Documenti di Didattica
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Jason Salcido
Abstract
The author of this essay, and English Language Arts teacher at La Joya Community High
School, will be proposing a project-based learning focused class in which students study theory
in debate, learn how to formulate sound arguments, and debate fellow students in class. Students
will record said debates and post them for themselves and other students to listen to and critique.
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Introduction
The author of this paper is a first year 12th grade teacher at La Joya Community High
School. After having attended the school for 4 years and a brief internship while attending
Arizona State University, the author decided to teach English Language Arts at this school. The
following text will provide a summary of a project proposal involving a student-led debate class
that records their debates and publishes them on FlipGrid. The project requires students to study
argumentative speech, debates, and essays to refine their argumentative skills as well as teach
relevant technological skills. The students will hold their debates in person at class meetings and
communities deserve the right to quality education and must have their financial, social, and
psychological needs met in order to do so. Coming from a low-income school and community
them self the author can connect to the students through personal experience and understanding
lessons rather than preparation for assessments the author plans on having students know the
Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning greatly encourages engagement by the students into lessons. The
author plans to integrate project-based learning into their classroom and in most lessons to some
degree. For students in low-income communities, it can be difficult for them to complete take-
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integrating projects into lessons, it allows students to enjoy the lesson and feel safer in the
classroom as a result. Creating a safe space in a classroom is critical in these communities as this
Technology Integration
La Joya has a fair amount of technology available to students, the library and computer
lab are open to students before and after school. Additionally, most teachers have smartboards
available in their classrooms and those who don’t usually have opted not to have them
voluntarily. Outside of physical technology, the district does offer resource databases such as
EBSCO Host. Laptop carts are available to check out for any teacher, but there only so many and
there are often wait times of a couple days to get one for a full day. The general culture of the
school leans against using technology, as they feel like a more old-fashioned approach is more
effective for their teaching styles. Laptop carts are used mostly so students can work on essays or
other projects in class to accommodate students that aren’t able to use the computer lab or library
outside of school.
The author was able to intern with Mrs. Turnbaugh’s classroom, and for her a laptop cart
is always present in her classroom. This is a rare case and a privilege she enjoys as the head of
the English department, though she does allow other classes to borrow it if needed and it doesn’t
interfere with her lesson. She also has a smartboard in her classroom that she uses whenever
she’s going to show a video or PowerPoint presentation, but doesn’t use any of the other features
beyond that in her instruction. Mrs. Turnbaugh does have her students access the EBSCO Host
database provided by the district for research essays, and has her students use Blackboard for
discussion posts and the submission of assignments. Beyond that, Mrs. Turnbaugh doesn’t feel
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the need to use any more technology beyond that for her instruction but does allow students to
use different online technologies for their assignments as long as it aligns with the assignments
La Joya is a public high school located in the heart of Avondale and was founded in 2002.
According to Greatschools.org, the school is rated a 3/10 which is based on college readiness,
student progress, advanced coursework, and how well the school serves all racial/ethnic and
socioeconomic groups. As someone who had lived in Avondale for a number of years, the author
is acutely aware of the economic conditions facing a majority of the students. Students often
must rely on either school or public transportation to get to school. Additionally, many students
do not belong to a family in which their parents attend college. To address these issues, La Joya
offers bus passes in the office for students to use to have free rides to and from school if needed,
college fairs in which students can not only learn about higher education institutions in Arizona
but also workshops that help students apply for college and obtain financial aid through
scholarships and federal grants. La Joya is ever aware of their students’ financial and social
needs and does whatever possible to help students both in school and beyond their high school
education.
Student Population
The total student population at La Joya is 2,287, with 75% being Hispanic, 12% being
black, and 8% being white. There are 68% of students on free or reduced lunch.
(Greatschools.org)
Project Proposition
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argumentative cases to be used in formal debates between students that will be recorded, edited,
and uploaded by students on FlipGrid. The intent of this project is to allow students to hone their
argumentative skills in a respectful setting and be able to have debates with those with
contradicting views. An afterschool club is also heavily recommended for students not enrolled
in the class to participate in debates of their own that will relate to those in the class itself.
The students will be taught how to build concise and clear arguments by studying
theories on debate as well as studying argumentative essays. Students will also be assigned to
listen to certain podcasts that feature debates and pick apart the arguments made by those
involved.
Students will have formal debates on selected topics and will submit a write-up of their
main talking points before the debate is held for feedback. Debates will be held in class and have
only audio recorded by students. The footage will be edited by students in an editing program
(cutting out dead air, transitions between debaters, etc.) and will be posted on FlipGrid. Students
will then be assigned to listen to the podcast and critique arguments as well as suggest ways for
An after-school club can also be formed to allow students unable to secure a seat in the
class to create arguments of their own on the topic argued in the class podcast. An additional
podcast can be created and uploaded for the club as well for further investigation by the class.
The intention of the school debate podcast is to allow students to explore somewhat
controversial (and school appropriate) topics to allow students to better their ability in speech
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and debate in their professional and personal lives. Individuals must be able to construct sound
lives. By teaching these skills to students, the school will foster an environment of healthy
discussion between parties with differing opinions. The purpose of the podcast element of the
project is to teach students how to present their arguments to a broader audience in the ever-
The following essay will describe a podcast debate project as well as its potential impact
on the students of La Joya Community High School. The project will allow students to hone their
argumentative skills both structurally and performatively. The culture of La Joya is fairly
politically active and it will facilitate a culture of healthy debate for the students.
Summary
The project this piece will be discussing is a podcast debate club that will have students
construct and criticize each other’s arguments. Debates will be recorded and edited by students
then posted on to FlipGrid where other students can post respond with their own criticisms of the
arguments. Students will spend time in class researching talking points and collaborate with each
Students at La Joya are generally conscious of modern the political climate and current
events, mostly due to teachers encouraging students to look into these things for assignments and
bellwork. That being said, La Joya’s students are fairly diverse in their views on current events
and don’t have many opportunities to fully develop these ideas and present them to each other in
formal or informal ways. I’ve decided on the concept of a podcast debate club because it will
allow students to research topics that interest them and help them educate themselves and others
Activities
Students will participate in a number of activities throughout the project to ensure their
understanding of arguments and how to debate properly and professionally. Examples of which
include:
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between two teachers and will not know that the debate is staged until the end. Both
teachers will present arguments with strong and weak evidence so that students can
understand that even if they agree with one teacher, they can still acknowledge that their
argument is flawed.
First Debate: Students will be split into groups of 4-5 and will debate another group in the
class on a topic of the teacher’s choosing. Students will have time to research and
construct arguments as well as counter arguments. Debates will last 10-15 minutes, and
the class will determine which side had the better constructed argument.
Other-Side Debate: Activity will mirror the previous one, but students will have to debate
on the side of a topic they do not personally agree with. For example, if a student is
against school uniforms, they will have to argue for the side that supports school
understanding the opposing side and why they would come to the conclusions that they
do. Understanding this allows students to better construct their arguments and work
Student Engagement
Though I would not be having students directly choose their debate topics for every
debate, I will choose topics I know are relevant and personal to the students. By having topics
that relate to the students on a personal level, it allows for them to better understand the topics
that matter to them, allow them to better discuss these topics outside of the classroom, and keep
Project Impact
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Student Impact
Assuming the project starts as a lesson in the AP English classroom, the project will
mostly affect the students in those classes, approximately 60-70 students. If students not taking
the class will be listening to the podcasts as well, that number could increase. If other teachers
were to incorporate this project into their lessons, such as the general education English classes
for seniors, the number could increase to well over 300. As time goes on, I’d like for the project
to become a class on its own, possibly for an elective credit where students participate in debates
every other week and have debates lasting 20-30 minutes. The production of the podcast and
would have higher expectations as well, and would allow students of different years to have
reasonable debates.
The activities listed in the previous section will allow students to become more invested
in the lessons since they are relevant to their interests. By using students interests in the debates,
it better motivates students to use the skills they are learning because they want to present their
Teacher Impact
For myself, I want to have the students engaged as much as possible with any lesson I
give. I want every student to find relevance in the lessons I give and understand why it will be
important to them in the future. Additionally, English is not the only subject arguments are used
in. Social studies will also see the benefits of having their students learn how to better build
arguments and deconstruct others when interpreting older documents. I think other disciplines
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would benefit from this being implemented, and if they were to incorporate it into their own
classrooms they’d see an even greater yield of strong arguments from their students.
Community Impact
If this project expands far enough, I would like to see the debates go past just students at
La Joya. If other schools in the Tolleson Union High School District also have a sort of debate
club, we could potentially collaborate with them to have debates between schools. By having
these and posting podcasts, it will encourage students by having more competition and
Conclusion
La Joya Community High School hosts a very diverse student body often coming from
difficult socioeconomic backgrounds. Though technology is available for teachers and students
willing to use them, the culture of the school generally leans away from technology in instruction
unless necessary to the content (science and programming classes, school newspapers, etc.). The
school also provides assistance to students in difficult socioeconomic situations that will help
them in their school lives both in high school and in the pursuit of higher education.
Even considering the traditional nature of instruction at La Joya, the student body is very
much socially aware and politically active with the encouragement of the faculty as it is believed
that it motivates students in their study. The author believes that the implementation of a class
that allows students to formulate strong arguments that clearly articulate their thoughts would
allow for better student work in their classes, such as essays in English classes. By engaging
students with relevant and thought-provoking topics, students will feel more motivated to make
their arguments sound so their opinions are taken seriously by their fellow classmates.
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Project Narrative
The following will present a detailed report of the daily happenings of the project. By
listing such a detailed description of the project, I hope to have the project be relatively easy to
replicate for myself or others that wish to use the project for their own classroom.
The podcast debate project is designed to allow students to fully develop their abilities to
criticize and construct arguments while presenting those abilities through their own technological
skills. In order to facilitate this outcome, there will be several essential questions that students
can choose from for the final podcast. These questions can vary depending on the classroom, but
it is recommended for the first podcast to discuss simple topics that students can readily identify
with. Such questions can include “Should La Joya require uniforms be worn by all students?”,
“Should physical education be required in order to graduate?” and “Should public prayer be
allowed in school?”. With the final podcast, questions should be more rigorous and
national/global, so students will be able to identify more diverse arguments in their research.
Questions such as “Should human gene editing be banned?”, “Should the government ever be
able to restrict free speech?”, and “Should the death penalty be abolished?”.
The project will address a total of six of the Arizona Career and College Ready Standards
and twelve ISTE standards. All of such standards will be addressed through the assessments at
the end of each lesson and will have associated technology to assist in the learning. State
standards mostly cover constructing and evaluating arguments in texts, compiling and using
research they have conducted, as well as understanding author’s intent and purpose. By being
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able to effectively implement their research into their arguments and understand the arguments of
others, the students will be able to perform exceptionally well on the final project.
Below is a comprehensive list of each day of the project including the objectives for each
different sources
must be used and
each must have a
claim and their
evidence identified.
Day 3 11-12.W.1, Students will use EBSCOhost or other research Teacher will assess
Learning Goal: 11-12.W.6-8 data bases to find three peer reviewed articles on student
By the end of the class, ISTE: the topic they chose for the previous day. Students understanding on
students will be able to 1c, 3a, 3b, 3d, will identify the claim and two pieces of evidence Padlet. Using
identify two similarities 6a, 7d for each article. Students will then compare the Padlet, students will
and two differences Workplace three peer reviewed articles to the non-peer post their
between peer reviewed and Standards: reviewed articles in their Padlet. Links to the comparisons of the
non-peer reviewed articles 1.c, 1.d, 2.a-c Padlet will be posted to Evernote. articles. Students
and determine which had must identify which
stronger arguments. articles had better
arguments and why.
Day 4 11-12.W.1, Students, in their groups of three, will construct an Teacher will assess
Learning Goal: 11-12.W.6-9 argument based on the topic of their choosing. student
By the end of class, ISTE Students will refer to their previous work to understanding on
students will be able to 1c, 3a, 3b, 3d, finalize their Padlet that they will use for the mock Padlet. Students will
construct their own 6a, 7d debate. complete a
argument with three pieces Workplace presentation through
of evidence, a claim, and Standards: Padlet that
address a counter 1.c, 1.d, 2.a-c encompasses their
argument. topic and argument.
Students must
include at least two
peer reviewed
sources and one
non-peer reviewed
source.
Day 5 11-12.W.1, Students will be in six-person seating Teacher will assess
Learning Goal: 11-12.W.6-9 arrangements, with their own group and the group student
Following the mock ISTE from the opposite side of their debate topic. Both understanding on
debate, students will be 1c, 3a, 3b, 3d, groups will present their Padlet to the other, then Padlet. Students will
able to effectively 6a, 7d will review the others argument. be assessed by each
articulate their argument to Workplace other on how well
others by addressing three Standards: their arguments was
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Assessments
Assessments will be done either throughout the class or after class. Many of the
assessments will be done through Padlet, where the students will record their work for that day.
Days 1-5 focus on preparing students for research and their ability to construct arguments using
topics that they are likely to relate to. The teacher will assess students performance on their
Padlet and check for their understanding on how arguments are structured. Day 8 will also follow
this pattern as they will be using their Padlet once again. Since Padlet offers commenting
functionality, students can provide feedback to each other though that as well.
Days 6 and 7 will have students working closely together and will have the teacher assess
them through simple assessments such as check for understandings, Thumbs Up, Middle, Down,
Day 9 will be the recording session, and will focus more on the students physical
composure and professionalism throughout the debate. The teacher may have to mediate if any
Day 10 will have students listening and evaluating each other on their podcasts. The
teacher will have a simple 2 strengths, one weakness evaluation sheet for students to fill out for
Technology
Students will use Padlet for organizing their arguments and providing a means for other
students to provide feedback. Padlet also allows students to customize their presentation make it
more personal and user-friendly. Padlet will be used throughout the project for students to
organize the arguments they make and those they are criticizing. Students will create three
different Padlets, one for days 2-3, 4-5, and for their final project.
Students will be using the database EBSCOhost for their research. EBSCOhost provides
a search engine that will help student fin peer reviewed articles relating to the research topics.
Students will need access to the internet in order to access it, and the class will likely need a
laptop cart in order to effectively use most of the technology required for the project.
In order for students to record their audio well in the case of having to have multiple
groups record in the same room, having the students record using microphones would help the
overall sound quality of the podcasts. If the school has a set that can be borrowed from music
This assignment can be built upon throughout the years by providing more technology
resources for the students to use, as well as expanding the concept of a podcast debate outside of
the classroom. This specific project is only designed to be done in two weeks, but having the set
up for an extracurricular club or an elective class will expand the idea further in a way that will
be more impactful for students. I’d like to be able to sponsor a club sometime in the future that
will have students hold a debate weekly and have other students in the club or just students from
around the school listen and provide feedback. Should the club have a solid student-body, it can
even collaborate with other debate clubs within the district and have debates with them.
Innovation
I wanted to go beyond a simple debate between students for this project so they can
become well versed in technology and explore a medium they may not get to use in their classes
often. Additionally, some students may not be comfortable presenting let alone debating in front
of other students, so having it done digitally will help them understand the concepts of arguments
and applying it without having the pressure of performing in front of others. I also considered
having it in video form, but some students may not be comfortable showing themselves on video
either. I decided on a podcast because it’s a way for students to get only their arguments across,
It’s important for students to understand the use of audio as a medium due to the growing
production, it will grant them skills necessary to critique this medium in the 21st century.
Budget Narrative
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Some aspects of the project will require certain materials to make the project successful.
It goes without saying that this project is heavily technology-based, and will require an ample
amount of laptops at the students disposal for most of the project in order for them to complete
the work. Laptop carts provided for the school are a valuable resource and have been seen to help
the students in their classes immensely since they’ve been used more in lessons. However, since
the class will be using these laptops for lose to two weeks, it is simply not feasible to rent a
laptop cart for that duration of time while other teachers will likely need to use it as well.
As of now at La Joya, we have 5 laptop carts for use that can be rented out by teachers,
excluding those that stay exclusively in certain teacher’s classrooms that use laptops frequently.
Since my classroom doesn’t have a laptop cart of it’s own, I will need to rent one for this project.
Many teachers do the same and find little issue renting a cart for one or two workdays in their
classrooms. I have considered using the computer lab, but I run in to the same problem being that
the duration of time necessary for the assignment would inhibit other teachers trying to use the
facility.
Thus, for my proposition I request the purchase of another laptop cart to be used by
teachers. By having more laptops at our disposal, I will be able to have my students work on this
project and have extra laptops for other teachers throughout the year. I will provide a breakdown
of the necessary costs for the purchase of another laptop cart below.
The next necessary piece of technology required for this project will be microphones. In
order for students to properly record their debate in a way that reflects the professionalism
expected of them, they will need quality audio equipment. That does not mean that I intend on
buying studio-level microphones, just something that will provide a better quality that using their
La Joya does not currently have microphones that can be rented by not-Theatre teachers.
I am requesting that we buy 6 microphones for this project. My classrooms can generally range
from 25-36 students, meaning that in order for this assignment in which two groups of three
students (totaling 6 students) to have a microphone to record, I will need to have at least 6
breakdown of the necessary costs for the purchase of the 6 microphones below.
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References
https://www.greatschools.org/arizona/avondale/2884-La-Joya-Community-High-School/
$205.97 page
$399.99 page
Microphone 6 Link to Amazon Donorschoose.org $83.94
$13.99 page
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Appendix
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id=1mOsG0ET8lUqi2DNAKSbz8Zq1qSHnBrF5
id=1hm6ud2R_SZoRRiJ2NduNRC54uk2V5Hvk