Should debating / public speaking be taught in all schools, to all students?

[Chocchops72]

Just been listening to Alistair Campbell talking about his new book and arguing that children in state schools should be learning debating skills and public speaking, as is the case in private schools.

I’m in France, with two teens in the state school system. Public speaking skills are absolutely part of the curriculum here. As soon as they could read, they’ve had to learn multiple poems by heart, and to recite them perfectly in front of the class. over the users they’ve done countless oral presentations in class. Both the main exams (brevet at age 15, baccalaureate age 18) have a separate oral exam as well as the written / continuous assessment components. The Grand Oral, which is part of the baccalaureate, is a major component of their final mark and taken very seriously.

It’s just seen as a perfectly normal part of education here. Putting together an argument or opinion and expressing it verbally. And being able to do it in front of a group. Even my otherwise very very shy youngest just gets on with it without much prodding.

what do you think? would you or your children have benefitted / would benefit from public speaking being part of the curriculum?

Absolutely, my dc go to state school. They have friends from extracurriculars who go to private school. The difference is noticible. Private school kids speak very clearly, audibly & enjoy speaking with uncool adults like myself. I enjoy having them for playdates & hope some of their confidence rubs off on my dc..

It would have been horrifying for my eldest if it had been compulsory at school. As it was, he suffered greatly just with the GCSE oral exam. He has a stammer.

However now at uni, he has put himself forward for public speaking assignments. Mainly because: it's his choice, it's subjects he's confident and interested in, he's more mature, he's not being forced to do it by people who don't have a clue about his speech impediment and the time is right for him, not just because he's at a given age that someone else has decided he should do it.

I have run the debate society at my 6th form for 8 years - we did Zoom debates during lockdown. It's been such a brilliant thing for those students, but I'm not sure it should be mandatory. As an option, it can be explored and challenged - rhetoric and presentation skills isn't for everyone

I also teach LAMDA acting qualifications and speaking in public qualifications, but when I leave (which I am doing next half term) there will be no one to take over.

It's an amazing skill for the students, but it's also a skill to teach it

toomanypillows · Today 01:38

I have run the debate society at my 6th form for 8 years - we did Zoom debates during lockdown. It's been such a brilliant thing for those students, but I'm not sure it should be mandatory. As an option, it can be explored and challenged - rhetoric and presentation skills isn't for everyone

I also teach LAMDA acting qualifications and speaking in public qualifications, but when I leave (which I am doing next half term) there will be no one to take over.

It's an amazing skill for the students, but it's also a skill to teach it

It must be. Your students have been lucky to have you. What a loss to the school when you leave.

Debating definitely!!

I never really debated anything until I joined MN.

My views on so so so many things have changed since.

I think debating skills would definitely be useful to help children formulate an argument well. I think the way public debate has gone has been awful, understanding things like straw men, circular arguments, ad hominem attacks etc would be useful for kids to understand what they are listening to. I think current conversations around social justice are so poor because arguments are poorly constructed and usually result in someone being branded a nazi then blocked.

Of course it would help if our Parliament modelled debating a subject, rather than the Pantomime that is PMQT.