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Tips for judges

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Moral Dilemmas - an exercise aiming at forming arguments, taking sides and justifying ones decisions.

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by Graham Dixon 46,705 views

My favorite way to reward them is with a game such as The Bridge or by playing Jeopardy. Another option is a classic moral dilemma, adapted for the ESL classroom: The Balloon Debate.

How to Organize a Thrilling Debate Session

1. Setup (Listening or Reading)

I wrote a one-page introduction for my class to read together; you could do the same, or it could be a short listening exercise. The text might read:
The attention of the world's media is focused today on five teams of celebrities who are competing in a round-the-world balloon race. They will begin in Boston and fly east over the Atlantic. The race intends to raise millions of dollars for worthy charities, and will feature 'Big Brother'-type fixed-camera TV and Internet coverage, which expected to bring in hundreds of thousands of viewers.
At this point, check the important vocabulary (balloon, competition, celebrity, charity, coverage) and establish why the race is taking place. Elicit some examples of charities and how they help people. Ask about conditions on a hot air balloon, and perhaps about the physics of what keeps them in the air.

Then, introduce the passengers. There is a single pilot, as well as five celebrities. I would recommend against using real celebrities, as pre-existing opinions will unhelpfully color the debate. Feel free to be inventive with the details, but I recommend a mix of ages, genders, skills, titles and special details. Here are three examples:
Dr. Stephen Fairfax (aged 76) is a pioneering surgeon and inventor of the artificial heart valve. He still teaches at a prestigious university and has mentored several of the world's leading surgeons. Angelica Lombardi (aged 34) is an Oscar-winning Italian actress and supermodel. She has used her considerable fame to raise money for charities, and was recently referred to in the British press as 'The Italian Diana'. She has adopted two children with her partner. Professor Jim Myers (aged 51) is a 'once in a generation mind', according to Stephen Hawking. His work on cosmology and quantum physics has revolutionized our understanding of the universe. He writes prolifically and appears on cable TV regularly to debunk bad science and encourage young people to enter the profession. He has three grown children.
The students should, from the outset, form a picture of these individuals and begin to establish their views on each person's value to society. Perhaps elicit opinions on which of the five professions is the most worthwhile; include sports and the arts, though they will generally be pushed lower down the list by business people, scientists and medics. What do these opinions tell us? Are there any strong views either way?

2. The Emergency
Describe the situation to your students, either as a reading or listening task. The balloon sets off successfully from Boston and makes its way slowly across the Atlantic. After a few hours of good progress, the pilot suddenly begins to look worried. The balloon's supply of fuel seems to be leaking and, when the pilot investigates the tank, discovers that it cannot be stopped. He calculates that they will be unable to make landfall, and cannot turn back because of unfavorable winds. The only way any of them can survive is if the balloon sheds as much weight as possible. The passengers throw out everything they can find, but the difference is minimal. The pilot makes it clear to a panicking group that the true problem is the weight of the people...

3. Initial Ordering

Invite the students to consider the order in which the five passengers should be thrown out of the balloon. What criteria will they use? Should the oldest person go first, irrespective of his health and status? Or perhaps the youngest? Should it be the person seen as least valuable to society, even if they have children?

Inform your students that the pilot cannot be thrown out, as no-one else can safely land the balloon, and that (for the purposes of the exercise) all five passengers have the same weight. Scientists can neither repair nor pilot the balloon, and no rescue is available, as it is night time and a panicked passenger has already thrown the GSP transponder overboard.

Compare the students' lists. Do any themes emerge? Why?

4. Role-play Setup

Each student will now represent one of the characters. They can be assigned randomly, or through a system of your choosing; larger classes will end up with two or three of each character, which is fine.

To prepare for the debate, the students should consider two aspects:

1. I should not be thrown out of the balloon, because....

2. The others should be thrown out before me, because...

Give them a few minutes to make some notes, guarding against writing full sentences which they will simply read during the debate; the aim is fluent and spontaneous language production. If necessary, review the language of agreement and disagreement, comparison (I'm more vital to the economy than you are...), persuasion and criticism.

5. The Debate

The students have ten minutes (approx.) to persuade each other of their importance. Their objective is to push their way to the bottom of the list, so that they're less likely to be thrown out. Monitor this (usually very noisy and boisterous) activity, throwing in ideas to complicate or simplify the debate, as necessary. Each student should spend time with an example of every other character, so they will have at least four conversations.

6. Voting

Once the dust has settled, invite the students to compose their individual list, at the top of which is the person will be thrown out first. Tally these votes on the board, giving one point for the person in most peril, and five for the safest person. The character with the least points is then thrown out, followed by the second, etc.

Ask your students how this list came to be. What criteria did they use? Are they surprised by the results? What do they tell us about society, and how we view particular professions? What would have made the choice more difficult? Make notes on this last question, and consider adapting the debate to make it more difficult to choose between the five characters; I've spent years fine-tuning my own, and it's different every time.

The Balloon Debate is a long-standing ESL classic which still has many miles in its tank.

I hope it helps to create some memorably noisy and contentious classes!

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, please help spread it by clicking one of those sharing buttons below. And if you are interested in more, you should follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English.

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The Balloon Debate: An Integrated ESL Classic in 6 Easy Steps

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by Graham Dixon 46,705 views My favorite way to reward them is with a game such as The Bridge or by playing Jeopardy. Another option is a classic moral dilemma, adapted for the ESL classroom: The Balloon Debate. I wrote a one-page introduction for my class to read together; you could do the same, or it could be a short listening exercise.

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Debates tend to instantly engage students, but they can also sharpen their research and public speaking skills. No matter your reasons for using them, having debates in your classroom is a sure way to get your students thinking and talking.

You may require your students to research topics before debating them or even prepare speeches to state their point of view. Learning how to productively debate will improve your students' communication skills as they practice speaking and listening. These skills will serve them in college and the diverse career world beyond.

Debate Topics

The following 50 debate topics can be used in high school or advanced middle school classrooms. They are organized by genre and some can be modified for use in different subjects. Each item is listed in the form of a question to propose to your students that has at least two points of view.

Science and Technology

Should human cloning be banned?

Should renewable forms of energy be subsidized by the government?

Should the U.S. government fund a space mission to Mars?

Should social media comments be protected by free speech?

Should parents be allowed to choose their baby's gender?

Should animal testing be banned?

Should the U.S. government provide internet service to every citizen?

Are video games too violent for children?

Should the manufacturing of nuclear weapons be permitted?

Laws and Politics

Is it ever appropriate for the government to restrict freedom of speech?

Is democracy the best form of government?

Should citizens who do not vote be fined?

Is the right to bear arms a necessary constitutional amendment today?

Should the legal voting/driving/drinking age be lowered or raised?

Should a border fence be constructed between the U.S. and Mexico?

Should America give foreign aid to other countries?

Should drone attacks against specific targets be used for modern warfare?

Should affirmative action be abolished?

Should the death penalty be abolished?

Should microaggressions be punishable by law?

Should the cruel treatment of animals be illegal?

Social Justice

Should partial-birth abortion be illegal?

Should all parents be required to attend parenting classes before having a child?

Should parents be required to vaccinate their children?

Should mixed martial arts be banned?

Should celebrities be required to be positive role models?

Should people be fined for not recycling?

Are progressive tax rates just?

Should performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in sports?

Should marijuana use be considered a crime?

Should every student be required to take a performing arts course?

Should homework be banned?

Should school uniforms be required?

Is year-round education is a good idea?

Should physical education be required of all high school students?

Should all students be required to perform community service?

Should schools block YouTube?

Should students be able to leave school grounds for lunch?

Are single-sex schools better for student learning and mental health?

Should schools punish cyberbullying that occurs outside of school?

Should teachers not be allowed to contact students through social media?

Should public prayer be allowed in schools?

Should high-stakes state testing be abolished?

Should poetry units be removed from the curriculum?

Is History (or another subject) actually an important subject in school?

Should schools be allowed to track students by academic level?

Should students be required to pass algebra to graduate?

Should students be graded on their handwriting?

Should all students be required to co-op?

Should the theory of creation be taught in schools?

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Debates tend to instantly engage students, but they can also sharpen their research and public speaking skills. No matter your reasons for using them, having debates in your classroom is a sure way to get your students thinking and talking.

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Giving young people a voice through education, debate and by raising their awareness about worldwide issues.

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The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (source: Wikimedia Commons)

In our daily lives, we're constantly hearing or making persuasive arguments. We may be listening to a colleague's argument for why we should support one of her initiatives. We may hear an argument for why we should buy a certain product. Or we may need to make our own argument to get approval for one of our projects.

How should we evaluate arguments that people make to persuade us? And how should we construct our own arguments to be the most effective?

T. Edward Damer shares an excellent framework for creating good arguments in his book Attacking Faulty Reasoning. Damer begins by explaining what an argument is. At its core, an argument consists of a conclusion and one or more premises, or claims. The conclusion is what the communicator wants his or her audience to accept, and the premises are the reasons for believing the conclusion to be true. According to Damer, here's the formal definition of an argument:

"An argument is constituted by two or more explicit and/or implicit claims, one or more of which supports or provides evidence for the truth or merit of another claim, the conclusion."

So how do you craft a good argument? Damer shares the five principles for developing a good argument:

Let's look at each of these principles in more detail.

1. Structure

A good argument must meet the fundamental structural requirements of a well-formed argument.

"Such an argument does not use reasons that contradict each other, that contradict the conclusion, or that explicitly or implicitly assume the truth of the conclusion."

To evaluate any argument for whether it violates the principle of Structure, ask the following questions:

Does the communication include at least one reason to support the conclusion as being true? If it doesn't, then it's not an argument - it's merely an opinion. An unsupported conclusion is an opinion; a conclusion supported by reasons is an argument.

Could any of the key premises be interpreted as making the same claim as the conclusion? If so, then it's a "circular argument" - there's no independent reason given to support the conclusion. Since A, therefore A. No one is likely to use the exact same words in both the premise and the conclusion, so you need to ask yourself if a premise can be interpreted as making the same claim as the conclusion. "Joe is nuts," Gary says. "Why do you say that?" I ask. "Because he's so crazy," Gary replies. Since A, therefore A.

Do any of the premises contradict another premise, or does the conclusion contradict any of the premises?

2. Relevance

The reasons that a communicator provides as part of his or her argument must be relevant for the truth or merit of the conclusion. What makes a premise relevant?

"A premise is relevant if its acceptance provides some reason to believe, counts in favor of, or has some bearing on the truth or merit of the conclusion. A premise is irrelevant if its acceptance has no bearing on, provides no evidence for, or has no connection to the truth or merit of the conclusion."

To assess whether an argument violates the principle of Relevance, ask these two questions:

If the premise were true, does it make you more likely to believe that the conclusion is true? If yes, the premise is probably relevant. If no, then the premise is probably not relevant.

Even if the premise were true, should it be a consideration for accepting the truth of the conclusion? If no, then the premise is probably not relevant. "Jerry is over 6 ft. tall. So he must be good at basketball." "Avatar is an artistic masterpiece. After all, it was the highest grossing film of the year."

3. Acceptability

The reasons that a communicator provides in his or her argument should be likely to be accepted by a mature, rational adult. As Damer writes, a premise should be acceptable to a mature, rational adult if it meets the following standards of premise acceptability:

"A claim that is a matter of undisputed common knowledge."

"A claim that is confirmed by one's own personal experience or observation."

An "uncontroverted eyewitness testimony," or an "uncontroverted claim from a relevant authority."

"A relatively minor claim that seems to be a reasonable assumption in the context of the argument."

By contrast, a premise should be rejected by a mature, rational adult if it meets the following conditions of premise unacceptability:

"A claim that contradicts credible evidence, a well-established claim, or a legitimate authority."

"A claim that is inconsistent with one's own experiences or observations."

"A claim that is based on another unstated but highly questionable assumption."

An argument meets the acceptability principle when each of its premises conforms to at least one of the standards of acceptability and none of its premises conforms to the conditions of unacceptability.

To assess whether an argument violates the principle of Acceptability, ask the following questions:

Is the premise provided one that a mature, rational adult would likely accept?

What evidence is provided as part of the claim, and does it conform to the standards of acceptability or the conditions of unacceptability?

Is the premise based on an unstated assumption that a mature, rational adult not be willing to accept?

4. Sufficiency

A communicator making an argument should provide reasons that are sufficient to justify the acceptance of his or her conclusion.

"There must be a sufficient number of relevant and acceptable premises of the appropriate kind and weight in order for an argument to be good enough for us to accept its conclusion."

This principle is one of the most difficult to apply, because it's a judgment call. There are no black-and-white guidelines for what constitutes a "sufficient" number and weight of reasons to accept a conclusion. Often, it's a disagreement about the weight or sufficiency of the premises in an argument that prevents two intelligent and well-meaning people from reaching the same conclusion based on the same available evidence.

To evaluate whether an argument violates the principle of Sufficiency, ask the following questions:

Are the reasons provided enough to drive to the arguer's conclusion? If not, the argument violates the sufficiency principle.

Is the premise based on insufficient evidence or faulty causal analysis? Some premises provide evidence that is based on too small a sample or unrepresentative data. Or the evidence is based on the personal experience of the arguer, or of a small set of acquaintances that the arguer knows. The premise may be based on faulty causal analysis - assuming A caused B, even though the two events were unrelated.

Is some key or crucial evidence missing that must be provided in order to accept the argument?

5. Rebuttal

A good argument includes an effective rebuttal to all anticipated serious criticisms of the argument.

"An argument cannot be a good one if it does not anticipate and effectively rebut or blunt the force of the most serious criticisms against it and the position that it supports... A good arguer should be constantly mindful of the fact that an argument is not finished until one has 'finished off' the criticisms and counterarguments."

There are multiple ways that an argument can violate the Rebuttal principle. Arguers often use diversionary tactics instead of making effective rebuttals.

"For example, arguments that misrepresent the criticism, bring up trivial objections as a side issue, or resort to humor or ridicule are using devices that clearly fail to make effective responses. The same can be said of those arguments that ignore or deny the counterevidence against the position defended. Finally, some arguers try to avoid responding to a criticism by attacking the critic instead of the criticism."

To assess whether an argument fails to meet the Rebuttal principle, ask the following questions:

Does the argument provided address the strongest counterarguments effectively?

Does the arguer anticipate and address serious weaknesses in the argument?

Does the argument show why alternative positions are flawed?

Making your own argument stronger

We can use the five principles above to evaluate arguments that others present to us. But how do we strengthen our own arguments when we craft them? Using each principle, Damer provides some suggestions for how to improve our arguments.

Structure: Explicitly call out your conclusion and the supporting reasons, so that they are easy to recognize and follow. Ensure that your premises (1) do not contradict each other or the conclusion, and (2) do not assume the truth of the conclusion. Make explicit any key assumptions that you're using.

Relevance: Ensure that all materials you're presenting as part of your argument are relevant. Cut out anything that's not relevant. Don't weaken your argument by including irrelevant premises.

Acceptability: Whenever possible, substitute less controversial claims for more controversial ones. Soften, if possible, any absolute claims to make them more acceptable. (e.g. "most politicians" instead of "all politicians") Don't use highly questionable evidence or assumptions.

Sufficiency: Continue adding relevant premises if they contribute to the number and weight of the reasons that drive to your conclusion. Put yourself in your audience's place, and ask if the reasons are sufficient to accept your conclusion. If an important premise is controversial, support it with sub-premises and additional evidence.

Rebuttal: Be as exhaustive as necessary in your rebuttal. Some arguments may need to rebut a single criticism, but more controversial or divisive issues may require multiple rebuttals. Declare up front what the weakest parts of your argument are and proactively address them to blunt the force of your opponent's counterarguments.

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In our daily lives, we're constantly hearing or making persuasive arguments. We may be listening to a colleague's argument for why we should support one of her initiatives. We may hear an argument for why we should buy a certain product. Or we may need to make our own argument to get approval for one of our projects.

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Principles of Oxford Debate adopted in Musketeers of Words

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English Speaking Union debating resources 

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English Speaking Union debating resources 