This resource provides 101 debate prompts in a fully editable PowerPoint designed to trigger reflection on metacognition, self-regulated learning, and learning power. With a randomiser slide for selecting topics, the prompts encourage students to engage in “agree or disagree” debates, moving physically to express their stance. Statements like "A healthy body leads to a healthy mind" or "It is possible to know too much" promote critical thinking and discussion. Teachers can enhance debates by asking students to justify their positions and challenge opposing views. This versatile tool is ideal for end-of-lesson activities, full lessons, or tutor time, fostering metacognitive awareness and engagement.
This download includes 101 active-debate prompts in an easy to use, fully-editable, PowerPoint presentation. It also contains a ‘randomiser’ slide so that debate topics can be selected randomly. Each prompt is designed to trigger reflection on a metacognition, self-regulated learning or learning-power issue, examples include:
- "A health body leads to a healthy mind"
- "It is possible to know too much" and
“Everyone is born with an equal capacity for success in school.”
Debates take an ‘agree or disagree’ format: students are asked to move from one side of the room to the other depending on their response to the statements that appear.
This format allows teachers to foster debates and discussions between students, it can be helpful to ask students to justify their reasons and use sensible arguments. Questions you might ask include:
- “What is wrong with the other position in your view?”,
- “Why did you choose to stand where you are standing?”,
- “Why do you think people disagree so much about this question?”
It is best to encourage students to pick a side rather than float in the middle: but it can also be fun to allow students to change side as the debate progresses, so that students can try to persuade one another to move.
This is a great resource to use at the end of lessons if you have a few minutes left, it can be used as an entire lesson and is also great for form/tutor-time.
It's a great addition to your teaching toolkit because it:
- Encourages metacognitive reflection by debating topics related to learning power and self-regulation.
- Promotes critical thinking and communication skills through structured agree/disagree debates.
- Engages students actively, fostering lively discussions and peer persuasion.
- Provides flexibility for use in short activities, full lessons, or tutor sessions.
- Fully editable format allows teachers to customise prompts to fit specific teaching goals or classroom dynamics.
The Metacognitive Debate Generator
Focus: Self-Regulated Learning, Metacognition, Metacognitive Reflection, Factors Impacting Learning-Power
Main Aim: To use active debates and group discussions to foster metacognitive reflection & awareness
Designed for teachers of students aged 11-16License Terms:
Whole-School LicenseSystem Requirements:
Microsoft Office
WinZip (we recommend: 7-Zip or WinRar)
Windows 7+, 1.5GHZ, 1GB RAM
File Formats: PowerPoint Presentations (& .zip)Copyrighted by The Global Metacognition Institute (2019)
Strictly not for re-distribution outside of your own school.