QDU Adjudication Seminar Years 8-10

Administration Administration Questions- Tony Scarcella If it’s urgent, call him on Debating Questions- James Rigby Adjudication Test-Answer some questions and watch a debate Reimbursement-$66/night if you judge the maximum number of debates

Before The Debate Check Location and Times of your debate Arrive early (Allow a 30 minute window) Don’t “not show”, or swap debates. Check for conflicts (i.e. the school you attended/the school you work at) Dress presentably Have Stationery

During the Debate Decide a winner Assign Scores Prepare an Oral Adjudication Prepare some individual feedback Maintain order Take notes, and pay attention Remember to clarify to chair people when they should move on

Rules Two teams-Affirmative and Negative Three Speakers per team-1A, 1N, 2A, 2N, 3A, 3N You must weigh up speaker responsibilities and quality of argumentation Golden Rule=Persuasiveness Both teams advance a case with four arguments, and rebut the opposition case Auto-losses do not exist. There is no one thing a team can do to lose/win a debate. Your decision must fairly compare the OVERALL contributions of both teams.

Types of Debate Normative/Policy/Change/”Should” Debates-Arguing about what a certain actor (Usually the government) should do in order to change something e.g. That we should abolish the senate e.g. That feminists should boycott Disney Princess Films Models required. Sometimes the actor is not the state, like in the second topic. Empirical/“That” Debates-Arguing about what the world is like e.g. That print media is better than online media e.g. That Australia is a Force for good in the Asia Pacific Region Sometimes these require criteria to clarify the grounds of the debate; at other times, these aren’t necessary because the debate is clear.

Elements of a case Affirmative Definition Model/Criteria Stance No Split! Arguments Rebuttal Negative Counter-model Stance No Split! Arguments Rebuttal

Speaker Roles-1A (Grade 8 Timing) These times are only GUIDELINES. A speaker may adjust the time they spend slightly if they deem one of the elements on this list to be particularly important. In general though they will have: An interesting introduction (~30 Seconds) Definition, Model/Criteria, Stance (~1 minute) Signposting Arguments (<15 seconds) 2 Arguments (~2 minutes) Conclusion (<30 seconds) There is no need for any speaker to start their speech with “Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen”, or for any speaker to restate the topic of the debate. A speaker doesn’t necessarily have to do any of the things on the list explicitly. That means that if when they start their arguments you understand completely what the affirmative team understands the topic to mean, they have defined the topic, even if they didn’t say the sentence “We define the topic as…”

Speaker Roles-1N (Grade 8 Timing) An interesting introduction (~30 Seconds) Rebuttal(~1 minute) Case Set up (e.g. Stance, Countermodel if appropriate) (~30 seconds) Signposting Arguments (<15 seconds) 2 Arguments (~1.5 minutes) Conclusion (<30 seconds) The first negative does not need to explicitly accept the opposition’s definition. If they do not say anything, it is assumed they have accepted the definition.

Speaker Roles-2 nd and 3 rd Speakers (Grade 8 Timing) 2 nd speakers Introduction (~30 seconds) Rebuttal (~1.5 minutes) Signpost (<15 seconds) Arguments (~2 minutes) Conclusion (<30 seconds) 3 rd Speakers Introduction (~30 seconds) Outline Rebuttal Targets (3) (~15 seconds) Rebuttal (3.5-4 minutes) Conclusion and Team Summary (30 seconds)

What makes a good argument? Structure: 1. Outline point (Label) 2. Explain the logic 3. Give evidence/Examples 4. Link point back to topic Credible and concise Consider stakeholders Arguments shouldn’t depend on each other Don’t make value judgments Imperatives-Is there a problem in the world that one team can solve?

What makes good rebuttal Deals with the majority of the material-that should include rebutting the opposition’s arguments, their model, their example and their rebuttal. Doesn’t rely on substantive Key Techniques: Rejecting the premise, “Even if”, pointing out contradictions In senior years, and ideally in junior years, speakers should outline their rebuttal targets in advance. It helps to group all the rebuttal into a couple (usually two or three broad issues). That doesn’t mean you rebut only two or three things-you rebut everything, it’s just grouped into a couple of issues. Structure: 1. Say what they said 2. Say why it’s wrong 3. Say what you say 4. Say why it’s right

Other important rules Speaking times should be closely adhered to Speakers should use palm cards, not sheets of paper. They shouldn’t drop palm cards after using them. ONLY in the Senior A competition can speakers speak of paper. Speakers may use a stopwatch on their wrist Speakers may not use electronic devices at the table Personal Attacks are unacceptable

Deciding a winner Weigh up everything-quality of argumentation, role fulfilment, style Make sure you consider the range of content presented by both teams, and think specifically about which arguments were strong/still standing at the end of the debate. You can award a debate on manner or method if it’s close Pick the winner before totalling your scores

Scoring the debate Winner must have the highest number of total points Three criteria  Manner, Matter, Method. Every score MUST be a number from the table: On your page after each speech, give a draft score. You should update this at the end of the debate. Scores don’t have to perfectly reflect the debate, because there’s not enough points to do that. They should approximately represent the debate. Do not award a debate by more than 15 points. MannerMatterMethodTotal Very Poor Below Average Average Abaove Average Excellent

Preparing your oral adjudication SHORT AND SWEET! 5 things: 1. Thank the teams 2. Announce the winner and the margin 3. Explain your decision 4. Give general feedback 5. Give individual feedback, including scores.

What to do if You think it’s a draw: it’s not a draw A parent complains to you: be polite, and direct them to their school coordinator or the QDU if they are still concerned A team doesn’t show up: speak to the venue coordinator Someone faints: use your common sense. Let them pause, and step outside if they need to. You’re scheduled to adjudicate your own school: Call Tony.

Important Info (Tony’s ) (Tony’s mobile) (Adj VP ) Post debate you have to enter your results online. If you don’t you won’t get paid Keep your notes somewhere just in case someone contests a decision