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Desert Valley Debate League |
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Written by Web Master
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Saturday, 12 June 2004 |
The Desert Valleys Debate League The Desert Valleys Debate League (DVDL) is the third southern California middle school league of Claremont McKenna College’s Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP). Since the 2002–2003 pilot season, the MSPDP has successfully engaged thousands of young people in southern California.
This program is modeled after urban debate leagues across the country which foster communication skills to empower individuals while working towards improving academic skills. There are currently urban debate league programs in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Providence, Kansas City, Atlanta, Tuscaloosa, Newark, and New York City. The success of this innovative strategy to promote standards-based literacy increases debate's importance in an education system increasingly conscious of standards and literacy.
Why is Debate Important? For middle schoolers arguing is second nature. This program will teach them the difference between arguing and debating. In middle school education debate is a very powerful tool. The preparation and delivery of debate arguments allows students the opportunity to think critically, develop their academic research skills, improve their communication abilities, solve problems creatively, and increase their self-confidence. Students involved in debate find that writing will come easier; as well as, library and internet research. These students will also learn to effectively express their points of view. In addition, debate students are among the most well read and well informed of their peers.
Speech and debate programs have long been the province of high schools. Although, in our league’s area there are very few existing high school programs. We hope that our program’s continued success will create a demand for high school speech and debate. Debaters often receive higher grades than non-debaters in high school, and are more likely to continue on to post-secondary education. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 January 2006 )
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