#1: US Coaching

#2: Unique approach

#3: Select Grade level division

#4: select courses

the road to nationals 2021

frequently asked questions

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• Are programs live? Yes, lectures are live online, with real-time Q&A & interactive small group debates.

• What is the time commitment? 20 Hours of live sessions over each Quarter's course. All Core Courses meet twice a week for 1.5 hours each session. Note, that The Global Chronicles Tournament Series Prep Course meets for 3 hours on Saturdays over the full semester (Q1 and Q2).

• What is the typical student profile? Our students are generally based in major metropolitan cities in India and internationally in the U.S., Europe and Middle East. One common thread is that our students are passionate, attend top schools and are gifted or advanced for their grade level.

• Is there homework? Many students will spend extra time ahead of debates to read and prepare. While this is optional, debate is competitive and helps stimulate self-interest in research and critical thinking. Our goal is to significantly deepen their understanding in each program track and build critical thinking and creativity skills, while gaining perspectives and self-motivated learning in each subject area.

• How do you provide feedback? Students have opportunities during classes to receive assistance, feedback, and ask questions. We track student performance during classes as well as in tournaments. 

• Is prior experience needed? Your child will start debating in the first class - no prior experience needed.

• How do you encourage interaction? We leverage technology to promote participation in each live session. We encourage students both through written and verbal shares to communicate their ideas and questions either broadly or privately during lectures that can be responded to live. In breakout rooms, students get to work in smaller teams of 4 to 6 students to prepare for debates, where we check in to see if they have questions or need help preparing. Each child has a speaking role within structured debates and cross examination, and we moderate debates to coach and encourage collaboration among team members and sharing of responsibilities during cross-examination while helping to prepare their fellow team members.

• How does the new Quarterly system work? We will be systematically tracking students in each course and those who participate in The Global Chronicles. Participation and performance in courses each quarter (Q1-Q4), in The Global Chronicles, and in the Regionals A and B Tournaments will be factored for National Tournament 2021 eligibility. Students can select the courses they are excited by. Each course uses a different content area with our unique pedagogy to teach and advance student debate skills while they deepen their knowledge of content areas.

• What does each topic cover? Each curriculum and debate topic is curated by our U.S. instructors and takes a deep dive into issues of global importance and leadership. Kids are introduced to extemporaneous speech, research, critical analysis, and debate skills while gaining insights into influences and impacts on government, business, leadership, economics, science, and the world around us. Watch videos of each of our new courses.

• Can I sign-up for multiple courses? Yes, we've designed the new Debate Academy on a flexible quarterly basis to give students several content options they find engaging on distinct topics with global relevance. Many students have previously enrolled in all our courses. Students can generally choose from two exciting options each day. Core Courses meet Monday/Wednesday, Tuesday/Thursday, and Friday/Saturday. Students gain critical thinking, creativity, communication, and leadership skills, while raising familiarity with important 21st century issues and leadership decisions. Topics are adapted for age groups. Each division will be challenged to read at a higher grade level. Select the topics and times that work best for your child and schedule.

• What device/materials do I need? Laptop/tablet, internet connection for streaming video, notebook

• Which ages can join? Students from grades 1 to 12 in school year 2020-21 can join while space is available. Students in younger grades can join a waitlist for our next Young Explorers courses which meets for an hour daily over 20 days each month. 

• My child is shy, nervous, stammers - can they still enroll? A majority of our students are shy. Fear of public speaking is common in adults and kids. Shy kids can gradually gain confidence in a controlled environment and advance to become successful leaders. This takes time. We encourage shy kids with a safe small group environment to express their views from the comfort of their home. Debate does not require any memorization - we remove such obstacles, encouraging deeper thinking and the use of notes to gradually build confidence. 

• How is your approach different? Mr. Kacholia has developed a unique pedagogy to teach students important content through debate, while advancing their debate and life skills with a highly rigorous and evidence-based format of debate. We are also the official, exclusive partners of the world's largest organization in this field, the U.S. NSDA. We take a real-world approach, using games and challenges to engage in practice each session, while gradually imparting theory and encouraging self-reflection and engaging discussions to articulate evidence-based reasoning. We dive deep into each topic area, evaluating evidence from multiple perspectives. We challenge kids to move beyond their personal opinions to develop an appreciation for alternative viewpoints based on evidence. U.S. NSDA debate has been proven over 95+ years to foster balanced leadership and no other academic activity has the extent of research supporting the academic, college, and life benefits. Our approach is very different than traditional courses on public speaking and elocution. This is not an elocution class. We don't memorize speeches. Our format of debate is designed to extend gifted children.

• How do I register and pay? Sign-up here. You'll automatically receive electronic payment instructions to your registered email. Once your payment has been received, you'll receive enrollment confirmation.
   

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