Students will learn the basics on how to construct arguments, how to adapt and persuade different audiences, how compare impacts, as as well as how to ask and answer questions. Each week will focus on one of those skills. After having a short lesson, students will then participate in an activity where students debate and will be given feedback based upon their performance. The second day of each week will repeat the activity of the previous day but with a topic assigned ahead of time. This will enable students to become better in both their impromptu and preparation skills. Students will be taught tricks on how to take notes and listen to their opponents as well as how to think strategically about argument through debate. By the end of each class, students should feel more confident about their abilities as a public speaker and express a greater interest in critical thinking about increasingly advanced topics. As the weeks advance, students will also learn how to work in teams, take both sides of an argument, and engage in both philosophical and policy conversations. 

The BCDA's founder has been run a competitive college debate team for twenty years. He has also run elementary and middle school debate workshops for the past four years both in the US and internationally. We have now taught well over a thousand kids from countries around the world digitally through this platform with great reviews. If for whatever reason you feel the class didn't live up to what you were looking for, please contact us for a refund. We are offering these courses as a way for students to get the benefits of debate and peer-directed education while schools are shutdown. Debate is not necessarily for everyone, but we are confident that if your kid is excited about it they will enjoy this class, and don't want you paying if that's not the case.

Homework Offered
The second day of each week will require students to come prepared for the topic and the activity they were assigned at the end of class from the first day of each week. Students may put in as little or as much work as they decide into preparing. We would suggest on average thirty minutes researching, preparing notes, or talking through arguments with parents or siblings each week. In no situation--other than the learner's pure enthusiasm for a topic--should it take more than an hour or two at the most advanced levels, and even then it would be because the student enjoyed talking about the topic, rehearsing and thinking through what they want to say, and learning more independently. Students who didn't have any time to prepare will still be able to participate in the second day's activities but they will be participating against other students who have taken the time to research and prepare. In these cases, students will learn to utilize their impromptu skills more as they figure out how to critically engage even without sources to back them up. Ultimately, no topic will be so complex that a student who didn't prepare would have no idea what to say. However, every topic for the second day of each week will be advanced enough where preparing ahead of time is both encouraged and expected.
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Students will be assessed on whether or not they won their debate rounds based upon how well they argued their side and answered their opponents. We will also use kahoot quizzes for recap days to ensure students are learning the material. At the conclusion of the curriculum, students will be given a certificate of completion, and the top 25% of the class will be given an award testifying to their accomplishments. At the end of each week, parents will be sent a note by the teacher informing them of their child's strengths and weakness so they can improve. Students will be given oral feedback after each debate and will learn to give their peers constructive feedback as well.
Grades Offered

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.