Taking a Risk after Years in the Classroom
Imagine you are enrolled in Courtney Ford’s science class. Two weeks before school is out for the summer, she posed the question, “What are the pros and cons of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss?” She then says, “You are going to have the opportunity to research this question, and next week we will debate this in class.” What are you thinking? How are you feeling?
Her class became stone silent! No doubt, many were anticipating a laid-back couple of weeks – hoping to watch some documentaries and engage in some computer-generated review games. Probably, some resented having to do research while others were fascinated by the mention of debate. I’m sure as Courtney was planning this experience, she worried a bit about the rigor she was asking for this late in the trimester, the controversial nature of the topic and the fact she’d never assigned and conducted a debate in class.
Obviously, there was built-in drama - which had its appeal. The lesson combined a health topic, student opinions, science, literacy, social media influence and professional risk! Students were assigned teams and designated sides. Off they went to do research, gather evidence and formulate their arguments.
I had the good fortune of being invited to the debates. Let me tell you, I was blown away by the rigor, enthusiasm, remarkable arguments and conclusions. Courtney discovered her students could handle complex ethical questions and were capable of sophisticated research. They proved they could evaluate evidence as opposed to respecting online opinions.
One of the many byproducts was the personal connections that unfolded. Several students admitted to having family members affected by obesity, diabetes or weight loss. Those students left the class session armored with professional sources to share.
Perhaps somewhat surprising was students’ feedback, which ranked debating as the trimester’s top pedagogical move. What started as a challenge, an experiment, an unexpected assignment ended with a bang. Plaudits to Courtney for taking a risk after years in the classroom and discovering the power of debate!
