Voting closes this week on the proposed NCFCA LD resolutions. Though I’ve been uncharacteristically quiet about this year’s options, I have plenty of thoughts to share. Better late than never…
Continue reading “NCFCA 2024 LD (proposed) Resolution Analysis by: Noah McKay”
Could the skills learned in high school speech and debate be part of the solution to the culture’s ideological conflict and political division? I believe the answer is yes. Participating in debate is the best way to learn one crucial skill that is incredibly needed and often overlooked. Debate requires students to fairly evaluate views that they don’t hold…
Continue reading “Learn to Think Like Your Opponent: Why Debaters Thrive in the Real World by: Liliana Zylstra”
We, at Lasting Impact!, are proud to offer a variety of Clubs and Classes! We have excellent instructors who care deeply and passionately for our students. Amy Eichholz is one of these instructors, and she is also my friend. We have been doing Speech and Debate together for over a decade. She has taught countless early, beginning debaters in one of the largest Speech and Debate Clubs in the MidWest. We are stoked to be starting another Debate Readiness Class this spring 2023. It starts Monday… and there is still time to sign up! Click HERE to register, or check out the description and Amy’s bio below…
Are you interested in a gentle introduction to some of the skills used in debate? Learning to think critically and communicate rationally about a wide variety of subjects is one of the best benefits of debate. For new debaters, the learning curve can seem steep, especially for young debate students. Debate Readiness exists to equip young thinkers with some basic tools for their debate toolbox. In this course, we will introduce logical fallacies, basic economics and lawmaking, and current the NCFCA resolutions.
Booklist:
The Fallacy Detective by Nathanael Bluedorn
Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Marbury
Whatever Happened to Justice by Richard Marbury
Ages: 10 – 15
Bio: Amy Eichholz
I am a homeschool mom who began novice debate class over a decade ago alongside my oldest son, and while he and all his siblings have graduated from novice debate, I’m still happily there. I coach in my local club, Salt & Light, where I have the joy to see beginning debaters gain skills and confidence as they learn to think and communicate critically and deeply about important issues. Prior to homeschooling my children, I taught fifth through twelfth grades in public and private schools, with an emphasis on special needs and gifted education. I love debate because it synthesizes critical thinking skills and applies them in exciting, real world ways and is a powerful crucible the Lord can use to humble, teach, and grow us as His disciples. Oh, and I love to knit!
This past week, I had the privilege of judging multiple LD rounds at an NCFCA tournament. I saw some stellar cases and strong argumentation, but I also noticed a disturbing trend: many students seem confident and put-together when they affirm the resolution. They can articulate a strong philosophical case for private property rights, complete with appeals to social contract theory and natural rights. However, when it comes to the negative side, many cases seem far less polished. Students struggle to come up with a philosophical justification for the economic interests of the community. They let many affirmative points slide, uncontested. They often look uncomfortable.
Continue reading “Tips for LD Negs in NCFCA by: Honor Hoffman”
There’s only so much time to give judges information about how to judge at a tournament, so the priority is often on procedural things: how to fill out the ballot, what to expect in the round, and what the basic rules are. What goes neglected is actually how to make a good decision. Because of this we find that many parents are confused and intimidated by the entire process. We also find that information about how to make a good decision gets passed around piecemeal, losing its original meaning through time and transmission.
While there is no one correct way to judge, there are some basic principles that help students improve the quality of debate. This workshop will go over these principles as well as our personal process of making a good judging decision. It will be simpler than you think! How we think about debate often gets overly complicated over time, when in fact debate, and therefore judging, will always boil down to basic principles of reason and decision-making.
Lasting Impact! and New England Debate Coach Marc Davis will lead the Team Policy portion and Lasting Impact! Coach Noah McKay will lead Lincoln Douglass. Directors of Lasting Impact! and New England Debate, Heather Neumann and Brenda Storz will also contribute their expertise. Combined we have multiple decades of participating in and coaching debate. We’re allotting a significant portion of time to Q&A so be sure to bring any question you have about judging.
Logistics: 12/17 at 6:30pm ET via Zoom.
Please register even if you can’t make the call, because we will send the recording to everyone on the registration list. Also, please spread the word!
As a Debater, your task is to clarify the round into a single, clear question to debate. Following are several steps to help you so…
Continue reading “Steps for Clarity in Your Debate Round by: Isaiah Depp”
It can be very tempting, especially early in the debate season, to keep your debate case a secret even within your own club. After all, you’ve poured your time, effort, and energy into this case and you want to protect it from the cruel eyes of the world. Or maybe, you want to keep an aura of surprise – to hear the whispers in hallways and the fear on your opponents faces as they walk into the room. However, these options are not practically or strategically going to give you the best competitive results.
Some argue that you should share your case because we’re all a team, and that’s what teams should do. While true, I’d like to present a couple more selfish reasons why you should share your case with anyone and everyone early in the season.
Continue reading “Why You Should Share Your Cases by: Clare Cey”
If you compete in debate, the chances are good that at some point you’ll have to argue for something you disagree with. Whether you realize your case is based on an assumption you hadn’t thought about or it’s in the resolution itself, it’s pretty much inevitable.
When this situation comes up, it can be difficult, confusing, and tiring. How do you defend your position without betraying your beliefs or making yourself look bad? Luckily, most resolutions aren’t so one-sided that this becomes impossible, but some seem to come close…
Continue reading “How To Debate a One Sided Resolution by: Peter Montgomery”
How do we get there?
A question often asked when we take our family trips, typically proposed by our youngest of children. “When are we leaving….how far away….are we stopping anywhere…how long?” All top the list of favorite questions to ask. The root of the conversation is the core understanding of how. The response is founded in the knowledge that someone has done the work to show us the path.
The map…
Continue reading “Using a Sourcebook as a Guide or Map in LD or TP Debate by: Richard Green”
The LD Guide is HERE – https://lastingimpact.info/product/book10418/ !
This guidebook is written as a preparatory resource for beginning, intermediate, and advanced Lincoln-Douglas competitors, as well as coaches, club leaders, and parents. Unlike many sourcebooks on the market, it is not primarily a catalog of source material (though there are plenty of useful resources cited throughout). My aim is to walk you through the process of writing a constructive speech (colloquially known among LD debaters as a “case”) step-by-step, offering explanations, sources, and example arguments wherever they might be useful along the way. By the time you have finished reading this guide, you will understand how the components of an LD case fit together and how the best arguments in LD are formulated, and you will know how to apply that understanding to this year’s topic. While I have written this guide to be accessible for beginners, I am very confident that advanced students will also find valuable insights within…
The perennial debate between LD- and TP-firsters is unlikely to come to and end any time soon. Probably, you’ve already heard several of the considerations I am about to offer in defense of the LD-first position. But I am willing to bet you haven’t heard them all. My hope is that these arguments will make the decision easier for those of you who are on the fence. (And, of course, I hope you choose LD.)
Continue reading “Why Your Student Should Start with LD Debate by: Noah McKay”
‘Tis the season to panic over the slate of new debate resolutions! Just kidding. If you are looking for an opinion… Noah McKay has got one, or a few!? Check out his comprehensive opinions on this years voting Lincoln Douglas resolutions for both Stoa and NCFCA…
Continue reading “Stoa and NCFCA Lincoln Douglas Debate Resolution Breakdown with Noah McKay”
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