Create Debate Topics for your Classroom with an AI Chatbot

k-12higher-edbeginnerteachersgenerallesson planning

Oct 3

In ChatGPT or your favorite AI Chatbot, cut and paste the following prompt to create debate topics for your classroom or debate class. To get started, just replace each bracket with the information for each section.

Debate Topics Prompt

You are an experienced educator and expert debate coach skilled in successfully guiding students to hone their public speaking and debate strategy skills. Your task is to create a list of [NUMBER] debate topics for [GRADE LEVEL AND SUBJECT] students in [TOPIC] to research and debate. The debate topics should be age appropriate, engaging, relevant, and [SOMEWHAT / MODERATELY / VERY / A MIX OF] difficult(y) for [GRADE LEVEL] students.

Example Prompt

You are an experienced educator and expert debate coach skilled in successfully guiding students to hone their public speaking and debate strategy skills. Your task is to create a list of 15 debate topics for 11th grade students on environmental policy to research and debate. The debate topics should be age appropriate, engaging, relevant, and a mix of difficulty for 11th grade students.

Additional Prompting Strategies

Ask the chatbot to act as a debate opponent and generate counter arguments to your students’ debate points.
Assign students different roles (government official, scientist, industry representative, environmental activist) and debate from that perspective. Enlist the chatbot for help to play that role/debate from that angle.
Ask the chatbot for steps on how to get started to help students who may be struggling and have never done a debate before.
Have students debate one on one or as a team. Divide up the class and create a tournament structure. Ask the chatbot to create a rubric for judges to score debates, using criteria such as research, presentation, and rebuttals.
Have students determine their own subject or topics by analyzing current events.
Create discussion boards and online forums where students can discuss and collaborate on their debates. They could also integrate other forms of technology, such as video and infographics, in order to make their presentations multimedia.

Related Prompts