Online Debates Lesson

Online Debates

A Lesson for Digital Citizens

Dylan Vetter

Your Guide: Dyl

Hello and welcome! I'm glad to be working alongside you as you prepare for debates both in the classroom and throughout your lives. This lesson will build upon your current knowledge and experience in communicating ideas with others. Let's get started!

Arguing and Discussing Online

How have you felt? What have you experienced? Contribute to our Jamboard with your thoughts!

Central Ideas

How do we assess sources we use, and others have used?

How do we formulate our own arguments?

What are we trying to learn?

How can we recognize flawed reasoning or logical fallacies? How do we react?

How can we charitably interpret an opposing argument?

How can we assess and regulate our own emotions during and after?

What tactics can we use to be empathetic during our discussion?

Take time to explore the resources on this Padlet:

Collection of Resources

Our Process | A Recap

Reflecting

Discussing

Collecting and Assessing

For your debates online, it's important to collect quality resources that support your claim. It's equally as vital to assess the sources provided by others.

When discussing, it's key to remain respectful, to actively listen, and to address ideas, not attack the other person. If a debate ceases being productive, it is time to disengage. I've linked my guide here.

Debating, whether formally or informally, can be exhausting. It's important to check in with and care for yourself aftewards.

Organizational Resources

Here is a graphic organizer to help collect your arguments, evidence, and potential counterarguments.

Here is a graphic organizer to help you reflect on your thoughts and emotions experienced during the debate.

Flipgrid and Zoom Mini-Debates

• First, for our Flipgrid debate room, you will be selecting a debate subject theme, and then recording a short (five minute or less) video of yourself arguing your point.
• You'll then be responding to classmates via text, assessing the substance of their argument and the techniques used.

• Then, for our Zoom debate breakout sessions, groups of three students (one moderator and two debaters) will have ten minutes to conduct a debate. I will be alternating between rooms to observe and help facilitate.

ZOOM

FLIPGRID

Assessment

Transparency is key! This Google Doc hosts the rubric by which I'll be assessing your debate experience in this lesson.

RUBRIC

Reflection

Checking in with yourself after an intellectually or emotionally demanding debate is important! I'd like to exercise those introspective capabilities by filling out a Google Form with your thoughts and insights.

FORM

Twitter

Online and Beyond

There's always discourse on Twitter! You can read or engage in discussions on a variety of political and social topics, depending upon how you search and who you follow.

I now encourage you all to take these skills and apply them in other online environments -- Twitter, Discord, Reddit, TikTok -- as well as in-person situations that you find applicable! I've linked the community guidelines to three popular sites for discourse and debate.

Discord

Debate servers like Politics and Calliopean Club are are spaces where you can debate or moderate conversations on a variety of topics.

Reddit

Subreddits like r/ChangeMyView are places that encourage structured discussion and debate.

Thank you, students!

Reach out any time with questions! You can find me at the library service desk, online through email, or via Twitter!