Student debate in English attracts all sectors
03/15/2013 04:39
Students from the Druse, Beduin, Arab and Jewish sectors take part in English debate funded by the US Embassy.
Students from Amal school in Taiba participate in English debate. Photo: Amal group
Students from the Druse, Beduin, Arab and Jewish sectors participated in an
English debate competition funded by the US Embassy in Israel in Tel Aviv
earlier this week.
The competition, which took place for the seventh
consecutive year, was initiated by the Amal nationwide network of educational
institutions, which aims at advancing comprehensive and technological education
in Israel.
According to the organization, the project is aimed at
fostering greater tolerance for the viewpoints of others, developing logical and
critical thinking, and improving students’ overall English skills, as well as
their ability to communicate in general.
Before the competition, students
undergo a series of workshops in which they are trained in debating. The
workshops and contest are carried out in cooperation with the Israel Debating
Society.
Fourteen schools took part in this week’s event, in which 10th-
and 11th-grade students were required to discuss – in front of an audience of
about 300 people – topics related to youth living in Israel.
Each student
was given three minutes to present their position, after which a jury of
professionals from the Israel Debating Society selected the outstanding
speakers. In addition, the audience was able to vote and select their favorite
speaker using a mobile phone system made available for the occasion.
“The
US Embassy is proud to be working with our great partner, the Amal network, to
support this important project,” James Ryder, deputy cultural attaché of the
American Embassy, told The Jerusalem Post.
He explained that the project
gives students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills and
learn the importance of understanding the other side of an issue.
“It is
only when you fully understand the other side of an argument that you can begin
to really understand the people you are arguing with,” he said.
The fact
that this project also brings Arab and Jewish kids together to work as a team is
also extremely important,” Ryder continued. “It is inspiring to see them working
together to practice their English and work towards a common
goal.”
Twenty winners were selected and came from schools in, among other
places, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Dimona, Taiba, Kiryat Malachi, Kisra and Safed.