Inter school debate.
Lately I've had the chance to improve as judge in debating competitions as it seems to be the season here for that kind of thing. Just got Back from a friendly debate between Carmel (my school) and Pui Ching. It was fun but the other judges didn't have much idea how to judge and instead of measuring the quality of ideas, the strength of the rebuttals and the quality of the students reasoning against each other, they judged on the 'force' (volume and vehemence) of the students delivery.
Carmel's team sited better examples, followed relevant and solid lines of reasoning, and to my mind won the debate. However, what we failed to take into account was poor judging. My two colleagues on the panel of three judges, were impressed not by any of the above, rather they awarded marks according to how much saliva and melodramatic gesturing the speaker could throw out. Deary me.
Just bought a loaf of my favourite bread, a box of sushi and some chocolate milk. So, supper then bed. One last comment. . . . .
While sometimes I look around HK and curl my lip as though I was better, whisper something like 'this place has no soul, its just the mess left over by people getting rich' under my breath; I then go and have days like today watching my students show how darn good hearted they are. There are lots of good people here. I should never ever be proud.
Another debate on Friday. Hmmm.
Carmel's team sited better examples, followed relevant and solid lines of reasoning, and to my mind won the debate. However, what we failed to take into account was poor judging. My two colleagues on the panel of three judges, were impressed not by any of the above, rather they awarded marks according to how much saliva and melodramatic gesturing the speaker could throw out. Deary me.
Just bought a loaf of my favourite bread, a box of sushi and some chocolate milk. So, supper then bed. One last comment. . . . .
While sometimes I look around HK and curl my lip as though I was better, whisper something like 'this place has no soul, its just the mess left over by people getting rich' under my breath; I then go and have days like today watching my students show how darn good hearted they are. There are lots of good people here. I should never ever be proud.
Another debate on Friday. Hmmm.
posted by Mr.Thomas at 21:19
6 Comments:
Reminds me of what I had to do for my class too .... well at least you don't have to teach students to recite a story with bad grammar and weird English ^-^
Dear Thomas, I have put your link in my own blog. Hope you don't mind.
oh..thanks Mr. Tong, You'r blog is great! Though I can't understand Chinese, I can 'feel' its a lovely blog. I will put a link to it soon also.
Hey sam! Actually this wasn't a class activity it was quite a serious inter-school event, with an Education bureau judge also on the panel with me and one other teacher. Thats why I was a bit annoyed that the judges weren't very knowledgable about how to judge a debate. :-( I'm over it now though,
Shouldn't there be some instruction of allocation of marks under differnt categories, so as to spread even the emphasis on various techniques? For example, the gesture, the intonation, the reasoning, the evidence etc.?
Your absolutely right Mr. Tong. There are allocation descriptors on the mark sheet.
However, inexperienced judges will of course find it difficult to consider the various aspects of delivery, techniques of arguement, quality of reasoning, strength of rebuttal and the speaker's poise in addition to the quality of their use of the English language. It certainly takes experience along with knowledge to think about these things, simultaneously and follow a fairly complicated mark scheme. I need more practise, but my fellow judges, having neither experience, or knowledge judged on the volume and force of the delivery. I can't blame them.
Good comment from the english mouse! and thanks Mr. Tong for your sharing too.
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