Debating checklist
You may find the following suggestions helpful when you host a debate. Obviously some steps are mandatory.
At least one week before the debate
Check that the school executive and other appropriate staff know the night and time of the debate
Ensure that there are sufficient classrooms and one meeting space available for the night
Organise chairpeople and timekeepers for the night
Ensure that all students have an after hours contact number
Ring the opposing school to confirm night, time and venue
Ensure that you have the result slips printed for each debate
Organise adjudicators for the night, confirming number, names and grades from the visiting school. (The visiting school should supply half the total number of adjudicators needed for the night
Organise for the classrooms to be cleaned on the day
Organise which classrooms will be used for the debates and which will be preparation rooms. It is customary to put the visiting teams in the debating rooms
Assign teachers for supervisory roles.
A few days before the debate
Ring the opposing school to confirm that arrangements haven’t changed
Organise supper
Organise bells, stop watches, paper and pens or dusters, chalk/white board markers
Organise the adjudicator’s folder: results slips, adjudication guidelines, adjudication team reports, spare paper, pen
Check that you have keys for all areas to be used: classrooms, walkways, car park, etc.
The day/evening of the debate
Before the agreed toss time after 4.00 p.m.
Ensure that the classrooms for debates are thoroughly cleaned
Arrange the classrooms into the appropriate format
Place signs on the doors of the debating rooms, toilets, entry into car park, walkways
Lay out beverages: milk, tea, sugar, coffee, cups, stirrers in the meeting area
Organise a whiteboard or overhead detailing all the relevant information about each debate: year level, debating room & visitor’s preparation, home preparation, adjudicator, start time
Post student helpers (in pairs) at the gate, carpark, walkways to guide visitors to the meeting area
Ensure that all classrooms, walkways, toilets are unlocked
Position a staff member for supervision of preparation rooms.
First half hour including the toss
Greet visitors in the meeting area. Serve beverages (optional)
Before the toss, ask team members to hand their mobile phones or any other tech device, to a responsible adult, if they have not already done so. If they don’t have anyone to give such to, then have some container ready to take them yourself. Remind them that there are penalties for having a tech device with them from this moment on
Start the seniors debates as soon as both teams are present – visiting teams calls the toss; the winner is affirmative
Have the chairpeople escort the visiting teams to the debating rooms for preparation
Immediately record the departure time. To get the start times, add 1 hour for preparation and 5 minutes for debaters to get to their preparation rooms
Sequentially start the debates from senior through to year 7.
10 minutes before the start of debates
Meet with chairpeople and timekeepers and go through chairperson and timekeeper sheets
Set out the food (minimal supper is fine) for after the debate (Parents of debaters are often willing helpers)
When debate times approach, remind the audience that any use of mobile phones or any other tech device is strictly forbidden and that penalties exist for anyone breaking this rule. (IT Guidelines on website).
Invite audience to follow chairperson to the debating room – timekeeper picks up the home team from their preparation room. Don’t forget the adjudicator!
After the debates
Record the results on the white board / overhead/ppt
Results slip – collect the adjudicator’s copy. Make sure adjudicator name and grade are on the result sheet. It is a good idea to check this with the representative from the visiting school. With this information you could fill in the weekly result sheet straight away. Tell the visiting school you will email a copy of the Weekly Result Sheet to them for final checking
Ensure that all classrooms, walkways, toilets, etc. are locked up
Clean the meeting room.
Scan and email the Weekly Result Sheet to CSDA () and CC the email to the opposing Coordinator before the end of school on the Monday following the debate.
Hosting adebate
Rooms
Preparation rooms
Each team must have its own preparation room. Please try to ensure that other teams and visitors waiting for debates to begin do not become noisy in the vicinity of preparation rooms or attempt to distract students while they are preparing. No one may enter the room during the preparation period. If the room in which a team is preparing is to be used for a debate it is preferable for it to be set up before preparation time begins. If it is not, it should be set up after the conclusion of the team’s full 1 hour of preparation. A full sized classroom is not necessary for preparation.
Debating rooms: Debating rooms should be set up as shown in the diagram below
Board
AffirmativeNegative
Team Team
Audience
The subject for the debate should be written on the board, as well as the names of the teams and speakers. For example: