Education to Dialogue - Part I. Dialectics as an educational tool for Logic Speech and Debate Clubs

Abstract

This paper is the first part of two separated but still connected works, both dedicated to the educational importance of debates and public speaking for an education to dialogue in the field of second and/or third language education among the new generations. This first article gives an overview on language policies in the studied region – Trentino-Alto Adige – and proposes educational challenges and the use of debate competitions as a tool for education to dialogue. This paper shows how debate competitions in a second and/or third language meet actual needs of the contemporary educational systems, mostly in promoting the development of relational capabilities, along with logical and argumentative skills, which commonly contribute to fostering the growth of each individual. The second paper starts from an experience of debate competitions in a second and/or third language in the Province of Trento and focuses on key elements of education to dialogue carried out in Trentino-Alto Adige with upper secondary school students.