Unit 8: LIBERTY

Debating in public
Why doesn’t freedom (of speech) work without strict rules?

Introduction for teachers

Why doesn’t freedom (of speech) work without strict rules?

To some readers, this question may seem strange. After all, freedom means we can say and do what we want. Democracy is a system for open, free societies. Strict rules remind us of something very different – authoritarian rule for example. So what is the message behind this question? Put briefly, freedom and equality are twins. We all enjoy rights of freedom, but we need equal chances to exercise them – and that is what rules are there for. In this unit, the students will experience the importance of this principle for taking part in democracy.

Why this unit focuses on debating

Citizens who take part in democracy will take part in discussions and debates, and in doing so, they exercise their human rights to free opinion and expression. Arguing in public is a skill that can be learned, so students need training in school. For this reason, the students train how to carry out a debate, and this unit is linked to the key concept of freedom. Freedom of speech and expression is particularly important here.

What the students do in the debating lesson

Eleven students take part in the debate. There are two debating teams of five students each, and a chairperson. The other students listen to the debate, but they play an active part too. Three tandem teams of students write a news story on the debate and report back to the class in the last lesson of the unit. The remaining students act as an audience, and their role is to assess the arguments, decide which party has finally convinced them, and vote on which side they support. As in politics, one side wins the majority of supporters.

What will the students learn in this unit?

The debate follows strict rules that make sure that each student receives a fair, equal share of speaking time. So the chairperson will interrupt students who want to speak longer than they are allowed to. But this rule is necessary, as it protects every speaker’s right to free expression – but within a strict limit. This is why freedom doesn’t work without strict rules (see the subtitle of this unit). Without this principle, no democratic system would work, nor would human rights mean much in people’s lives.

What the teacher’s task is in this unit

In this unit, a lot of time is given to the students to work on their own in order to train their skills of debating and observation, but also to take responsibility for what they do. Lessons 2-4 all begin with student inputs. When the students work on their own, the teacher acts like a coach: he/she watches the students to find out what they can do well, and which of their competences need more attention and training. He/she supports them if they ask for help, but should not give them the solutions to their tasks.

Competence development: links to other units in this volume

What does this table show?

The title of this manual, Taking part in democracy, focuses on the competences of the active citizen in democracy. This matrix shows the potential for synergy effects between the units in this manual. The matrix shows what competences are developed in unit 8 (the shaded row in the table). The strongly framed column shows the competences of political decision making and action – strongly framed because of their close links to taking part in democracy. The rows below indicate links to other units in this manual: what competences are developed in these units that support the students in unit 8?

How can this table be used?

Teachers can use this matrix as a tool for planning their EDC/HRE classes in different ways.

• This matrix helps teachers who have only a few lessons to devote to EDC/HRE: a teacher can select only this unit and omit the others, as he/she knows that some key competences are also developed, to a certain extent, in this unit – for example, analysis, reflexive use of the media, and responsibility.

• The matrix helps teachers make use of the synergy effects that help the students to be trained in important competences repeatedly, in different contexts that are linked in many ways. In this case the teacher selects and combines several units.

UNIT 8: Liberty – debating in public

Why doesn’t freedom (of speech) work without strict rules?