Controversial Issue Forum: A Chane to speak your mind
Article: Jamie Song, Yoon Lim
Editor: Brian Kang
Designer: Sarah Cho
Editor: Brian Kang
Designer: Sarah Cho
A variety of significant events and issues occur all around the world today. However, students rarely ever get a chance to fully express their views on these important ideas to their fellow peers. Fortunately, the students in Seoul International School are provided the opportunity: Controversial Issue Forums. In these discussions, each student will be placed in a group consisting of two or three people and every group will be assigned to a specific topic. The topic is a debatable issue in our current society and the group is either supporting the topic, while the other group would be opposing the main idea. Although many students considered the C.I.F. as a debate, it is more of a liberal conversation between two sides.
Furthermore, numerous students expressed their enthusiasm about this upcoming occasion. Austin Jeong, an eighth grade student states, “Usually the class is busy with writing essays and doing their individual work, however, the forum is a perfect chance to express your thoughts in a creative way while interacting with your classmates.” Students who have already discussed their Controversial Issue Form showed their satisfaction with the event as well. “I really enjoyed it (the Controversial Issue Forum) and I got to see both sides of the issue which opened my mind to new perspectives.” says Jaejun Ku and jokingly adds, “We won.”
The participants of the forum were not the only the people that researched the topic who benefited from it, but also the audience who carefully listened to the discussion between the two groups. Students who listened to the discussion take place had the chance to obtain much more knowledge about the topic than he or she had possessed previously. Joyce Kim who listened to several discussions said, ”I was able to see two different perspectives of the topics and so I was able to gain a broader image of the issue.” Although typing out essays and putting together iMovie videos for one’s research project can be helpful for one’s knowledge to some extent, it is essential to take part in a verbal discussion. Not only is it simultaneously entertaining, these forums can boost one’s communication skills and perception of the topic, and that is exactly what the Controversial Issue Forum has offered to the students. |