Luong Van Can Fund organized “Debate Skill” Training

Ms. Margaret Thatcher, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom claimed that she loved debates and did not expect anyone just to there and agree with her. Hoping to enhance adolescents’ inspritation towards argumentum, as well as equip them with necessary attitudes and skills, on Saturday 08/06/2019, Luong Van Can Fund established “Debate Skills” training with enthusiastic instruction from Ms Pham Thuy Tien – member of the Fund’s Management Council.

The speaker made an opening with a lively and merely exciting activity called “Survival Game”. Students were devided into 6 teams, every of which represented a profession: teacher, engineer, scientist, farmer, doctor and police. The context of the games was inspired from apocalyptic event and there was only one ship on the Earth which was just able to contain a limited volume of people. Members from different teams had to argue to be allowed to get on the ship.

At the end of the game, students experienced the importance of offering authentic evidences and having objective viewpoint. It help our arguments become sharper and more persuasive. Besides, lecturer instructed the tips needed so that criticizing would not turn to rationalizing. Ad hominem attack and judgements based on band wagon effect are one of mindsets we need to avoid when debating.

Not only providing students with theories, Ms Thuy Tien also created space for practicing so that students can utilize immediately learned knowlegde. Remarkable concerns such as the movie of “The Third Wife” and the performances from candidates in “Teen School 2017” were picked as the topics for students to discuss and develop their own view points.

Training of “Debate Skill” marked an end, yet the knowledge developed from this program will be frequently and widely applied by students, especially for the upcoming Contest of Debate hold by LVCF Student Executive Board.