This article presents original qualitative research applying paired text study, "havruta" learning, to the secular college classroom. I adapted this method to a first-year seminar in a public university and found that students perceived that "havruta" improved their abilities to verbalize their understandings through reading…

Although written expression is a valuable tool for both teacher and student to assess learning, teachers must be mindful that writing skills are often delayed for many youth. Through brain research, educators have not only learned that reading and writing skills must be acquired, but even some advanced students have deficiencies in processing…

This article reports from an empirical study on the affordances and constraints for using staged socio-political debates for authentic summative assessment of scientific literacy. The article focuses on conditions for student participation and what purposes emerge in student interaction in a socio-political debate. As part of the research project,…

Have you ever avoided discussing controversial issues in the classroom? Teachers report often avoiding these types of discussions due to concerns about the unpredictability of student reactions, accusations of trying to push a political agenda, and insufficient knowledge or skills to work through complex issues. Debates, however, have been shown…

Non-participation and poor quality participation in online environments is often discussed in the literature. Interaction and engagement in online discussions are critical for understanding and constructing new knowledge. In this case study, we examined messages posted by graduate students in four online debates for quantity and quality. The…

Policy makers have advanced out-of-school time learning as a means to address far-reaching class and racial/ethnic disparities in high school achievement and college readiness, particularly in urban districts. However, limited data have hindered large-scale efforts to evaluate the influence of such activities on student achievement. Recent federal…

Reviews the history of the National Debate Tournament (NDT) and discusses its positions regarding fundamental issues confronting intercollegiate debate. Suggests that participation in the NDT may not be appropriate for all schools. (PA)

An assignment focuses on introducing students to the complexities involved in rendering a decision concerning the First Amendment to the Constitution. During the first week of classes, students are asked to read the introductory sections to the topic-specific chapters in "Freedom of Speech in the Marketplace of Ideas" by Fraleigh and…

In this study we examined response patterns in exchanges between males and females and their effects on gender participation in five online debates. Students classified messages into arguments, evidence, critiques, and elaborations while posting messages to the debates to facilitate argumentation and the sequential analysis of message-response…

Describes the increasing interest in high school debate teams among minority group students. Participation in debate, no longer the province of white students alone, can result in increased college admissions, thanks in part to the Urban Debate League. (SLD)

Few challenges involved in forensics coaching are as challenging as finding and maintaining qualified students in the program. Urban commuter colleges possess unique opportunities for developing broad-based, diverse forensics programs. The University of Missouri-St. Louis (UM-St. Louis) provides an example of how directors might take advantage of…

As the baby boomer generation moves into its late 30's and early 40's, the number of students returning to college older than 35 has increased, and is, in fact, one of the fastest growing student populations in higher education. Most adult students return to school for job-related reasons. Adult students participating in forensic programs do so…

As college and university administrators appraise speech and debate activity, their responses clearly affect the strength and survival of local programs. The director or coach of a debate team must help decision-makers see the educational, social, and personal relevance of forensics. Public presentations of debates that begin with a round of…

One way in which communication educators can effectively build students' critical thinking skills is by incorporating argumentation techniques into classroom discussions and assignments. The following argumentation skills are particularly suitable in helping students learn to think more critically. The first technique is the presentation of…