebut the Definition
-Definitional Challenges and Their Impact on the Debate as a Whole
-The Definitional "Even If"
-Dealing with an Unreasonable Definition
-Parallel Cases: A Special Issue

The Internal Structure of a Rebuttal Point

The Overall Structure of Rebuttal
-Starting Your Rebuttal
-Strategic Allocation of Rebuttal Time
-First and Second Speaker Structure
-Third Speaker Structure

Key Grounds for Rebuttal
-Logical Irrelevance
-Insignificance
-Factual Inaccuracy
-Unsubstantial Assertions
-Underlying Assumptions
-Causation
-Contradictions
-Misrepresentations

Cumulative Rebuttal
Conclusion

Chapter Three: Style
Introduction
Being Yourself

Visual Presentation
-Start from the Very Beginning
-Eye Contact
-Gesture
-Stance
-Mannerisms

Vocal Presentation
-Speed
-Volume
-Variation

Verbal Presentation
-The Importance of Clarity
-Clever Verbal Techniques
-Humor

General Pointers
-Using Note Cards Effectively
-The Importance of Context

Chapter Four: Points of Information and Reply Speeches
Introduction
Points of Information
-What Are Points of Information?
-Offering Points of Information
--How Many Points Should You Offer?
--When Should You Offer Points of Information?
--How Should You Offer Points of Information?
--How Should You Deliver A Point When Accepted?
-Responding to Points of Information
--How Many Points of Information Should You Accept?
--When Should You Accept Points of Information?
--How Should You Decline A Point of Information?
--How Should You Accept a Point of Information and Respond?
-Reply Speeches
--What Are Reply Speeches?
--The Aim of a Good Reply Speech
--The Structure of a Reply Speech
--Choosing the Issues
--The Interaction Between Reply Speeches and Third Speeches
--Style and Reply Speeches

Conclusion
Appendixes
Games and Activities
-Introduction to Debating
--Group Preparation
--Forum Debate
--Understanding Theory
-General Knowledge and Current Affairs
--The Name Game
-Style Skills
--Elements of Style
-Preparation and Delivery Skills
--Short Preparation Practice
--Very Short Preparation Debates
--Mixing Things Up
--Scramble Debates
--Surprise-Case Debates
--Interrogation Debate

Motions

• Reasoned Rationales: Exploring the Educational Value of Debate [top]
  Edited by Joseph P. Zompetti
  First published in 2011 in the United States by IDEBATE Press (International Debate Education Association), 285pp, ISBN 1617700231

About this book: Debate professionals have argued for decades about how academic debate yields a series of benefits for participants: such as in research skills, critical thinking skills, listening skills, public speaking and advocacy skills, higher matriculation rates for high school debaters, better careers for college debaters, and more democratic engagement as an overall result of debate experience. The numerous articles (some of the material originates from an academic exchanged hosted by IDEA in Prague in 2006) in this anthology on the benefits of debate demonstrate is pedagogical value. Many studies describe debate's value from the perspective of participants and alumni, and causal relationships between debate and some of the beneficial skills it develops. Regardless of the approach, studies about the value of debate provide crucial insight into why students all over the world embrace debate. More than insight, however, these articles offer us key arguments to promote debate to administrators, parents, community leaders, donors and others. Given that the studies have been conducted by professors and scholars, arguments presented about the value of debate have a certain level of legitimacy. As a result, we have a pool of information supporting the need for teaching and engaging in debate. We also know that different styles of debate are performed in different parts of the world. Some of the studies conducted on the value of debate concentrate on specific styles. Others, however, look at debate as a whole and discuss its educational value in toto. All debate styles have core elements in common: debate involves research, speaking, listening, arguments and clash of ideas. The articles presented in this volume look at the value of debate in accordance with these common characteristics.

This book also answers one key problem about debate studies - the preface points out that many key works are difficult to locate and to access - almost all of them have been published in debate or argument journals, newsletters, book chapters or conference proceedings. This book compiles some of the most valuable, interesting and useful articles on the educational value of debate; however it is not an exhaustive list of them

Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part 1. Making the Case for Academic Debate
-Intercollegiate, Audience-style Debating: Quo Vadis by Charles DeLancey and Halford Ryan
- A Rationale for Intercollegiate Debate in the Twenty-First Century by Timothy O'Donnell

Part 2 Skills Learned Through Debate
-A Meta-analysis of the Impact of Forensics and Communication Education on Critical Thinking by Mike Allen, Sandra Berkowitz, Steve Hunt and Allan Louden
-Academic Debate and Critical Thinking: A Look at the Evidence by Robert Greenstreet
-The Effects of Debate Participation on Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggression by Kent R. Colbert
-Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Relational Satisfaction in the Parliamentary Debate Dyad by Crystal Lane Swift and Christina Vourvoulias
-Parliamentary Debate is More Serious Than You Think: Forensics at the University of Chicago by Donald J. Bingle
-Measuring Refutation Skills: An Exploratory Study by Don Faules
-The Benefits and Costs of Participating in Competitive Debate Activities: Differences between Japanese and American College Students by Narahiko Inoue and Mika Nakano
-University Student Perceptions of the Efficacy of Debate Participation: An Empirical Investigation by David E. Williams, Brian R. McGee and David S. Worth

Part 3. Debate Teaching
-A Research-based Justification for Debate Across the Curriculum by Joe Bellon
-Competitive Forensics Experience as a Predictor of Teaching Effectiveness by Sheila L. Hughes
-An Assessment of University Administrators: Do They Value Competitive Debate and Individual Events Programs? by Robert S. Littlefield

Part 4. Debate and Advocacy
-Pedagogical Possibilities for Argumentative Agency in Academic Debate by Gordon R. Mitchell
-The Role of Advocacy in Civil Society by Joseph P. Zompetti

Part 5. Debate and Career Training
-High School Student Perceptions of the Efficacy of Debate Participation by Robert S. Littlefield
-Graduate School, Professional, and Life Choices: An Outcome Assessment Confirmation Study Measuring Positive Student Outcomes beyond Student Experiences for Participants in Competitive Intercollegiate Forensics by Jack E. Rogers
-The Impact of Prior Experience in Intercollegiate Debate upon a Postsecondary Educator's Skill-set by Doyle Srader