2the teams. These are organized into ‘For’ and ‘Against’. Each team’s task is to persuade the teacher (or audience, if you can find one) to vote for their point of view. I recommend no larger than six or seven students per team.
3.The structure. The two teams (‘For’ and ‘Against’) take turns to make points intended to sway the audience. One, two or at most three students will speak during each turn; try to ensure that there are enough turns so that each student will have the chance to speak.
4.Ensure the students know the time limits. If you have a 50 minute class, for example, each turn could be three minutes per team, so each turn would take a little more than six minutes. If three turns are enough to give everyone a chance, this makes 18-20 minutes of debating. The remainder can be spent on preparation before the debate, voting once the debate is finished, and perhaps a more open discussion afterward.