Believe it or not, nearly 50% of jobs will disappear in the next 10 years (Oxford University, 2016).

If you think, “What does it have to do with me and my family?” consider this:

Your child is now putting all their time and effort into studying subjects that are likely to be absolutely useless real soon.

We can’t foresee the future our kids will live in, but what we can do right now is to prepare them for it. And by getting prepared, we mean help them develop a higher-level skill set that will never go out of demand. Not in 10 years and not in 50.

For example, here are three of the most valuable skills for the future, according to Forbes:

• Creativity – the ability to think “out of the box” and approach problems in new ways;
• Critical thinking – the ability to logically analyse and interpret information to make a sound decision;
• Communication & social skills – the ability to effectively get your point across, listen actively, show empathy, and use non-verbal body language.

We’re not even mentioning good command of spoken and written English. That’s a given.

If we’re being honest, you don’t even have to think as far ahead as your child’s career.

Just look at competitive exams to selective schools. Every year the questions focus more and more on reasoning and higher thinking rather than simply test what your child has learned in their Science class.

That’s exactly why Exam Success places problem-solving skills at the heart of every online course or practice test.

To help your child get ahead in school and beyond, Exam Success has developed an Online Debating Training Course where participants will improve their English, work on their creativity and critical thinking as well as significantly boost their communication skills.

And we’re going to have fun, too!

This well-rounded course includes five tutor-led online debate classes in a small group of only 5 people. The tutor leading these sessions is a former member of a State Debating Team. In each online session, participants will do a mock debate on a hot topic and learn all the nuts and bolts of a powerful persuasive speech. Students will learn to define a topic, structure their message, come up with strong arguments and evidence as well as present those clearly and persuasively.

Debate topics will vary. Though, we will mostly focus on debate topics for kids and teens in the middle school and will touch upon current events.

Here is a list of sample middle school topics for kids that will undoubtedly stir a hot debate:

• Good education is key to a successful life.
• Should schools ban homework?
• We should abolish formal schooling in favour of online learning.
• We should limit the number of houses each family can own.
• Should climate change denial be punished?
• Rich people should share a portion of their wealth with the poor.
• People should become vegetarians.
• Teens in middle school should be able to choose the subjects they want to study.
• All countries should stop using cash and transition into cashless economies.
• Should all countries open the borders?
• Should we ban violent video games?
• Healthcare and education should be free for all.

Exam Success online debate academy will help your child:

• Develop strong verbal skills while improving their English
• Think critically and creatively
• Learn to think on their feet (a valuable skill both for competitive exams and life in general)
• Improve their persuasive written expression thanks to the gained practice of structuring speeches, and expressing their points clearly
• Stay up to date with current world events
• Build self-esteem

And here’s the best part…

The skills your child will gain from our online debate classes translate into academic achievements, too. For example, research from the University of Bedfordshire (2019) found that after introducing debating for primary school kids, participants showed up to a 19% score increase in all the subjects.

Most importantly, with this online debate training course, you can have peace of mind that your child is safe at home while still learning to effectively work with their peers.

All your child needs to join is reliable internet, a set of headphones with a microphone and a computer.

The dates of the program activity in 2021 can be found below. The duration of each session is 1 hour, so each program has a total of 5 tutoring hours (1 hour each session x 5 sessions).

* Due to the way sessions are organised, classes cannot be rescheduled and any no shows are forfeited sessions. We reserve the right to cancel classes if there is a reason to and in such a case, a full refund would be offered.

How does it work?

Once you’ve been confirmed for the program, we’ll send through information that will make onboarding a breeze. Essentially, you and your child will link up with our tutor and other children in the class virtually through an app (it’s very easy to use, kind of like Skype or Facetime).

Each online debate class is led by a tutor who acts as the adjudicator and coach. Students are divided into groups of 2 (where one team takes an affirmative position and another – the negative position), and the remaining student assumes the role of a chair. Students will swap roles in each debate session.

During each online debate class, students will work as a team. They will brainstorm argument ideas, come up with the evidence as well as hone their persuasive skills, and improve their spoken English on-the-go.

How do I join?

Check through the timetable to find the class you wish to join to see if there is any availability. If available, purchase your spot here – it is $172.50 for the program of 5 tutor-led sessions and on a successful purchase, we’ll be in touch to confirm your spot.

A week before you’re scheduled first class, we’ll be in touch with an email that will onboard you for your sessions.