Joaquin Ruiz, Miralmonte School’s Headmaster and his view of the project

Joaquin Ruiz - Colegio Miralmonte Headmaster

How do you rate the experience the students have had with their first international visit?

It has been a very positive experience since they have been able to learn how public speaking and debate are developed in other educational centers, acquire new methodologies and establish great ties of friendship with other students from the educational centers participating in the Erasmus + project.

How is the Oratory and Debate project being worked on this year at the center?

We have established oratory and debate clubs from 5th grade to 1st year of Baccalaureate, with students from 10 to 17 years old. We are going to work on argumentation and a critical spirit with new activities and topics for debate.

We have started the course dealing with the issue of how the international troops have left Afghanistan, through a UNM debate (United Nations Model). During this term, we have also discussed what our students have proposed: if it should be legal to abolish the Ministry of Equality; if the abolition of remedial exams increases students' school performance; if abortion, among others, should be fully decriminalized.

For the second term, the center's oratory and debate competition will be prepared, in which all the debate clubs participate and the topic is: Mandatory vaccination for everyone is the main measure to control the COVID 19.

What does working on the debate mean at these ages?

The most evident thing is that students lose their fear of speaking in public, getting to know themselves better, developing their critical spirit, knowing how to present and organize their ideas when presenting a topic or working as a team and promoting friendship and their team spirit.

While they learn, have fun and improve their academic results, it allows us teachers to apply in the classroom different methodologies based on learning to apprehend, learn by doing and dialogic learning, achieving significant learning and curricular enrichment for students.