Do your students engage in well-reasoned, thoughtful debate with one another? Is society at large skilled in civil discussion? These are rhetorical questions because the answers are clear. Rhetoric and oratory were once vital parts of the curriculum, going all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome. Now they are often relegated to just a couple of lessons per year. This is unfortunate because employers state that the ability to communicate is one of the most important skills they look for in new hires. A powerful speech can change the world--think of Abraham Lincoln, Patrick Henry, Sojourner Truth, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Technology has made it easier to give every student a voice, and we need to train them to use those voices effectively. In this session we will share practical ways to foster civil debate in the classroom, provide real life examples, and explore web tools that facilitate teaching oracy. All our presentations can be found on
this site.
