In discussing the relationship between debate and education as well as the presence
and relevance of debate in schools, we wish to focus on two main areas. On the one
hand, we aim to outline methods and procedures for the development of a sophisticated
debate attitude in schools as a necessary skill in adult life. The aim is to develop
a new debate concept in students, and the first task of teachers in this process is
to support them to evaluate their debate experiences from a new perspective, to dismantle
and give up their previous debate concepts. Another important area of linking debate
and education is the use of debate as a teaching method in the classroom. This is
another area where there is plenty of room for improvement. Although teacher training
curricula include an introduction to debate as a method, professional teachers do
not often dare to use it during regular class progress, even though it can be used
to good effect in all subjects. The two areas (development of a sophisticated debate
attitude and the more conscious, courageous and intensive use of debate as a teaching
method) are strongly intertwined. Once students have practised the skills necessary
for a successful and sophisticated debate style in home classes and boarding school
sessions, and have become familiar with the ethics and etiquette of debate, they will
perform better in classroom debate situations and will be more effective in debates
connected to regular classes. In our presentation, we hope to provide some useful
ideas and advice for a more significant presence of these two areas in schools.
