Aidan Stern, Jan 26th, 2024
On a snowy morning in January, Blacksburg AP Euro classmates and Mr. Baker logged onto their Chromebooks to debate and connect with other students in France. This event was the culmination of many days of meticulous planning and organization. On the Zoom call, each person had one minute to lay out their case defending or attacking Napoleon’s legacy. Afterward, students alternated questions to each other’s assertions about the historical figure. Opinions included his views on feminism, strategic and political mindset, legal systems, and battlefield prowess. Afterward, all came away with a deeper knowledge of the famous leader and connected with a different culture. This debate created a novel opportunity for educational enrichment and allowed students to learn past what the AP class traditionally teaches.
This idea originated from an organization called Parallel Histories, which emerged from a school field trip to Israel and Palestine. They found that allowing students to debate contentious issues objectively exposed them to different cultures and ways of thinking. The design of the discussion solidified over many years. Students analyze documents to build a structure for their opinions and cite them in their debate. These sources are curated so that each student receives both sides of the argument. Debate materials range from The French-Algerian War to the Irish Partition, depending on where teachers want to focus. It initially started in Europe and spread to contain schools from all over the world. Mr. Baker is the US editor for Parallel Histories.
After the event, some students expressed their opinions on the debate.
“I just wanted to say that I think it's really interesting to see both sides of the story because we mainly focus on prepping our side. But then to hear the other sides, it's easy to feel like they're more right. It's just a really great experience to debate with an international school and just the experience.” - Christina (BHS Student)
“[I]t's a great opportunity to speak with international students, and it's the first time for me speaking with American students, and I think it was very interesting and very fun.” - Chetan (French Student)
The teachers also chimed in.
“I’m a part-time delivering classes in English of history and geography to students that you’ve seen. It’s an option called the European section which means that I don’t have a proper curriculum to follow until their final year. That makes me free to look for other educational materials that are a little out of the box from what we are used to in France… I was very dissatisfied with what I saw in textbooks and this approach was really something that could get it done in the way that students were able to work with doc and listen to the other side and maybe relax their initial feelings.” - Theo Cohen (French Teacher)
Although there was no clear winner, that was not the point of the debate. It was meant to help students understand nuanced topics and bridge cultural divides. We lack this style of education at our school. We have extensive AP and DE courses for students to choose from, but we struggle to help students articulate their opinions and express their emotions in complex situations.
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