Supporting Responsible Debate Across the Public Sector
The Centre for Responsible Debate is expanding its programme of professional development webinars for organisations across the public sector.
A recent collaboration with Education Scotland illustrates the value of this work. Together, we delivered a national webinar for teachers focused on fostering constructive disagreement in the classroom and beyond. The session introduced participants to the Centre’s Learning Resources and explored the principles of the Charter for Responsible Debate, which promotes informed, respectful, and inclusive discussion of contentious issues. In essence, the webinar introduces the Centre’s key idea that productive debate requires really thinking and reasoning together about what we are to do in response to difficult challenges.
The goal is to find a common purpose through responsible debate, even when we fundamentally disagree on some issues. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Teachers described the session as “very engaging and thoughtful, with practical steps to take in the classroom” and “incredibly timely.” Others highlighted its value in encouraging students to think more critically about the purpose of debate, how disagreement can be productive, and what responsibilities participants have when discussing controversial issues.
The webinar also had a measurable impact. All teachers who responded to the post-event survey reported gaining new insights into the role of debate in education and public life. 80% said they were likely to incorporate principles of responsible debate into their teaching practice, while all respondents indicated that they intended to continue using the Centre’s learning resources. 90% said they would recommend these resources to colleagues. What’s more, the success of the webinar led to a series of in-person workshops in Scottish secondary schools, creating further opportunities for students and teachers to develop the knowledge, habits, and skills needed for constructive public discussion.
This partnership with Education Scotland represents an important step in the Centre’s wider mission to improve the quality of public discourse. We are now extending these opportunities more broadly, offering similar webinars for local authorities, third-sector organisations, and other public institutions.
To find out more about our webinar availability, please contact matthew@responsibledebate.org.