(Refer back to Oct. 2007 for a description of how the debates were set up)

I said I would let you know how the debates are going and I am glad to say that they are going well. Some students need more guidance and encouragement to be prepared than others but overall their desire to perform well in front of their peers has motivated them to be well prepared. This year I am going to give them a preliminary list of controversial subjects in science that they can all investigate before choosing their topics. Then the entire class will have had more exposure and the team members for each topic should have a better idea of the issues involved before choosing a topic.

Positive results include improvements in finding real evidence for their positions, increased abilities to discuss topics with logic and organization and a widening interest in the STS issues confronting our society.