NCFCA Comprehensive Guide to Policy Debate Parent's Guide

The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) has partnered with NCFCA, National Christian Forensics and Communications Association, to provide detailed course instruction for team policy debate! These reputable organizations have designed courses to teach students how to reason; research a topic; construct, defend, and refute an argument; and communicate in a persuasive way to many different types of audiences. Students will learn how to articulate proficiently and with grace while applying a Christian worldview to debate. The focus is not winning debate competitions, but rather serving God and bringing Him glory as students engage in this activity.  

The Policy Debate Complete Set includes a Coach's Manual, a Competitor's Handbook, a spiral-bound Parent's Guide, as well as a 3-disc DVD set of lectures. No DVDs are included with the Value Debate Kit. (DVDs are specific to the Policy Style of Debate.) The contents of the Coach's Manual and Competitor's Handbook are in a durable binder. All books are non-reproducible; each family or coach must purchase its own copy.

The Coach's Manual takes the guessing out of teaching a debate class. If a parent or any individual is interested in teaching a co-op but is intimidated on how to present the material, this manual will solve the problem. You do not have to be a debate expert in order to lead this course! The lessons are well-organized and easy-to-follow. The Policy Debate Companion DVD is intended for the classroom lecture time, which is optional but highly recommended. In the manual, each lesson begins with a summary, lesson objectives, materials needed, and class agenda (even giving you how many minutes each activity should take). Average lessons will take between 1.5-2 hours. After the lesson instructions, the manual contains all of the student's handbook material. Additionally, you will find answers to all of the discussion questions, worksheets, and quizzes with detailed explanations to help aid students' understanding. The materials usually needed for the class are a DVD player (Policy Debate), Bibles, pens, paper, and notepads.

The Competitor's Handbook is the latest reworking of the original textbook An Introduction to Policy Debate. This is a 12-week policy debate course designed to teach students the basic theory of policy debate. Written in an easy-to-understand manner, students will learn how to research and find evidence as well as create and write their own debate case, defend viewpoints, answer arguments, and the "full particulars" of a debate round. There is even a lesson on speech and delivery. Each lesson begins with a summary and learning objectives for the class. Next is the reading portion of the lesson, followed by discussion questions and homework assignments (divided for novice and experienced students). Purchasers of this handbook will receive access to a free download of The NCFCA Comprehensive Guide to Policy Debate: Parent's Guide. However, the Parent's Guide is also available separately in a spiral-bound book.

The Parent's Guide gives a brief overview and summary of each lesson in the Competitor's Handbook. This book will be a huge help for parents and judges alike (I wish I had this guide during my son's debate years). There is also an NCFCA Speaker Point Scoring Guide included to help parents know how to judge speaker points. If parents want a deeper understanding of the material, they can read the material presented in the Competitor's Handbook.

Our speech and debate journey with NCFCA began years ago when I encouraged my son to attend just "one" class at the beginning of his eighth-grade year. He reluctantly agreed. After this class, he was "hooked." There have been so many positives from his experiences with NCFCA- not only growing in speech and debate skills (including writing, research, critical thinking, and leadership abilities), but developing life skills as well as life-long relationships. He has taken these skills and applied them to his college and professional career. As a parent, I appreciated how this program emphasizes glorifying God while learning how to debate and communicate effectively. (If you can't tell by now, I am a big fan of this organization and the principles it teaches.)

These guides are nicely written and easy to understand. Perfect for debate clubs, co-op leaders, coaches, parents, or anyone who desires to become an effective communicator. If your student or students are interested in learning debate and how to gain life skills to glorify God, I highly encourage this program! ~ Gina