John Meany (1)

Finally, a spark of interest. My students actually want to debate; I'm running with it. First, I have absolutely no background in debate or debate teams. I found the most user-friendly, comprehensive website on the topic of middle school debate on the web and found that this was the book it aimed to supplement. I was happy to find that this is a thorough, enjoyable textbook for the kids. I wish that I could buy 50 copies of it right now, but that will need to wait a year to be approved for the budget. I feel like I know everything I need to know about the parliamentary style debate process, and I haven't even seen one yet. Excellent, excellent, excellent resource for teens interested in debate, being on a debate team, or even just interested in learning how to formulate effective arguments or master public speaking.… (mere)

The aim of these books is to teach students how to think not what to think. By providing case studies, historical context and individual opinions, but not a specific right and wrong, these books encourage readers to think and express themselves independently. Each topic also acts as a springboard for a discussion of related issues. A range of viewpoints encourage critical thinking, and simple activities and exercises provide practical advice and examples of critical and creative thinking skills. They include a mixture of text types, including recounts, reports discussions and persuasion texts.… (mere)