Educators seeking to foster their students' ability to form rigorous, well-researched, reasoned arguments may want to check out Debating Matters. Launched in 2003 by the UK-based organization Academy of Ideas, Debating Matters is an annual competition for 6th-form students (equivalent to US 12th grade). However, the competition's website contains many resources that readers outside the UK can also benefit from, including a library of more than eighty well-developed, in-depth topic guides "covering debates relating to big questions about science and experimentation, liberty and the law, arts and culture, health and medicine, politics, the media and more." Recently added and updated topics include the repatriation of museum artifacts, autonomous vehicles, and artificial intelligence. While the topic guides are designed for debaters preparing for competition, educators may also adapt their contents for classroom use. Teachers interested in leading or starting a debate organization at their school should visit the resource hub. Here, readers will find two resource packs created to help teachers start a debate club or organize a Debating Matters-style competition, as well as several case studies describing teachers' experiences in this area and videos showcasing how Debating Matters events work.
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