There is a lot of angst about Harvard closing its writing center.
Part of the commentary is that writing promotes critical thinking.….
Debate promotes critical thinking more -- it’s active, both before (preparation) and during the debate itself, done under pressure. If people actually cared about critical thinking, they’d promote Debate Centers.
Debate also teaches *oral* communication skills, which are used by everyone every day.
Where are all the Debate Centers that we can use to teach critical thinking, judgment, public engagement?
Or is the the “writing=critical thinking” claim really just a Circling of the Wagons?
If you *actually* care about students’ critical thinking, promote the learning methods that support it best.
P.S. Debate also promotes writing. You write the opening speeches and continually revise them to make them better.
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