ACEs Debate Club is an after school debate program
We are a fun and interactive after-school enrichment program where students develop life-long critical thinking and speaking skills.
Our unique instructional model maximizes remote learning and engages students
Join our debate program for students in grades 5-8 who are interested in learning public speaking and argumentation through fun and interactive discussions, recorded videos, and group work.
ACEs Debate Club can fill the void if your school does not have a debate club or supplement what you are learning at school. Students take advantage of a curriculum that combines asynchronous self-guided videos and activities as well as weekly synchronous meetings with a highly qualified debate coach.
Our unique instructional model maximizes remote learning tools. Every program utilizes both synchronous (together) learning and asynchronous (independent) learning. Students watch short videos (5-10 minutes) between classes and complete practice application based assignments, which they submit through our Learning Management System and receive feedback.
Your weekly class experience
Each class is built around a core skill or concept that students will apply. The coach will review that core skill/concept from what students’ learned from the video and application activity by leading the class in a short full-class discussion. Students are given a new challenge and some time in groups to work together to come up with the best example. Once students have a good grasp of the material, they engage in another challenge that utilizes the core skill/concept in an advanced manner such as evidence analysis or argument creation.
Since a guiding principle of our program is teaching students that debate is fun: classes use argumentation games to give students a chance to speak and debate as much as possible. This builds from lighthearted discussions where students answer what the best item of a category is to classwide debates where students respond to a prompt based on how firmly they agree or disagree to 1-on-1 spontaneous debates where students draw topics at random.
Why debate?
Speak. Argue. Respond. Question. Have fun! Public speaking is the #1 fear in America but if students tackle it early, they’ll be experts in vital skills that will set them apart from their peers.
Learn critical skills
Debate enables students to learn critical thinking, teamwork, communication, organization, and advocacy. These skills help students effectuate change within themselves and their communities.
Understand context and problem-solve
Debating both sides helps students understand the context and controversies of an issue and how to best present their opinions. Debate creates fun problem-solving challenges for students to practice weighing the advantages and disadvantages to find the best solution.
Build confidence
Answering questions on the spot will instill confidence in students when they are participating in the classroom or workplace. Coming up with responses to opposing arguments teaches students how to anticipate and plan accordingly.
What parents say about ACEs
“This program has my daughter excited to have critical, thoughtful discussions and is so important to helping students understand the value in hearing both sides and supporting your argument with reasoning.”
Sarah
“Thank you for giving him this outlet to improve his debate skills. And as a parent, I'm happy for him to have someone else to debate once a week other than me.”
Tanya
He's usually pretty quiet in class and doesn't contribute as much as he could. It sounds like he's been speaking up and contributing during Debate. I think this program is helping him feel more comfortable speaking in front of others
Jason
My son has been in debate the previous two years and this year he seems to spark to it more. Perhaps it's the ... style, but from what I hear from him it's all about the teacher!
Kimberly
Thanks for a great experience so far! He is excited to log on each week; this Zoom is a pandemic positive.
Robin
She is enjoying the class so much. She loves debating, listening to her peers debate, and learning how to build arguments and articulate her thoughts.
Michelle
“My daughter takes a long time to formulate and express her thoughts. Debate is helping her to build confidence in speaking. She said it definitely helped her improve her performance on a couple of oral exams this semester.
