Oratory Article
Competition Debating
Friday night was one of our toughest rounds as we came up against one of the strongest schools in our pool: Shore. That said, we saw many close debates. Our Year 8 team continued their winning streak, and our Senior As ended Shore’s undefeated status in that division!
See below the ISDA topics, for which Cranbrook was affirmative in all debates:
| Division | Topic Area Round 5 ISDA |
| 7 | That we should ban children from making money off social media. |
| 8 | That we should ban children from making money off social media. |
| 9 | That we should ban children from making money off social media. |
| 10 | That the use of social media for news consumption has done more harm than good. |
| Senior B | That the use of social media for news consumption has done more harm than good. |
| Senior A | That the use of social media for news consumption has done more harm than good. |
See below the updated tally:
| ISDA Division | Round 1 vs SACS | Round 2 vs St Caths | Round 3 vs Kincoppal | Round 4 vs Kambala | Round 5 vs Shore |
| 7 | WIN | Loss | WIN | Loss | Loss |
| 8 | WIN | TBC | WIN | WIN | WIN |
| 9 | WIN | WIN | WIN | Loss | Loss |
| 10 | WIN | WIN | WIN | WIN | Loss |
| Senior B | WIN | WIN | WIN | Loss | Loss |
| Senior A | WIN | WIN | Loss | WIN | WIN |
Eastside debaters had their re-match against Reddam, who they versed in the pre-season. This round proved highly successful for our teams, with wins recorded by Years 7, 10, 11, and 12. This was Year 7’s first win of the season and our 12s continue to be undefeated. After 3 rounds, Cranbrook’s Eastside debaters have achieved our strongest ever start to a season!
See below the Eastside pre-season round topics:
| Division | Topic Area Round 3 Eastside: Education |
| 7 | That we should make parenting courses mandatory for all parents. |
| 8 | That we should make parenting courses mandatory for all parents. |
| 9 | That we prefer the Autonomous Learning Model to the Accelerated Learning Model. |
| 10 | That we should heavily prioritise the social impact of research in determining funding for academic research. |
| 11 | That we should heavily prioritise the social impact of research in determining funding for academic research. |
| 11 | That we should heavily prioritise the social impact of research in determining funding for academic research. |
See below the results for Cranbrook:
| Eastside Division | Round 1 vs Sydney Grammar | Round 2 vs Scots | Round 3 vs Reddam |
| 7 | Loss | Loss | WIN |
| 8 | Loss | WIN | Loss |
| 9 | WIN | WIN | Loss |
| 10 | Loss | Loss | WIN |
| 11 | Loss | WIN | WIN |
| 12 | WIN | WIN | WIN |
This Friday 22nd March sees the following debates take place:
| Details | ISDA | Eastside |
| Round | Round 6 | Round 4 |
| Venue | Scots College | Sydney Boys High |
| Address | 53 Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill | 556 Cleveland Street, Sydney |
| Entry via | Please only enter the campus from the Chapel Gate on Victoria Road (follow signage) and walk along the pathway directly to the Graeme Clark Building. A representative from the school will meet you and walk you to the holding area in the Coote Theatre. | Enter via the Cleveland Street parking lot gate and head to the main heritage building. |
| Years 7-9 debate / finish | Debates start 6.30pm / Debates finish 7.30pm | Debates start 6.15pm / Debates finish 7.15pm |
| Years 10-12 debate / finish | Debates start 7.30pm / Debates finish 9.00pm | Debates start 7.15pm / Debates finish 8.45pm |
| Topic area | International Issues | Economics |
| Spectator policy | Spectators welcome | Spectators welcome |
A reminder that all Years 7-9 debaters must be collected by a parent or guardian at the end of the night.
AMEB Voice and Communication being introduced
Starting after the Easter break, Cranbrook will be introducing the AMEB Voice and Communication syllabus to students in Years 7 and 8 who find speaking publicly a challenging experience and who are eager to develop the confidence and skill to express themselves with purpose, clarity and flair. The AMEB course may be familiar to those whose children work through grades of Music for their chosen instrument. For Voice and Communication, it will involve engaging with a range of text types like prose and poetry, speaking in a range of contexts (some favourites include performing a magic trick to an audience or presenting a verbal media report) as well as learning good vocal exercises and posture techniques to communicate well.
Students involved will be led by a public speaking coach and teacher with experience in this field, receiving small group tuition and support so they can prepare for the formal external assessment component of the AMEB. This involves speaking in small groups and individually to a panel of assessors, who will provide marks and feedback. Involvement in Voice and Communication is designed to be long term, with students moving up grades (levels) each year, eventually having the opportunity in senior years to try their hand at the Voice and Communication Certificate course. More details can be found on pages 71-92 of the syllabus guide.
It is planned to host weekly prep sessions for students on Friday afternoons at Cranbrook, 3.30-5.00pm. There will also be a weekly lunchtime check-in for students. The formal assessments by the AMEB are typically held in August-September each year, with back-up dates in the final months of the academic year. Preference will be given to students not already involved in our programmes and numbers will be limited.
This will be a paid extra for those students who ultimately participate. The cost will include tuition throughout the year, a light afternoon snack each Friday, and the fee for the formal assessment (cost will exclude having to re-sit an assessment for any reason, which will be charged extra).
A webinar with more information will be held via TEAMS at 6pm Monday 25th March. If you and your Year 7 or 8 child are interested in attending, please register your interest here no later than 9pm this Friday 22nd March. Only those who register interest will receive the webinar link.
Upcoming oratory events
- Rostrum Public Speaking Competition heats at Ascham this Thursday 21st March
- ISDA Competition Debating R6 vs Scots (away) and Eastside Competition Debating R4 vs Sydney Boys High (away) this Friday 22nd March
- Public Speaking next Monday 25th March from 3.30-5.30pm
- Mock Trial Competition Round 1 vs Scots next Wednesday 27th March during school time
There will be no Thursday afternoon Mooting, Mock Trial, or Social Debating, no Friday night Competition Debating next week, and no Public Speaking on Monday 1st April due to the Easter Long Weekend.
Oratory programmes above are fully subscribed for Semester 1
There has been a lot of recent interest in participating in one or more of our oratory programmes listed above. However, close date for sign-ups have long passed and we are presently fully subscribed across all debating, public speaking, and Model UN. We are therefore unable to accept new enrolments. However, students keen to gain access to our resources and prepare themselves for Semester 2 sign-up are welcome to reach out to me (note, we only accept expressions of interest from students directly). Sign-up for Semester 2 offerings will circulate via student email in mid-June.
Contact
Should you or your son have any further questions about any of Cranbrook’s oratory programmes, you are welcome to reach out to the Head of Oratory and Student Journalism, Mr Benjamin Smith, at bsmith@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au. In the first instance, students should be making contact about getting involved.
Essential information and highlights for parents will be posted here on Cranbrook Connect as part of the Thursday Link. Students involved in oratory programmes will receive updates via their respective Canvas or TEAMS channels.
Benjamin Smith
Head of Oratory & Student Journalism