Debating
Debating is an activity for people who like to joust with each other using words. It is a social activity with the opportunity for interaction with students from other schools and backgrounds. It is an activity which encourages teamwork: the case that a team puts forward must be contributed to in a relevant way by each of the three team members so that the adjudicator and audience are persuaded by a cohesive, convincing argument to accept a certain point of view.
Junior and Senior Inter-house Debating are conducted early in Term 1 to give students the opportunity to begin to discover the joys, pressures and hard work of debating. Alliances and friendly rivalries are usually formed and the boys eagerly anticipate Inter-school Debating.
Wednesday evening for many students in Perth signifies Inter-school Debating. The West Australian Debating League (WADL) Competition begins in March and ends in June. The AHISA Competition begins in August and ends in September. Each competition involves five debates but the AHISA debates have the added pressure of debates on consecutive Wednesdays whereas the WADL Competition meanders along to accommodate school camps, examinations and so on.
The School enjoys considerable success in debating, with boys having been selected for the State and National teams, as well as School teams winning the State Debating finals.
Participation in this activity develops self-confidence, oral skills, logical thinking and teamwork.
Further Information
For further information please contact the Teacher in Charge, Dionn Mankowski on dmankowski@ggs.wa.edu.au or +61 8 9377 9265.