Middle School Summer Debate Workshops

View information about our middle school summer debate institute options.

Emory University is one of the top 25 Universities in the United States and the Barkley Forum is one of nation’s most successfully competitive intercollegiate debate teams for the last fifty years.  Emory most recently recognized the value of debate as a form of education when it created the Barkley Forum Center for Debate Education.

• The ENDI has taught thousands of middle school students debate skills since 1995
• Now over 800 middle school students attend tournaments and teaching sessions under the leadership of Emory faculty, staff, and students
• To this day, Emory staff and students regularly work with nearly a thousand high school and middle school students throughout the school year in classrooms, practice rounds, and tournaments
• Our experience with middle school students helps develop the fundamental debate skills of presentation, critical thinking, organization, teamwork, and research
• Our summer camps for middle school students are at campuses appropriate for middle school students educational and recreational needs

Quality Debate Instruction

The upcoming middle school resolution will provide the framework for the development of new skills and the enhancement of existing skills.

Student Focus

• Improve speaking skills
• Important strategies for each speaker position
• Generate ideas for current and future argument development
• Adapt to new arguments and argument strategies

Daily Lab Instruction

• Labs led by award-winning college coaches, high school coaches, contemporary college debaters, and nationally competitive high school debaters
• Small lab groups focused on the fundamentals of contemporary policy debate
• Argument analysis, use of evidence, speaking drills, and practice debates

Periodic Group Lectures and Discussion

• Some topic content through group-wide lectures and discussion panels
• Broad-based coverage of both affirmative and negative arguments
• Topic analysis to prepare them to become familiar with the year's resolution

Practice Debates and Speeches

• Practice tournament provides opportunity to rehearse arguments on the topic
• Labs will focus on proven debate skill-building exercises