OT: Help! I need a topic for a small, easily frameable debate

[corbes]

I've got to run a workshop tomorrow that combines team-building and online research skills. I need a debate topic that is pretty narrow, can be easily researched, and has three or four sides or roles to play.

Probably something less controversial than more is better -- this is a team-building exercise in looking at a topic from different points of view.

Any ideas?

[rkmsuf]

Boxers. Does it increase your ability to slip one past the goalie...discuss...

[corbes]

I suspected this might not work...

[rkmsuf]

There's research out there.

[corbes]

There's research out there.

:p

[rkmsuf]

How about:

That the United States federal government should significantly increase protection of privacy in the United States in one or more of the following areas: employment, medical records, consumer information, search and seizure.

[SirFozzie]

College Sports Scholarships: Waste of Money or enabling college educations?

[yabanci]

just so I'm clear, what do you mean by "team-building"?

[corbes]

College Sports Scholarships: Waste of Money or enabling college educations?

Fozz, I kinda like that -- that just might work...
:D

[corbes]

just so I'm clear, what do you mean by "team-building"?

This is a small (20 or so) group of teachers from throughout our school district who don't really know each other. The exercise will break them into groups of 4 or 5. "Team-building" refers to the process of four people who don't know each other organizing themselves as a team--understanding points of view, accepting differences, and forming a cohesive group. In this case, they'll have to form some kind of presentation based from their research and discussion.

[corbes]

The winner is:

Should student-athletes be compensated?

Thanks Fozz and smurfy. You really saved my afternoon. No kidding.

:)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Darn, I was hoping you'd go for "Gay marriage - good or bad".

(It seems to work out so well around here)

;)

[wig]

If ignorance of the law is not a valid defense, shouldn't the burden of educating the public of all laws fall on the government?

[yabanci]

This is a small (20 or so) group of teachers from throughout our school district who don't really know each other. The exercise will break them into groups of 4 or 5. "Team-building" refers to the process of four people who don't know each other organizing themselves as a team--understanding points of view, accepting differences, and forming a cohesive group. In this case, they'll have to form some kind of presentation based from their research and discussion.

Okay, at first I thought you meant building sports teams, then realized this is probably what you meant.

[corbes]

Darn, I was hoping you'd go for "Gay marriage - good or bad".

(It seems to work out so well around here)

;)


Yeah, I thought about that. It seemed perhaps not-so-good on the team-building front. ;)

[Kam]

An idea I have seen used before with educators is to debate the name of a new school. To help streamline the process you could limit it to an individual from the second half of the twentieth century. Before they start naming people, they need to settle on a list of requirements (e.g. integrity, popularity, influence, etc.). Once they have their list of requirements, they need to rank them, giving each one a specific weight. Now that they have their framework, they start naming people and rank them according to their "rules".

You then allow the groups to present their final choice but they also need to explain their framework. Oftentimes you will find multiple groups coming up with the same person (Martin Luther King, Jr.; Mother Teresa; John F. Kennedy, etc.)

[corbes]

Kam, that's a really nice topic. I'll keep that in mind for future workshops.

Thanks. :)

Edit: I like that most of the time in that project is spent developing a list of "rules" to make judgments by. That's really helpful in this sort of activity.

[CamEdwards]

"The NEA: Terrorist Organization or Just Plain Evil" :)

[Crapshoot]

Catholic School Girls or French Maids, and their place in Modern Day Erotica...

That might work out.. :D

[corbes]

"The NEA: Terrorist Organization or Just Plain Evil" :)

haha. We debated that at lunch the other day, and decided that maybe being a terrorist could be kind of liberating for us. After all, we can't leave kids behind anymore. So if we're terrorists, we can just shoot them.

;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

(Disclaimer: Dark teacher humor. No offense meant to any students.)

[Crim]

I've got to run a workshop tomorrow that combines team-building and online research skills. I need a debate topic that is pretty narrow, can be easily researched, and has three or four sides or roles to play.

Probably something less controversial than more is better -- this is a team-building exercise in looking at a topic from different points of view.

Any ideas?

I'd go with a square. A triangle might work too, but if I understand you correctly, I think a circle or a pentagon would be a huge mistake.

Crim

[AgustusM]

This news story could spark some lively debate and/or demonstations

hxxp://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040225/hl_nm/health_oralsex_dc_1

hxxp used to fight off the trolling software, but the article itself is pretty clinical; and tame, no pictures