The Use of Debate in ESL Class as a Strategy of Engagement

Introduction

In the United States there are many non-native English learning students as the second language (ESL). In fact, one in every ten public schools is currently learning to speak English. There are nearly five million ESL students who anticipate learning English and being able to undertake other subjects taught in English. The number is expected to double to ten million by 2025, and one in every four public school students will be an English language learner (Roeke, 2008). The biggest challenge that the United States public education is currently experiencing is how to engage ESL learners in the classroom and assist them towards attaining the learning goals. Engagement of ESL in the classroom has been difficult because they exhibit limited interaction with other learners and the instructors. However, this problem may be addressed by using debate in ESL class as a strategy of engagement. Existing literature suggests that debate can play a key role in classrooms where English is being taught as the second language (Iberri-Sheah, 2013). To establish the effectiveness of debate in ESL class as a strategy of engagement, the paper sets two questions to guide in this inquiry. The first question is to determine whether ESL learners face difficulties in engagement with other learners and the second one is to investigate if the use of debate in ESL classrooms promote engagement. These questions are answered by drawing from the existing literature. Debates require the ESL learners to master conceptual knowledge as they prepare to make presentations in class, actively listen, critically think, scrutinize notes from others and engage with each other to seek clarifications hence increasing class engagement among the learners.

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Using Debate in ESL Classrooms and its Impact

Debates have been found to be effective instructional strategies for ESL classrooms. Debates are integral to the content-based instruction (CBI) which is a flexible and important instruction strategy in ESL classrooms (Iberri-Sheah, 2013). Debates play a critical role in enhancing speaking skills, autonomy and collaborative learning among the learners (Iberri-Sheah, 2013). Debates can also play a role in nurturing engagement of students (Zare& Othman, 2013). Debates achieve this by improving ESL learners' speaking abilities.

Moreover, debates motivate students to open their mouth to challenge views; hence helping a student in being conversant in learning a language (Alasmari& Ahmed, 2012). In the process of challenging each other's views, ESL learners eventually achieve high engagement levels. Dewaelsche (2015) adds that as the students engage in conversations, they improve their speech and overcome socio-cultural obstacles.

Debates in ESL classrooms also promote participation, self-confidence, and self-direction among the students (Pitt, 2005). Participation is one way towards learner engagement in the classroom. Also, as the debates help learners build self-confidence, they, in the end, contribute to high engagement since highly esteemed learners demonstrate high engagement in the classroom (Pitt, 2005). Additionally, debates stimulate interaction and sharpen communication skills (Hall, 2016).

Do ESL Learners Face Difficulties in Engagement With Other Students and How Might Debates Solve Such Challenges?

Literature does not seem to support the proposition that ESL learners face challenges in engaging with other students. O'Rourke (2017) conducted a study to determine the academic engagement and learning experience of ESL learners by using a case study approach. Chandler Magnet Elementary school was chosen as it had many ESL learners. As one of the themes, the study examined social integration among the ESL learners. Specifically, the researchers wanted to establish how ESL learners interacted with peers. The instructors who participated in the study observed that students socialize and integrate with one another irrespective of their ESL status; however, the level of integration and socialization was affected by individual confidence level and culture (O'Rourke, 2017). This was to imply that if an ESL learner had high confidence, there would be high interaction with peers but socialization would be low if the same learner had low confidence.

Further, O'Rourke (2017) investigated relational engagement of the ESL learners to dig deeper into engagement of these learners with other peers. An experiment that involved asking an ESL to draw a picture of how their best day in school looked like was performed. After they drew, they were asked if there was anyone who made their day at school special. Most of the ESL learners interviewed mentioned friends being ones who played critical roles in making their day special at school. The ESL commented that friends play a huge role in helping them understand concepts in classroom (O'Rourke, 2017). Drawing from this observation, it is true that ESL learners usually engage with peers and do not experience challenges in interacting and socializing.

Nonetheless, the fact that interaction and socialization of the ESL learners depend on the confidence levels and culture implies that those with low self-confidence are likely to exhibit low engagement. This way, it is possible that some ESL learners could potentially experience challenges in engaging with peers. Such a phenomenon has been thought to be worsened by limited English skills among the ESL (Agyenan, 2017). Due to limited English skills, the ESL learners may be reluctant to interact with other peers.

Debates may help to address the challenge of engagement among low self-confidence learners and those whose socialization is inhibited by culture. As observed by Hall (2016), debates help ESL learners to sharpen their communication skills or expand their English skills. Also, Dewaelsche (2015) observed that debates help ESL learners improve their speech and overcome socio-cultural obstacles. Also, debates boost learner's self-confidence (Pitt, 2005). Drawing from these findings, it is logical to conclude that by incorporating debates in ESL classrooms, ESL learners can be assisted to enhance their English skills, overcome their cultural limitations, attain high self-confidence and be able to exhibit high levels of engagement with their peers.

Use of Debates in ESL Classrooms and Learner Engagement

Existing literature suggests a link between use of debates in ESL classrooms and learner engagement. According to Aclan & Aziz (2015), having an opportunity to debate with peers is a natural motivation for the ESL students to speak English. This follows the fact that despite proficiency levels in English language skills, almost every student loves a good fight with peers through words (Aclan & Aziz, 2015). The good fight of words or vigorous exchange of ideas as the students debate elicits high engagement with one another and the content being discussed in the classroom.

Also, debating spurs engagement of ESL learners with the issues discussed. Debating involves critical thinking which stimulates the learners to actively reason and grapple with the opposing team through the war of defense points (Nally, 2015). Debates also challenge learners to scramble for arguments as they brainstorm to challenge the foundation of the differing opinions. During a debating session, the students actively think through issues as they explore opinions to discover how to build the defense through solid arguments. These processes engage cognitive properties of the learner making his or her active during the entire class session (Nally, 2015).

Debates create an opportunity for the learners to actively analyze, discuss and apply content in meaningful ways (Kennedy, 2007). In this manner, the learners draw meaning from the class content to real life issues and situations which sparks interest and engagement as they deliberate on things that they feel and can touch. As the students debate on these issues, they are often forced to go back to their original content to re-read and re-think the arguments (Kennedy, 2007). In an ESL classroom, therefore, students will be actively participating in the debate by speaking and often going back to their notes to clarify the points they have raised ending up with high engage in both cognitive and psychomotor skills. For example, the act of perusing through the notes is a psychomotor engagement whereas digesting and applying that content to make an argument is a cognitive process. Kennedy (2007) further adds that the process of preparing for an argument is an intensively engaging process that puts the learners on toes throughout the classroom. Logically, no one would accept to concede in a debate, and it leaves learners with the option of preparing thoroughly to defend their position.

Also, debates in ESL classrooms promote engagement by creating interactive and cooperative learning environments (Zare & Othman, 2013). Debating is a learner-centered approach to learning either language or other content, and it offers active learning environment by allowing for authentic interaction among learners and with the teacher. Debates engage a complex type of communication and discussion which overtakes the regular level of conversation. The debater is required to actively and critically listen to the speaker. This process enhances learner engagement in the classroom (Zare & Othman, 2013).

Conclusion

The debate is a good strategy for engagement in ESL classrooms. Debates motivate learners to actively listen, critically think, scrutinize their notes, relate classroom situations and issues to real life and vigorously engage in communication with each other leading to higher levels of engagement in the class. Debates create a contest or a competition between the two sides opposing each other. Because each side wants to win the argument, the learners will actively listen to refute the points of the other team. Equally, to refute a point, the learners have to think critically to establish the foundation of the other team's claims. Critical thinking engages cognitive processes and stimulates the learner's consciousness and concentration in the learning activity. Also, during the heated and competitive discussions between the opposing teams or even with the teacher, the learners will be refereeing back to their notes on the content to clarify points. This process involves psychomotor skills which physically engage the learner within the classroom. The students will be cognitively and physically engaged as they peruse through their notes to analyze points and present their arguments. Topics of discussion usually relate to real life situations and issues which also help the learners to discuss trending matters that attract their interest leading to active engagement with the topic. Debates involve communicating which helps the ESL students to engage with each other and improve their communication skills.

References

Aclan, E. M., & Aziz, N. H. A. (2015). Exploring parliamentary debate as a pedagogical tool to develop English communication skills in EFL/ESL classrooms. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 4(2), 1-16.

Agyenan, A.K.O (2017). Engagement experiences: Adult English language learner students in advanced manufacturing at a Midwestern community college. IOWA State University:Graduate Thesis and Desertations.

Alasmari, A., & Ahmed, S. S. (2012). Using debate in EFL classes. English language teaching, 6(1), 147.

DeWaelsche, S. A. (2015). Critical thinking, questioning and student engagement in Korean university English courses. Linguistics and Education, 32, 131-147.ournal, 28(11), 1506-1513.

Hall, G. (Ed.). (2016). The Routledge handbook of English language teaching. Routledge.

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