School communities need to go beyond, make the next step and start to really cultivate and encourage skills for the next century. Our teachers and our students need to belong into a learning community, sharing ideas, moving forward, being empowered. The activity “Debate Contest” started as a school activity within the framework of Greek Language subject in order to cultivate students’ communication skills. The activity was enthusiastically embraced from teachers and students and was evolved from within. The activity brings great advantages for students in various aspect of education. Debate Contest is a contest between 11-year-old student groups, who debate on issues related to scientific issues that influence our everyday life. The Debate Competition is not only about Competition itself, but an educational extended activity that includes, familiarization with scientific issues, issues of ethics, law, politics and science, cooperating with classmates, developing the ability of analyses and synthesize data and information to form arguments and take position, familiarizing self with exposure to audience, compete and take action in the school and local community proposing for a better world. The “Debating contest” activity will take place between 10 schools of the East Attica District this year. It is organized by Ellinogermaniki Agogi, the University of Athens and the State school advisor of East Attica. It will involve students from the sixth grade of primary school (11 year old) and will focus on issues of science influencing the quality of life. Through this activity, students are expected to:
- cultivate their communication skills, by analysing and composing views and arguments, conversing, disagreeing and resolving conflicts;
- cultivate their ability to effectively and creatively use the spoken language, so that they can actively participate in their school and wider community, by taking up different roles (debater, judge), and being actively involved in the process;
- learn to collaborate, working in groups, sharing information and ideas acquire knowledge and skills on scientific issues;
- cultivate scientific thinking but also scientific research and study skills by being involved in scientific research on the issues they are required to debate about;
- foster pupils’ wider skills, preparing their dynamic inclusion in school life and later in adult society, by proposing their ideas and taking action to the school and local community.