Student handout 8.1: Suggestions for a debating issue

Your task

1. First collect all the ideas that come into your mind and note them down (brainstorming).
2. Sort your ideas by categories.
3. Then check them against the following criteria:
   a) Do they demand a choice to be made or a decision to be taken?
   b) Are there good reasons to argue for and against a certain choice or decision?
   c) Do you and the other students in class know something about this issue?
   d) Do you think this issue will interest the students in your class?
   e) Do you and the other students have the necessary information, or can you provide it? (Perhaps you know a lot through your daily experience; or you can collect data or reports from other sources, such as books, newspapers or the Internet.)
   If you answer questions a.-e. with no, your suggestion is not suitable.
4. Choose one or two ideas and collect material if necessary. You can phrase the issue as a thesis or a yes/no question.
5. Enter your suggestion on the flipchart under the category it belongs to, together with your names. Make sure you deliver your results before the deadline ends, so that everyone can read your contribution.
6. Cut off the note sheet below, fill it in and deposit it where your teacher showed you. Add your materials.
7. Read the flipchart and the other students’ materials before the lesson.