Debating Club report: week 6

 

We all agreed that Doha would be a more attractive place to live in if it was ‘greener and brighter’ as one of our students put it. If the empty places were grassed over this would enhance the appearance of the city, as well as improve the environment and enrich the habitat for wildlife.  The grassed areas would increase the number of play areas, football pitches and parks. It was stated (not entirely accurately) that the Corniche is the only area of grass in the city. However, it was acknowledged by all that, since Doha is expanding rapidly, that there should be more provision of pleasant leisure areas, like the Corniche, in other parts of the city. Not only would they look good but they would help improve the air quality of the city by increasing oxygen levels and reduce the volume of dust in the air on windy days by binding the sandy soil together. End of story? No! Members of the club then began to wonder how all these magnificent and much loved areas of grass could be sustained. After all, Doha is a city in a desert environment and that means, in this type of desert area anyway- hot and dry. Where would all the water come from that even drought resistant grass would need? Yes, Qatar is a peninsula and water can be obtained by desalination, but extra desalination stations would need to be provided. The power required, and pollution created in new construction and operation of these extra facilities might cancel out the benefits of the grass areas they would provide the water for. One student stated that, since the wild animals who survive here have adapted to the desert, so should the people-‘The area is MEANT to be a desert- learn to love sand!’

 

Eight out of the ten students attending the club this week came to school in some variety of 4x4 vehicle. Why are they so popular in Doha? We thought that they are common cars because 4 wheel drive is useful if people are going to go ‘off-road’ in Qatar. We then wondered how many 4x4s are actually taken, genuinely, off road or used simply to by pass traffic jams on the sandy road verges. It was recognised that in some areas the roads are rough, and some cars can be damaged when they hit some potholes if their car is not designed for rough driving as the 4x4 cars are. Perhaps that is why so many of these cars are found on Doha roads! Should there be a limit on their numbers? Many thought they should be controlled, as the bigger cars take up more road space and therefore contribute to the ever increasing problem of congestion. Another reason for limiting them was that, being more powerful, they used more fuel so were more polluting. It was also suggested that, by making drivers feel more secure, they could contribute to some of the bad traffic accidents that occur as they could encourage drivers to travel too fast and too close to other vehicles. A view was expressed that this was not the fault of a particular type of car; rather it was the type of driver, so bad drivers should be limited instead of a certain group of car. It was felt that small cars were more economical, but one view was that it was not possible to find a ‘nice’ small car! A more common view was that people in small cars tended to be intimidated by those in larger cars, so weren’t as safe. Some of the construction trucks might also find it difficult to see smaller cars, the larger ones being more visible simply because of their size. Everyone tended to agree that small cars would be better for a variety of reasons but no one was willing to persuade Mum or Dad to give up the ‘tank’!

 

Our debaters agreed that Doha should be more pedestrian friendly. Encouraging and enabling people to take more exercise as part of their everyday lives would help prevent heart disease and, with fewer cars on the roads, Doha would be less polluted.   If Doha is to become more pedestrian friendly, then speakers suggested that there would need to be more zebra crossings or better still, pelican crossings, and more pavements, bridges and subways. The only remaining problem, for which we had no solution, was that for a number of months of the year, it is too hot to walk far and remain comfortable.

 

Debating Club report: week 5

 

When we were discussing possible topics in our first meeting of this ECA term six sessions ago, one suggestion was that there should be more Art and PE lessons. This was a popular suggestion then, but would it be thought such a good idea after all the pros and cons had been carefully considered?

 

The overall decision was clearly against more Art, the main reason being the expense of providing the extra materials more Art time would require. More PE was a bigger issue, because ‘PE is more important than Art’.  It was thought that, as PE is necessary for health and fitness and, with exercise helping the blood flow to the brain, more PE would help children improve their performance in the academic subjects. Some felt that there should be as much PE as there is Literacy and Numeracy in the timetable, that is, approximately an hour a day. Since the children already get 20 minutes of play at break, this meant that an additional 40 minutes of exercise time would need to be found, but only for three school days, as it is already provided in the two other schooldays- at least for Key Stage 2 children. Some people felt that the allocation of time for PE was already adequate as they felt that the ‘intellectual’ subjects were more important. It was observed that it did depend on what you wanted to be when you grew up. A footballer would want more PE whilst an accountant might want more maths. It was noted that it is not possible to tailor a timetable to suit such individual requirements and that such specialisation would begin to occur, as it had already for some older brothers and sisters, when choices are made at the end of Year 9. It was suggested that there could still be a choice at primary level: some children could opt for an extra PE session, while the remainder went to extra Art. This reminded us that the school provides a variety of extra curricular activities so those who wanted there to be more PE in the school day could choose an activity which provides extra exercise, and those wanting extra art could join, for example, T shirt decorating or Art, these being the creative clubs running this term.

 

One of our members had attended a different school, which started at 9am and finished at 4pm. We shared other interesting information, such as the American School of Doha starting later than DESS and finishing at 2.30, and Qatar Academy starting at 8am and finishing at 3pm. As their start times were different, it meant that friends from different schools were unable to play together in their compounds in the afternoons. Due to the later finishes of other schools, should DESS change its school day timings? Other schools could have later start and finish times as they have cafeteria facilities which DESS does not have and might find difficult to provide (see earlier debate).  It was noted that if the start time is later then breaks will also be later, and 10am can be quite hot enough in May, June and September! It was also noted that the traffic becomes steadily heavier as the day progresses, so that although one person suggested that if DESS started later, people might find it easier to get up in the morning and be on time for school, they could then be late for school for a different reason -traffic jams! One of our debaters disliked the 7.30 start as it meant that he did not have time to finish off homework that he had not managed to complete the evening before. This problem did not get a sympathetic hearing- the solution to that was unanimous- “Get organised!” Parents who start work at eight would be unable to drop their children off at school as they can do at present. One solution to that problem was the provision of a ‘breakfast club’, but where is the DESS cafeteria? So although many people did find it difficult to wake up at 5am (the earliest time any of our group rose on a school day) it was generally felt that a later start to the school day would not be the answer.

 

A five minute break between each lesson would cut down on education time and not everyone’s lessons finish at the same time anyway. The students also liked the way in which their teachers could be flexible with lesson timings- if the class was still engrossed in a task then the lesson could be extended slightly to enable it to be completed. If there are six lessons a day, and if there was a five minute break between each part, by the end of the school day there would be thirty minutes off the education time that all students recognised was the real reason why they came to school. It was recognised that there was no need for formal ‘5 minute’ breaks – each teacher was able to recognise when their class needed to be mentally or physically refreshed and could allocate extra breaks as and when – and if- necessary. We were informed that extra break time could be earned by one senior class- a reward system which would be less effective if more breaks were timetabled.

 

Debating Club : week 4

 

The duration of break, and the facilities available for students at break times, were the topics under discussion this week. Should there be more break times? Should the current format of a single break be maintained, but should it be longer than the current 20 minutes? Could students use classrooms and/or the ICT suite at this time?

 

Whilst all attending the debate this week had access to a computer at home, it was recognised that some students did not have computers at home. Those who did might not have sufficient time on computers or the internet at home, as they might need to share the facility with siblings and parents. These students would appreciate extra time in the ICT suite at school to complete projects. To avoid the ICT suite becoming overcrowded at break it was suggested that there should be a rota system devised, much like that currently in operation for the Adventure Playground. As the ICT suite could not accommodate, potentially, an entire year group, it was suggested that there should be an ‘A’ class week, followed by a ‘B’ class week etc so Sunday of Week 1 would be for 6A, Monday for 5A and so on. There were concerns that some students might use the facility inappropriately so it was felt that limiting its use only to the senior classes might be a good idea, with adult supervision, ideally Mr Prasad, on hand to advise and direct in case of difficulties. It was noted that lonely people might go there to play games and that students using it at break would lose a rare opportunity to be in the fresh air during the school day, but it was acknowledged that if a schedule limited a class to one break in a week in the ICT suite, that this should not be a cause for great concern.

 

Should classrooms also be open to students at break? Our debaters recognised that teachers might not appreciate having the classrooms open to children at break times since they might be requiring some quiet time to mark or finalise preparations for later lessons, or even go to the staffroom for a break! Time for the children to read quietly would be appreciated by some though it was observed that the Library was already available for students to do this most days. Finishing off artwork was another favourite reason for having extra access to the classrooms, but being members of Year 5 and 6 our debaters acknowledged that should this be necessary, it was already possible to access the classroom by making a special arrangement with the teacher. Only trustworthy students would therefore have access, numbers could be limited and concerns regarding security and behaviour could therefore be avoided.

 

The main complaint about a 20 minute break was that it was not long enough to do anything! A plaintive cry from the rear observed that if it was longer, snack would be even later, and she was usually hungry enough when snack was scheduled for the current end of break! Others then agreed that by the end of a 20 minute break they were also hungry, as well as being tired and often rather sweaty. Other suggestions were for two breaks, one earlier and one later than the current single break. People observed that this would cut education time and as no one wished to extend the school day beyond the present 1pm end, a double break was not as overwhelmingly popular as it was when it was initially suggested. A proposal that the present 20 minute play and 20 minute snack be rearranged to a 30 minute play and 10 minute snack was also not well received by those who ate slowly. This week’s session therefore ended with no solution acceptable to all …

 

Debating Club report: week 3

 

After a two week break for parent consultations, followed by half term, our debating skills and application of the etiquette of debating were a little rusty! However, some pertinent observations and mature decisions were made, the first of which was to conduct our debates this week in the class garden, so that we could enjoy the warm Spring sunshine.

 

It was recognised by all that, by the end of assemblies, children’s legs were often sore with ‘pins and needles’. One student had also discovered that it was bad for people’s general posture to sit cross legged for too long. We were also informed that the Multi Purpose hall floor was cold, a particular problem for those wearing skirts! So would the provision of chairs be a solution and if not, what is? It was agreed that chairs might help shorter people to see the speakers at the front of the hall. However it was also agreed that it would be too expensive to provide chairs for all. Money would be better spent on equipment, books and improved facilities. Should chairs be brought from the classrooms? Not feasible, since it takes long enough to get to the hall and ready for assembly already. It was also felt- and demonstrated throughout our meeting this week! – that ‘fidgeters’ would generate a lot of noise scraping chair legs on the hard floor, and ‘swingers’ could be a danger, and not only to themselves! Gym mats were suggested as a possible solution to all these difficulties, but as it was observed that people stuck to them after a little while, the general consensus was that the floor would have to suffice.

 

The debate regarding the feasibility of providing a school cafeteria generated the most discussion this week. The biggest problem was, ‘Where?’ with the most frequently suggested locations being the small gym or the multi purpose hall. However it was recognised that the route to the MPH involved crossing roads whilst the small gym was often used for PE lessons during the senior break-times. So, if the problem of ‘Where’ could be solved, that simply left ‘Why?’ It was observed that if the school had a cafeteria, then it would be able to ensure that the ‘no nut policy’ could be adhered to easily. Another advantage would be that busy Mums would not have to prepare snacks in the morning. Children would not have to worry about forgetting their snacks in the morning either and they would have to eat healthily if only healthy options were made available in the school cafeteria! Also, Mums with no work at present could become supervisors during snack times.

However it was felt that busy Mums could be helped if the children helped pack their own lunch boxes. It was a concern that money would be brought to school which might then be lost by the younger children, who would then go hungry. Other allergies would have to be catered for, limiting the variety of foodstuffs available to the remaining school population. A different menu would have to be available each day- but what if nothing appealed to some children? They might then return to providing their own snack on that day, defeating the purpose of having a cafeteria.

 

Should teachers be less strict? There was surprisingly little to discuss as everyone agreed that teachers should be strict enough for learning to take place in the classroom. It was also agreed that since learning was easier when it was fun, that teachers should be fun too. It was observed that children need to understand if they have done something wrong so that, in effect, whether a teacher was fun or strict was in the children’s hands!

 

 

Week One at the D.E.S.S Debating Club

The DESS Debating Club this week decided that it was a good idea to ban the wearing of jewellery at school. Valuable jewellery could be lost, dangly earrings could cause injury and time would be wasted removing it for PE and swimming lessons. Once removed, it could be lost. Students should observe the present rule, which is ‘studs only’.

 

Family members helped one member to develop an opinion on the second motion of the week, which was that children should be allowed to wear uniform polo shirts tucked in or out. It was generally acknowledged that it did look neater when shirts were tucked in. However some people found this uncomfortable and couldn’t concentrate when their shirt was tucked in. It was agreed that the children should be allowed to choose whether to wear their shirts in or out, especially at break times and when the weather becomes hot.

 

The final debate this week was on whether DESS should have a regular, free non-uniform day every Thursday. Whilst it was agreed that being able to choose one’s own clothes would encourage self expression and be a reward for all the hard work undertaken during the week, the consensus was that there would be too many potential disadvantages. It might upset students if they forgot and wore uniform by mistake; children would be difficult to locate swiftly if field trips were scheduled for Thursdays, and it would encourage the wearing of jewellery with the attendant problems discussed in the first of this week’s debates. As it was felt that non uniform clothes can be distracting and on occasion, inappropriate, the conclusion was that this privilege should be kept to its present schedule of once or twice a year as then it remains a novelty.