Every Saturday at 4pm ( pst) via Zoom
The GTE Debate Club is an extracurricular activity for junior high and high school students interested in debating. The goal of the Debate Club is to help students to develop the ability to improvise and communicate in both Japanese and English. The club is held online and is a great opportunity to connect with students worldwide, and improve their debating skills!(No participation fee).
Learn to communicate in Japanese and English!
Recommended for junior high and high school students who want to debate in Japanese and English.
Students will have the opportunity to debate in both English and japanese.
Students should be have at least elementary level japanese skills ( can understand, and can communicate at a basic conversational level).
Students will debate in Japanese in the first round, and then do preparation and strategy in small groups in Japanese for the second round.
They will then debate in English in the final round.
Three advantages of participating in this club
In order to practice improvisation skills, the first half of the class will practice debating both sides of the argument. In the second half, students will be divided into two groups to practice debating.
The GTE Japanese-English Debate Tournament will be held once a year. Great experience for those who want to be competitive, as well as those who just want to practice and have fun!
How to Join
Apply for membership from this page.
Apply for membership using the form at the bottom of this page. The secretary will later send you detailed information about this registration and other details.
Practice sessions will be held via Zoom. The Zoom URL will be provided by the GTE debate office.
Please access the Zoom URL at the time of the event and join. Let's debate together with participating students!
Practice (second half)
Practice getting used to improvised debates.
Voices of Participating Students
I am Ms. Noto, the director of KAPION Educations Organization. I am running this debate club in order to provide a place where students can enjoy and learn a lot. I am looking forward to working with you.
Ryuji Ichikawa
Mr. Ichikawa is the advisor of KAPION Educations Organization. He supports the GTE program and shares his extensive knowledge and experience with our students. We are looking forward to working with him.
Debate Mentor Ms. Setsuka Miyagawa
(3rd year university student)
I have represented my school in international English debate tournaments in Japan and abroad during my high school years, and now that I have graduated from high school, I serve as a judge and staff for various debate tournaments. I am also involved in other activities teaching English speaking and writing.
Students will have the opportunity to debate in both English and japanese. Students should be have at least elementary level japanese skills ( can understand, and can communicate at a basic conversational level). Students will debate in Japanese in the first round, and then do preparation and strategy in small groups in Japanese for the second round. They will then debate in English in the final round.
This is not a lesson or mandatory activity. The members of this debate club are all equally busy with schoolwork, cram school, club activities, etc., so they understand the reasons for taking a day off. Participation is not mandatory. The key to long-lasting participation is to join when you want to join.
Please read the guidelines before applying to join the club.
Guidelines (The rules of our club activities.)
Edition 1: March 17, 2024
GTE Japanese-English Debate Club Guidelines
Prepared by: Kapion Educations Organization
Organizers and all members of the club
⚫️⚫️⚫️About the purpose⚫️⚫️⚫️
This Debate Club is a forum for junior high and high school students from Japan and abroad to debate in Japanese and English. We provide an environment in which participants can participate on their own initiative. Therefore, members of the club develop their own practice menus to improve their debating skills. We will then practice to improve each other's skills so that all participating club members can feel their skills improve. The ultimate goal is to be able to debate confidently in Japanese and English. In order to make it easy for the participating members to participate, clear rules will be set and this guideline will be developed to make everyone feel comfortable.
⚫️⚫️⚫️Debate skills that we are aiming for are investigative skills⚫️⚫️⚫️
Investigative skills are the ability to gather information in advance to support your arguments in order to debate.
―Logical skills
Logical skills are the ability to correctly understand and structure what you and your opponent are saying.
―Improvisation Skills
This refers to the ability to instantly make an argument based on one's own position in response to an impromptu agenda item.
―Communication Skills (peer skills)
The ability to cooperate, discuss, and share issues with team members in a short period of time.
⚫️⚫️⚫️About joining the club⚫️⚫️⚫️
The admission to the club is handled by KAPION Educations Organization. You can apply to join the club through the Club page on the KAPION Educations Organization 's website. After following the instructions and submitting the application form, you will be contacted individually by KAPION Educations Organization about how to join the club. Once enrolled in the club, members can immediately start participating in the next club activity day. Students eligible to join the club are junior high and high school students from Japan and abroad. (In the past, the club has been open to students from other countries. (General university students who have not been involved with KAPION Educations Organization 's activities in the past are not eligible to participate.) The student must be willing to speak Japanese and English（But not asking for levels). The student must be able to abide by the rules of this guideline.
⚫️⚫️⚫️About Participating Students⚫️⚫️⚫️
There are three types of participating students. The "a. Planning and Management" and "b. Practice Materials" are for students who have attended a KAPION Educations Organization's program. c. General" are for students who have participated in the program from outside.
Planning and Management Members, attracting and publicizing, proposing new projects, and coordinating the schedule. Practice materials Members: members of the practice materials department, decide on the agenda and types of debates, divide the debaters into groups, and prepare a report on the debates. General club members, participation in debate club activities only
⚫️⚫️⚫️How to contact ⚫️⚫️⚫️
All members of the club will use the LINE group set up by KAPION Educations Organization to communicate with each other and KAPION Educations Organization. If club members wish to contact each other individually via LINE, they are responsible for exchanging LINE IDs. However, if any member of the club contacts each other about different matters from the club activities after exchanging LINE IDs and a problem arises, the matter must be resolved between the individuals. KAPION Educations Organization will not be involved in this matter.
⚫️⚫️⚫️About holding⚫️⚫️⚫️
―Online meeting
As a general rule, the class will be held on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. (JST) Any changes to the schedule will be discussed between the club members and KAPION Educations Organization.
There is no fee to participate in the online training. We will use Zoom by KAPION Educations Organization and will set up the Zoom room for member. However, the operation on the day of the event (setting up the required number of breakout rooms, etc.) will be done by a member of the management team. In case the management student is not able to do so, KAPION Educations Organization will take care of it.
⚫️⚫️⚫️How to participate⚫️⚫️⚫️
(1) A survey for attendance will be conducted on the LINE group and the club members will vote. Responses are due by the day before.
2) To participate on the day of the event, access the Zoom URL that will be communicated to club member in advance by KAPION Educations Organization. If you will be late or have difficulty attending the meeting, you will be notified on the group chat on LINE.
⚫️⚫️⚫️In the case of a real event⚫️⚫️⚫️
The planning and management of the group will consider the date and area of the event and propose the date and area to KAPION Educations Organization.
KAPION Educations Organization will consider the conditions, costs and participation fees for the proposed event and decide on the details of the event to be held.
⚫️⚫️⚫️Participation fees for online events⚫️⚫️⚫️
Basically, there is no fee for participating in the club activities. In the case of a real event, personal expenses such as transportation will be borne by the participants themselves.
⚫️⚫️⚫️About the visitors ⚫️⚫️⚫️
You are welcome to observe the debate club. There are two ways to observe.
The first is to enter the Zoom room and watch the students' presentations.
The second is to enter the Zoom room and debate with students who are also members of the club. Both methods can be chosen by the prospective observer. Those who wish to observe are not allowed to join the LINE group until they join the club. Until then, they will communicate with KAPION Educations Organization by email.
⚫️⚫️⚫️How to hold the event: ⚫️⚫️⚫️
―Setting the theme
To be decided by the members of the Practice and Materials Department (choose one from the agenda list).
―Number of participants and how to form teams
The members of the Practice and Teaching Materials members will decide on the number of team members.
In the event of an even number, the mentor or advisors will serve as judges.
The participants will be divided in half into affirmative and negative teams.
In the case of an odd number, the smaller number of team members will take multiple roles to match the larger number of teams, and the debate will be conducted.
⚫️⚫️⚫️ Debate time: ⚫️⚫️⚫️
The club is generally one hour long.
In the case of improvisational types, it will be about 30 minutes.
In the case of preparatory debates, an agenda is set about a few weeks in advance, and each member or group prepares for the debate.
⚫️⚫️⚫️ Debate Method: ⚫️⚫️⚫️
The basic format is 3-on-3, but depending on the number of participants, it may be 2-on-2. A tournament system will be used so that the winning teams will compete against each other.
⚫️⚫️⚫️Judges and judging methods: ⚫️⚫️⚫️
The judges are generally advisors. Members of the club may also serve.
The judges will determine the winning team as the one that best agrees with and explains the arguments against or in favor of the theme.
⚫️⚫️⚫️PR/Solicitations: ⚫️⚫️⚫️
Post information on social networking sites. Each member will introduce the activity to their friends and associates. Ask junior and high schools to display posters. Announcements will be made on other organizations' PR websites and within the student body. Holding Debate Tournaments once we are on track, we will hold a tournament about once a year. However, details will be discussed separately.
⚫️⚫️⚫️Prohibited matters⚫️⚫️⚫️
Inappropriate language (insults, abusive language, etc.) is prohibited.
Students who participate in the competition are not allowed to make video recordings without permission from KAPION Educations Organization.
It is forbidden to plan, organize, or solicit any other activities for the club to assemble for debating.
⚫️⚫️⚫️Participation Prohibited Persons⚫️⚫️⚫️
Adults who are not affiliated with KAPION Educations Organization.
Anyone who attempts to engage in different activities that are not intended for the purpose of debating. Those who break the rules of this guideline.
⚫️⚫️⚫️How to take a leave of absence from the club: ⚫️⚫️⚫️
Members are free to take a leave of absence from the club. However, in case of absence, they must contact KAPION Educations Organization.
⚫️⚫️⚫️How to withdraw from the club⚫️⚫️⚫️
The withdrawal form must be submitted to KAPION Educations Organization.
The withdrawal form will be available on KAPION Educations Organization’s web page.
In the event of multiple absences from the debating club, the withdrawal procedure will be communicated to the student individually by KAPION Educations Organization.
The withdrawing club member will be immediately removed from the LINE group.
⚫️⚫️⚫️Handling of Personal Information⚫️⚫️⚫️
Personal information is the email address, name, grade, school name, contact phone number, and still or moving images when completing the club member procedure through KAPION Educations Organization. Such information will be managed by KAPION Educations Organization and will not be provided or divulged to any third party.
Names, grades, school names, and still or moving images may be used for the purpose of publicizing activity reports on the website of KAPION Educations Organization and social networking sites, but care will be taken to ensure that individuals cannot be identified. Permission to do so will be obtained from the student and his/her parent/guardian at the time of admission to the club.
If club members exchange personal information with each other, it is their responsibility to ask questions and obtain contact information directly from each other.
The members of the club will likewise not divulge to any third party any confidential information that comes to their knowledge at KAPION Educations Organization.
⚫️⚫️⚫️ Guidelines Review Period for Review ⚫️⚫️⚫️
The guidelines will be reviewed every three months for the first year and every six months from the following year to allow for flexible changes.
⚫️⚫️⚫️Method of review⚫️⚫️⚫️
Any changes or unclear points will be shared with everyone and then corrected.
All.
Debate club activity participation application form
Thank you for applying to the "GTE Japanese- English Debate Club". Please fill out and submit this "Application Form". The KAPION Educations organization's staff will contact you again to confirm the acceptance of the form and provide further instructions.
The GTE Japanese- English Debate Club is held every Sunday morning at 8:00 AM @Online.(JST)
Participation is free of charge. For more details about the GTE Japanese - English Debate Club, click here.
Please note that this application form does not have an automatic save feature, so please be careful when filling it out.
