Should homework be banned for elementary school students?
This was the topic debated by dozens of fourth and fifth-grade students from Queen Anne and Magnolia area schools who gathered at Lawton Elementary on Feb. 5.
The students from Lawton, Coe and John Hay elementary schools and Catharine Blaine K-8 participated in a debate club tournament sponsored by Successful Schools in Action (SSIA).
The event was the culmination of a 12-week program in which students met once a week to learn the fundamentals of debate, according to Lisa Moore, executive director of SSIA.
Moore said this is the sixth year of the debate program, which helps students develop critical thinking and analytical skills. Young people “gain the confidence and poise necessary for public speaking,” she added.
Parent Andrew Aiken said that his daughter Ava has “really developed her eye-contact skills” through debate.
[Debate helps students] “gain the confidence and poise necessary for public speaking.”
Lisa Moore, Executive Director of Successful School in Action
He has also noticed that her ability to speak loudly in front of groups has improved since she joined the debate club. Ava is a student at Blaine. Each two-student team completed two rounds, one arguing the affirmative and the other the negative, while family and friends looked on. The students were judged by volunteers from throughout the community, who awarded scores up to 30 points for items such as teamwork, presentation and effectiveness of argument.
Kelly Charlton spoke of how beneficial debate is for young children, so they can learn there are two sides to every argument. For Charlton’s son Anders, as well as many other kids, this was his first debate.
Charlton said that while Anders was nervous in the morning, he quickly got excited when they entered the school.
A team of students assigned the affirmative said homework could cause undue stress on elementary students and take time away from important activities, such as arts and sports.
One student argued that schools should strive to mold “creative thinkers, not robots.”
When assigned the negative, one team argued that some concepts taught in school are too complicated to just be covered in class, and need additional time to master. Another team noted that homework allows parents and guardians the chance to see what students are learning.
In addition to participation certificates given to all students, 10 teams were awarded “Best Teams of the Tournament,” while 15 individuals were given medals for best speaker.
Keenan Van Duesen, a fourth grade student at John Hay Elementary, explained that after he heard about the club he immediately wanted to join and hopes to continue in middle school.
“The research was kind of boring,” Van Duesen said, “but the rest was exciting.”
For more information on the coming spring debate session or how to volunteer, visit www.schoolsinaction.org