On Tuesday, June 30, Juniors from the English Elective class debated a controversial idea–the motion was “Decriminalize Marijuana in Chile.” The students chose the topic and were sincerely divided about the issue, which allowed them to argue with enthusiasm in front of the audience of Miss Andrea’s 9th grade and Miss Sonia’s 10th grade classes. The students remained very professional while they made arguments based on research, philosophy, and theology related to the consequences of both legalizing marijuana use and continuing to prosecute those who buy, sell, and use it. No one in the debate promoted the use of marijuana. Analyzing the recent decriminalization of the drug in various US states was important to both sides as they argued that their policy would better reduce violence and marijuana use and dependence in Chile.
The debate followed the following format, which is based on that used by the international debate organization Intelligence Squared. It is adapted to last about 50 minutes, and allowed 7 different students to participate from each side. Students chose to review the spectacular debate from the US about banning college football as their model. There is even a transcript available which was useful for many of them to follow on their laptops as we watched and analyzed the debate.
(Keep reading to see the format details and the results!)
- Introduction by Moderator
- Audience vote with their initial opinion about the motion (For, against, or undecided)
- Opening statements from two students on each side (3-4 minutes each)
- Q & A session in which 3 panelists from each side debated one another directly. To guide this part of the debate, each student in this session was required to ask a prepared question to the other side, and react to their answer. Students then answered questions from the audience and moderator (20 minutes)
- Closing statements from two students on each side (2-3 minutes each)
- Audience vote again, to see whether the debate changed minds.
- During the closing remarks from the moderator, the votes are tallied. The team with the greatest positive change in votes from start to finish wins.
Here are our results:
Remember the motion is “Decriminalize Marijuana in Chile”
Initial vote:
- For: 10
- Against: 13
- Undecided: 16
Final Vote:
- For: 10
- Against: 24
- Undecided: 5
Congratulations to the team arguing against the motion for winning the debate!
