Magnificent work by 1st Bacc in the UFV School Debate Tournament

Once again, 1st Baccalaureate competed in the Intermunicipal School Debate Tournament organised by the Francisco de Vitoria University. This debate is a reference at educational level in Spain. This year, the question chosen was Should the public education system change its traditional teaching model for other alternative models? Our students investigated different methodologies, advantages and disadvantages of traditional teaching as well as objectives and approaches of alternative teaching.

For us as teachers it is very important to teach them how to speak in public, to use the resources of public speaking and to help them develop critical thinking. Debate is a wonderful pedagogical tool to strengthen these teachings. Our students did phenomenally well and qualified for the round of 16, among the top 13 out of more than 50 teams.

They all enjoyed the experience and, without a doubt, one of the biggest lessons they learned was the fact that they were able to argue for and against the same topic. They have been able to defend a different point of view in each of the debates held, and this has increased their tolerance, their understanding of the world around us and their respect for other points of view different from their own.