Webb Today: Debate Spring/Summer 2018

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SPRING/SUMMER 2018 WEBB M AGA ZINE

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T HE WEBB SCHOOL S webb.org

N TODAY’S INFORMATIONSATURATED WORLD, everywhere you turn someone is presenting evidence and making an argument: in opinion articles, on TV news networks, on your Facebook stream… that’s one reason why Webb emphasizes critical reasoning skills in its curriculum. For 10 years, Webb also has offered an opportunity for students who’d like to put those skills to use by building their own arguments:

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“You have to be able to, not just understand facts, but wield your evidence,” explains debate team coach Jessica Fisher.

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n debate, you bring in the critical thin ing s ills from your classes and use them,” says team co captain ictoria iu . ecalling information and using it logically to support an argument is the essence of debate, adds co captain ridgid orbin . “The most important s ill is bringing in nowledge uic ly and e ciently.”

Webb’s emphasis on critical reasoning in the classroom builds a foundation for debate; debate team practice builds the skills needed for competition. Critical reasoning is a complex set of skills, notes Fisher. In debate, critical reasoning requires the ability to evaluate sources and identify biases, and expertise using evidence in support of an argument, not to mention a certain rhetorical flair.

udging by the numbers, that s an appealing combination for Webb students: from less than members a decade ago, the team has grown to more than members, a number isher says is just about right. ebate is available to students as an afternoon activity those interested in competitive debate can ta e part in interscholastic tournaments. Webb s team competes in the igh School ublic ebate rogram, a parliamentary style debate league founded by the laremont olleges ebate nion. The program organi es seven debate tournaments each year each tournament includes debate competitions in two preannounced and two impromptu topics.

Wor ing in teams of three, Webb debate team members prepare beforehand, developing arguments and testing them in moc debates held during practice sessions. There are two to three practice sessions of two to three hours each before each tournament. Students come prepared independent research on the preannounced debate topics is a must.

Typically, orbin says, the first three debates of the year are focused on developing s ills in new team members. “ ur debate team is about community and support.”

That philosophy wor s well with the igh School ublic ebate rogram, which emphasi es education over competition. Team coach isher sees debate as an opportunity to explore ethical and moral considerations, too. As students build their argument for or against a proposition, isher as s them to use only arguments they do agree with, even when they re arguing the side they disagree with overall. “ t s important that when they argue for a side, they stay true to their own beliefs.”

The students’ belief in their positions, and the research and practice they put in, comes out in tournament results. “In the last two years, we have had four students win the coveted First Place Speaker award – an actual gavel: Will Abersek ’17, Bridgid Corbin ’19, Renny Jiang ’20 and Nick Martinez ’18,” says Fisher. “Each time, that’s out of approximately 120 debaters. We also had two teams win the ‘first place team’ award this year alone.”

Webb debate team members have gone on to compete at the collegiate level, at universities including Stanford, eorgetown and S . Tournament wins and collegiate competition are not the end all mar ers of success, though. “ ur successes,” isher says, “have been getting students to love engaging with current events and the nuances and techni ues of using evidence to argue about those events.”