English Language Learners and Debate Centered Instruction

Emily La has taught English, English for Multilingual Learners, and AP Seminar at Yerba Buena High School for ten years. English Language Learners make up almost 25% of her school’s population.

“Practically all aspects of Debate Centered Instruction (DCI) intersect with the subjects and courses that I teach. When it comes to studying English Language and Literature in the classroom, people often picture students reading and writing. While these forms of communication are crucial to students’ development of the English subject, equally as important are listening and speaking,” she said.

“When considering students who are English Language Learners and multilingual learners, it is imperative that they have opportunities to actively practice speaking and listening in English as often as possible. I see DCI as a vehicle to provide such opportunities,” she explained.  “I started working with SVUDL as a Teacher Coach a few years ago and saw the impact of Speech and Debate on students’ lives. I found it unfortunate, though, that the number of students participating on our Speech and Debate team was so small. I decided to participate in SVUDL’s DCI Fellowship to learn about how I could bring Speech and Debate into the classroom.”

She recognized that most students probably knew very little about this sport, so introducing it in the classroom would allow for interested students to join the team after their exposure. Four students have joined the team as a result of participating in a DCI activity in her classroom.

Emily has seen a variety of positive outcomes. She believes that DCI helps students work with others, such as when they help a teammate construct an argument for a speech.  She sees how it helps students think critically like questioning or rebutting another classmate’s argument.  In addition, she knows it helps students communicate effectively while delivering a speech. DCI often activities require on-the-spot thinking, and as a result, students practice multiple skills in front of their peers in real time.

“When it comes to a DCI debate, it brings me great joy when students clap their hands or smile in awe after hearing a speech or argument from their classmate. Not only does this build a sense of community in the classroom, but it also builds confidence in students, particularly the ones who might not be aware of the skills that they possess,” she shared.

Overall, students seem to genuinely like DCI in the classroom.  “While I might hear words of resistance from students, they are quite rare. On the contrary, students are often inclined to try out an activity that deviates from what typically happens in a classroom. I have had students ask me at the conclusion of an activity, ‘Can we do this again?’ or ‘When are we going to do this again?’” she emphasized.

DCI benefits reach far and wide into many aspects of learning.  “I had a student who shared with me that he had had trouble understanding claim, evidence, and reasoning when it was first introduced to him in his history class, but after we went over the same concept in my class and he participated in our class debate, it made way more sense to him.”

Emily hopes other teachers will consider bringing DCI to their classrooms.  “While a DCI activity may require a fair amount of preparation and there may be feelings of anxiety or uncertainty around implementation – which is certainly how I have felt – the outcome outweighs in the end. I have yet to regret trying a DCI activity in my classroom. I get to witness students stepping out of their comfort zone, smiling as they come up with a good argument, or cheering and encouraging their classmates to share their ideas,” she recalled.