Himeji JALT:

Mission Impossible? Teaching Debate to Large, Multi-level Japanese EFL Classes

Date: Sunday, May 13th, 2007 Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Speaker: Maggie Lieb

Description:
Teaching debate skills to Japanese EFL students presents a unique set of challenges. Aside from the fact that debate is a sophisticated form of interactive discourse, often posing challenges even for native English speakers, teaching debate in Japan could be construed as 'mission impossible' from a cultural perspective. Built upon disagreement, teaching debate could be perceived as imposing an adversarial, individualistic communication style on learners who value more harmonious, non-adversarial types of interaction. Yet, if presented carefully and systematically, debate skills can be effectively taught, leading to an enlightening and enriching learning experience.

In this presentation, the speaker will share her experiences of teaching debate skills to a large, multi-level university EFL class. Activities will be described that encourage students to discover, support, and organize their own opinions, as well as refuting and challenging the opinions of others. Suggestions will also be offered for providing linguistic and conceptual support.

Organization: Himeji Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Himeji JALT)

Cost: JALT Members: free
Non-members: 1000 yen

Venue: Hanakita Shimin Hiroba (Located directly across from Nozato Station on the Bantan Line. Plenty of free parking.) Bantan Line train leaves Himeji Station at 13:46

Location: Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

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Contact Himeji JALT

Website: www.geocities.jp/himejijalt/

Patrick Dougherty
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