WEST AUSTRALIAN DEBATE CLUB 2016
Situation: Briefly outline the circumstances
surrounding the example of a situation that had a
positive outcome or one in which professional
growth occurred.
Where, why and when did you do the task?
Having the belief that students learn through
experience, I decided to provide my students with
the opportunity for an authentic learning
experience. During the Civics and Citizenship unit,
I observed that Warnbro High did not have an
active Debate Club. In the Civics and Citizenship
unit, there is a focus on the role of political
parties, independent representatives in
Australias system of government, including the
formation of governments and how citizens
choices are shaped at election time. To further
enhance and extend student understanding and
experience, I provided my lower school classes
with the opportunity to partake in a debate
league. Research shows that students who
participate in Debating Clubs are benefitted by an
increase of sense of belonging, critical literacy,
community and school pride. I understand that
implementing a Debate Club within the school
will help promote and build upon key HASS skills
such as developing the ability to question; think
critically; make decisions based on evidence;
devise proposals for actions; and communicate
effectively.
Action: describe the
skills/knowledge/competencies required to
address the situation- outline the steps you took
to complete the task.
What did you do? How did you do it?
I wanted to have an opportunity to extend the
more-able students in my class, so I contacted the
Western Australian Debate League (WADL) to
enquire about the process of signing a school
team into the league. WADL is the leading
debating organisation in Western Australia, and
the state's sole affiliate of the Australian Debating
Federation. I registered 2 teams for the WADL
competition- a novice team (year 7/8) and a
junior team (year 9). Every fortnight, the teams
would verse other school teams in the district. I
asked for the adjudicators to provide feedback for
each speaker so they could improve their
practice. The Warnbro Debate club was the only
Independent school competing, the other
participants were private schools in the Peel area.
I also drove my students there and communicated
with parents to organise their support. As the
competition was of high standard, I devoted one
day a week after school for Debate Club
preparation. The teams and I also attended a
professional debating seminar held at Foundation
Catholic College that helped the students
understand key debate techniques such as sign-
posting and rebuttal. Implementing whole-school
literacy strategies such as text preview and
glossaries were also used in the debate club
preparation to scaffold arguments and counter-
arguments.
Outcome: Describes the results of your
action - summarise the results of the action
and/or the Professional Growth that occurred.
What was the result of your action? How do
you know? What would you do differently
next time?
By the end of the twelve-week competition, the
Junior team had placed fourth and the Novice
team made it to the Grand Final. The Debate club
demonstrates my adherence and implementation
of the four business priorities. The debate club
identified interested students and provided them
with a supportive and challenging environment in
which they could develop their skills and
knowledge, which met the priority High
Engagement and Achievement. The participating
students also took on a leadership role within the
classroom; adjudicating class debates, facilitating
triads with students who were struggling and
helping other students to scaffold arguments.
Students were encouraged to achieve and extend
themselves because they felt safe and organised
enough to commit to speaking in front of an
audience and other schools, whilst working in a
team encouraged accountability and good
citizenship. Finally, the Warnbro Debate Club
cemented Warnbro Community High School as a
reputable school within the wider community,
culminating in Hon.Paul Papalia offering to
sponsor the Warnbro team.
 Supporting Evidence: e.g. Planning Documents- Short Mid & Long term /IEPs/IBMPs/ Data/ Work samples/ Emails/ Photographs/Certificates

-Bulletin Article
- WADL rationale
-Debate League pamphlet
-Emails and correspondence

Level/Subject Area: West Australian Debate League

Professional Knowledge Professional Practice Professional Engagement

Standard 1 Standard 2 Standard 3 Standard 4 Standard 5 Standard 6 Standard 7
Know students and how Know content and how Plan for and implement Create and maintain Assess, provide feedback Engage in professional Engage professionally
they learn to teach it effective teaching and supportive and safe and report on student learning with colleagues,
Physical, social and learning learning environments learning parents/carers and the
intellectual Content and teaching Identify and plan community
development and strategies of the Establish challenging Support student Assess student professional learning
characteristics of teaching area learning goals participation learning needs Meet professional
students Content selection and Plan, structure and Manage classroom Provide feedback to Engage in ethics and
Understand how organisation sequence learning activities students on their professional learning responsibilities
students learn Curriculum, programs Manage challenging learning and improve practice Comply with
Students with assessment and Use teaching behaviour Make consistent and Engage with legislative,
linguistic, cultural, reporting strategies Maintain student comparable colleagues and administrative and
religious and Understand and Select and use safety judgements improve practice organisational
socioeconomic respect Aboriginal resources Use ICT safely, Interpret student data Apply professional requirements
backgrounds and Torres Strait Use effective responsibly and Report on student learning and improve Engage with the
Strategies for Islander people to classroom ethically achievement student learning parents/carers
teaching Aboriginal promote communication Engage with
and Torres Strait reconciliation Evaluate and improve professional teaching
Islander students between Indigenous teaching programs networks and broader
Differentiate and non-Indigenous Engage communities
teaching to meet the Australians parents/carers in the
specific learning Literacy and educative process
needs of students numeracy strategies
across the full range Information and
of abilities. Communication
Strategies to support Technology (ICT)
full participation of
students with
disability

Department of Education 2016

Institute for Professional Learning
 Evidence Annotation

Standard 1

1.1 + 1.2- Highly capable students were given a chance to extend themselves to achieve at a higher level,
curriculum was differentiated and supplemented by the debate team in regards to the Civics and
Citizenship unit.

Standard 2

2.1 + 2.5- students were taught debating strategies through signposting and infographs (Fishbones, cause
and effect charts-

Standard 3

3.7- Parents were invited to watch their children compete in the debates, almost all parents of students
involved came

Standard 4
4.1- Students ALL had to participate as each person had a specific role that was could not be done by
anyone else (i.e. 1st speaker, 2nd speaker, 3rd speaker)
4.4- as the debates were all held off campus, I was responsible for student safety. Students were