Debate and presentation are unusual Performance in Education (PIE) activities that are generally accepted in Japanese schools as “worthwhile PIE activities” because of their ability to enhance students’ critical thinking skills, which are generally considered to be located mainly in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Joe Bellon (2000, p. 165), professor in the Department of Communication at Georgia State University, states that “Debate is so fundamentally connected to democratic practice that, for much of our civilization’s history, its benefits have been thought nearly self-evident.” Luckily for us, in the rest of the article, Bellon goes on to quote supportive research from social sciences and political science to show why debate should be taught across the curriculum. Perhaps the most powerful support for debate comes from John Medina’s (2014, p. 244): “Brain Rule #12 We are powerful and natural explorers.” Exploration is the heart of debate and this is what makes it a successful learning tool if done correctly.

Debate is considered in many contexts to be an elite extra-curricular activity only done by a few of the best students, the so-called “Debate Team.” However, as Bellon (2000, p. 165) states above: “Debate is so fundamentally connected to democratic practice” (emphasis added). It makes more sense that teachers should choose a democratic approach to debate in their classes rather than the typical elite one, which is what we did.