1. Philosophical Chairs Philosophical Chairs

2. Performance Objective Students will develop inquiry, oral-language, and argumentation skills through participation in an informed debate on a controversial issue, while considering various points of view. 2

3. 3 What Is Philosophical Chairs? A structured form of academic discourse A discussion and informed debate, which relies on a prompt as the foundation An opportunity for students to improve verbal capability and fluency, as well as academic language skills

4. 4 Philosophical Chairs: Central Statement Prompt must be engaging, easily understood, and clearly divided into two sides. Encourages students to debate the merits of the content behind the statement or question. “Pesticides should be outlawed for food crops.” “The United States should withdraw from the United Nations.” “Social media does more harm than good.”

5. 5 Philosophical Chairs: Choosing a Side Brainstorm as many arguments as possible FOR and AGAINST. Summarize current personal position. If using a text, select quotes, paragraph numbers, or page numbers that support the position.

6. 6 Philosophical Chairs: Rules of Engagement Keep the informed debate productive, academic, and structured.

7. 7 Philosophical Chairs: Format One side of the classroom will be designated as the “Agree” side, while the other will be designated as the “Disagree” side.

8. 8 Philosophical Chairs: Debrief and Reflection Make sure to debrief as a class and have students reflect on both the process and the content of the activity.

9. 9 Philosophical Chairs: Facilitation Steps 1.Review the purpose and format. 2.Introduce the Central Statement and define all relevant terms. 3.Students brainstorm arguments and summarize their current perspective. 4.Review the Rules of Engagement. 5.Students move to the side of the room that reflects their perspective.

10. 10 6.Alternate sides in the structured debate. 7.Summarize the previous speaker’s argument first. 8.Encourage students to switch sides if they change their mind during the debate. 9.Debrief and reflect. Philosophical Chairs: Facilitation Steps

11. Additional Tips Please see the AVID Critical Thinking and Engagement book for additional tips on: Increasing rigor Increasing scaffolding Integrating technology Integrating ELL support Format variations, such as Speed Formation and Jury Style, with related video 11

12. Questions or Comments? 12