Debates
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Organising debates
The workbook poses very open questions to stimulate class discussions and debates.
Through these debates, children can express themselves freely on subjects where different points of view need to be taken into account.
Opposing different points of view, learning to exchange ideas and listen to others are a great step in the direction of an education that respects the dignity of others and an understanding of different contexts.
The idea is to make children aware that you cannot simply resolve complex subjects with a "well, we just need to do this" or a "we have to do that...".
Teachers will lead children to observe, to understand the many angles of the same problem, to see the complexity of decision making, to understand what may be at stake and the roles of the many people involved from a political, economic and social viewpoint. It's about training them to become better citizens.
Organizing debates also enables teachers to play a slightly different role. They are no longer knowledge providers but facilitators who fuel the debate with extra information as and when it is required. Such debates, more and more valued in educational circles today, enable educators to measure how far children adhere to received ideas and misinformation but also to see how children perceive their world.
