Do you wonder if your students will ever glimpse the relevance of science to their lives? Have your impassioned discourses on the ethical implications of stem cell research, human cloning, physician assisted suicide, genetically engineered crops, etc, etc, been met by vacant stares? If so, I share your frustration.

This year, in yet another attempt to educate our “citizens of tomorrow” I decided to try debates in my classroom. I started by asking my students to name some current science issues. After a very brief discussion, I suggested that they talk with their families and friends and then hand in a list of 5 controversial subjects with an explanation of how they are related to biology. From those lists I selected the 9 most frequently mentioned topics and passed around a sign-up sheet. The students chose three topics and I selected the members of the proponent teams and the opponent teams for each topic. Then I searched the internet for information on the duties of each team member, debate protocols and scoring systems which I used to make a packet for each teammember. The audience participates by taking notes, scoring points and by asking questions before the closing comments. I scheduled the debates for one Friday per month (30 minute periods) which works out pretty well as we don’t have to transition to another activity.

When I handed out the lists of teams, I explained to my students that I had chosen the teams because I did not want these debates to be about personal beliefs. I want them to find evidence to support the position of their team and learn how to present that information logically and to respond to the arguments of the opposing team in a relevant manner.

My goals for my students are to raise their awareness about the issues, learn how to locate information and evaluate the validity of sources and express themselves rationally, clearly and concisely. I am not interested in convincing my students of any particular position. I just want them to consider the evidence and think for themselves. So far I have been overwhelmed by the results. The students have a strong desire to be well prepared and to perform well and are improving with each debate. I will let you know how it goes as the year progresses.