Debating Conference at Kings College, London
27th June 2007
Advanced level students from John Ruskin College, Croydon College, Coulsdon College and Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College were introduced to competitive debating last Wednesday 27th June. The event was jointly organised and funded through Croydon Aimhigher and Kings College, University of London. The former President of the Debating Society Sara-Jane Smiles and the present President, John Leader Maynard, worked enthusiastically and tirelessly to ensure that the event was a success.
This new venture was led by eight students from the Kings College Debating Society who started the event by demonstrating a competitive debate on "This house believes that examinations should be abolished", leading to a competitive debate at the end of the day by the best 8 students. In between these two activities, 64 students learned the art of competitive debating and were selected by Kings College Debating Society to take part in the final debate.
For many of the students this was the first time that they had spoken in front of a large group of people. The college students identified that they had "learned a lot about themselves", "discovered how to structure a coherent argument" and "developed confidence in their ability to talk in front of a group". They also felt that they would be able to "write succinct answers in their courses".
The Kings College students involved were impressed with the college 16-17 year olds "enthusiasm, motivation and ability to learn quickly". Yen Li, the Kings College Widening Participation Officer said, "I had a great day. The feedback I had from the students was lovely. It was one of the most rewarding events I have ever done".
There is now great enthusiasm from the colleges to develop inter-college competitive debating, giving a greater number of students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills. It is now also hoped that this introduction will lead to an annual event for Year 12 students in Croydon.