When students sign up for the afterschool STEAM program at Saint Mary Interparochial School
in Philadelphia, PA, they know they’ll be taking on problem-solving challenges that will
equip them for creative thinking in their future careers. For some, that means designing and
engineering underwater robots. For others, it’s planning and testing industrial construction or
cutting-edge rollercoasters. They’re the kind of STEAM-based activities — focusing on science,
technology, engineering, arts, and math — that teach students how to overcome physical and
natural challenges.
But as part of the program’s STEAM debate team, participating students must also learn how to
perform the in-depth investigations behind their solutions. They practice evaluating the ethical
ramifications of the technology they create. And they gain, day by day, the confidence to sell and
defend their solutions — even when tough
questions arise.
Building social
infrastructure from
the ground up
“Debate helps students develop not only skills for
conducting research and formulating solid,
evidence-based arguments, but also speaking
and self-expression,” says Millie Cammisa,
Librarian at Saint Mary’s.
She and debate coaches Betty Montgomery and
Anna Bettinger came together to start the school’s Of course, the challenge of the program’s launch
first debate team in the hopes of channeling the wasn’t limited to that of the educators involved.
natural curiosity of STEAM program participants. Cammisa originally thought she would have a
Working with the nonprofit organization ASAP tough time enrolling students in such a
(After School Activities Partnership), Cammisa high-stakes activity.
was able to secure training and materials to
kickstart Saint Mary’s debate team.
“Students must be able to create and defend
arguments, be able to articulate them, and do so
“Early on, getting everything started, it was very under time pressure against teams that may be
challenging,” Cammisa explains. “We had to learn far more experienced. I was expecting maybe 8
a very specific format of debate, cultivate the kids would sign up,” Cammisa says. “But I ended
applicable set of research skills students would up getting 18!”
need, and help our debaters develop their
public speaking skills. It was a three-
pronged effort really.”
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