Coaching Strategies for High School Policy Debate

Get a head start on coaching NSDA policy debate for the ‘23-24 season! We will cover topic content, pedagogical strategies, and team management techniques for new and returning coaches. Emphasis is placed on active participation strategies that teachers can leverage during the regular season.

Description

Policy debate is the oldest form of high school debate as well as one of the most rigorous and rewarding. Creating and administering a team is no simple task, but coaching can be much more efficient and effective with adequate preparation.

In this hybrid course, you will engage in ~4 hours of asynchronous pre-work, 2 in-person synchronous days of instruction at Augsburg University, and ~2 hours of asynchronous post-work. Many of the activities in this course will be drawn directly from the debate curriculum that coaches will be using in the fall including debate content/format activities, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities, and team structuring activities. The pre-work will be focused on learning the annual topic’s content through the MDTA’s Novice Evidence Packet and applying that knowledge during in-person instruction. The post-work will solidify your learning and ensure you are prepared to begin the debate season strong. The pre and post work will be facilitated through Augsburg's Moodle LMS which you will have access to July 10-August 28.

In addition to the debate content and skills-related instruction, coaches will also learn strategies for broader coaching duties such as recruitment and retention, using Tabroom.com, and creating and administering a booster club. Participants will also learn about judging debates, including what to expect, how to choose the winner, how to provide high-quality and actionable feedback, and how to feel comfortable judging.

Extra-curricular debate teams are a boon to any school. Peer reviewed studies have found policy debate increases participating students’ reading scores (for example, 12-14% on the MCA) and increases student participation in school. We encourage new and returning debate coaches to join us.

Accessibility
If you need any disability-related accommodations to fully participate in this course, please contact Molly Noble at cace@augsburg.edu or 507-923-4202. It is most helpful if requests are made at least two weeks in advance of the start of the course.

What you'll Learn

  • Strong understanding of the upcoming ‘23-24 season’s topic content
  • Understanding of debate argument structures and format
  • Experience with debate coaching activities and how to apply them in the upcoming season
  • Understanding of Social Emotional Learning and how to apply SEL to grow and improve a debate team
  • Pre-season work to create team management strategies (recruitment, debate booster club, tabroom.com management)

Ideal For

  • Teachers who are new to debate
  • Teachers who are debate veterans
  • Administrators interested in understanding debate or creating a debate team at their school
  • Debate personnel hoping to improve their pedagogical skills

Key Features

  • Hybrid course
  • Facilitated by local debate professionals
  • Community of learning with other debate coaches
  • Coach modeling
  • Revisitable content
  • Practical and applicable strategies

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation requests must be emailed to cace@augsburg.edu within 14 days of the course start date. There is a non-refundable fee of $200, but may be applied to future courses at the discretion of the director of continuing education
Any cancellation received within 14 days of the start of the institute or during the institute will result in a full forfeiture of all tuition and fees.

If insufficient enrollment, or instructor illness, requires us to reschedule a course, all registrants will be notified of any changes in the published information. If a workshop is canceled, all registrants will be given the opportunity to receive a full refund.

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Coach Akeem checks in with his debaters at lunch.

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Two debaters engage in cross examination while a third prepares their speech.

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