Staging debates in the ELT classroom seems like a ‘no-brainer’, says Tyson Seburn, but teachers need to tread carefully

Should the government increase the minimum wage from $11/hour to $14?

This is a timely topic in some areas of Canada at the moment, where one provincial government has passed a law that implements this jump in earnings.

On the face of it, most people would initially agree with the idea that increased earnings for lower-income employees is a good principle.

But deeper exploration reveals a number of issues. For example, there is the potential for the removal of existing benefits like paid breaks to compensate for the increased wage.

Or there are complaints from more senior employees whose wages did not increase as a result and are now earning almost the same amount as new employees.

A quick Google search can bring about many arguments for and against this proposal, which include a rich set of topically related vocabulary as well as functional language for discourse.

Using debates within English language teaching seems like a no-brainer for both receptive and productive purposes. In fact, almost any of us can think back to a class when we’ve used one, likely with memories of purposeful preparation and lively discussion on the part of the learners.

Even if you can’t, one needs only look at any number of ELT resources to find their ubiquity as a staple activity.

Indeed, there are a number of pros to using debates.

They effectively practise:

• Language of opinion, persuasion, negotiation (plus any number of grammatical uses depending on the lesson at hand)
• Logical presentation of information strengthening opinions with supporting statements
• Discourse markers
• Team-work skills

As innocuous as these above appear to be, debates can also create or emphasise issues of power dynamic, marginalization and inequality, which we may not realise.

As teachers, we aim to foster inclusive spaces where learners can gain familiarity and confidence in themselves.

As a result, when selecting to debate a topic, it is also important that we consider what is appropriate for our learners and contexts.