Assistant Debate Coach

Eden Prairie Schools•Eden Prairie, MN

23h•Onsite

About The Position

Debate Team is a co-curricular activity in which groups of students compete against other schools/teams in formal debates. It is a varsity activity sponsored by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) and nationally with the NSDA & NCFL organizations. Participants prepare a 6- or 7-minute argument for and against a resolution. They compete against another participant and must argue in a claim - evidence - warrant format. A judge declares a win/loser and scores speaker points for both. Participants compete in one of the following types of Debate formats for the entire season: - Lincoln-Douglas (LD) as an individual - Public Forum (PF) with a partner as a team - Student Congress as an individual Students are required to attend training sessions with coaching staff and to participate in seasonal invitational and qualifying tournaments. Local competitions begin mid-September and run through the first week in December. State competitions are in Dec./Jan. National competitions are in May/June.

Requirements

Experience in formal debate, including understanding of claim-evidence-warrant format.
Knowledge of Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Student Congress debate formats.
Ability to prepare students for competitions from September through June.
Willingness to attend training sessions and tournaments.

Nice To Haves

Experience coaching debate at the high school level.
Familiarity with MSHSL, NSDA, and NCFL organizations.

Responsibilities

Coach students in formal debate preparation, including constructing arguments for and against resolutions.
Train students in the claim-evidence-warrant format.
Oversee student participation in various debate formats (Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Student Congress).
Ensure student attendance at training sessions.
Facilitate student participation in seasonal invitational and qualifying tournaments.
Prepare students for local, state, and national competitions.