Debating
Staughton College Debating and Public Speaking Squad (DAPSS) –
Public Speaking and Debating are invaluable skills for students. They promote confidence and effective public presentation, encourage logical and critical thinking, social awareness and an interest in current affairs and are multi-disciplinary. Public Speaking and Debating techniques can be used in all subject areas. The benefits of Public Speaking and Debating extend through all aspects of the school curriculum. Public Speaking and Debating are well directed to the “Communication” and “Thinking” domains of both AusVELS and the Australian Curriculum. More specifically, they address the “Speaking and Listening”, “Listening, Viewing and Responding”, “Presenting”, “Reasoning, Process and Inquiry” dimensions of AusVELS and VCE English.
Our Public Speaking and Debating Team annually participate in both interschool debating and various public speaking competitions. Teams attend weekly meetings to prepare for their debates and public speaking competitions and should be proud of the efforts they put in, especially those participating in debating and public speaking events for the first time.
Staughton College participates in the Debating Associate of Victoria (DAV) Junior and Senior Interschool Debate Competition. With over two hundred and fifty schools, fifteen hundred teams, four grades, nineteen regions, five rounds and a seven-night finals series, the DAV Schools Competition is the largest English-language debating competition in the world. In DAPSS, students also participate in debates against each other as well as members of staff on the subjects of positive school behaviour, English, Science, the Arts and current media issues.
For Public Speaking, Staughton College also participates in a range of competitions, including the Rostrum Voice of the Youth, the VCAA Plain English Speaking Award and the Wynspeak Public Speaking competitions. Public Speaking competitions are designed to develop confidence, communication and speech-writing skills.
For more details and information regarding debating or public speaking or any of our upcoming events, please contact Mr. Paul Kelly at the College.