CORE IDEAS on page 1, EVIDENCE & EXAMPLES on page 2 & DEBATES start on page 3.

CORE
IDEAS

Schools
​ Vocational school is a school that teaches and trains technical jobs like electrician or welder,
where it encourages students to get a blue collar job. The main point of this topic is to identify the
good and bad of the vocational school and to prove which is better for students. The
GOV(pro-vocational education) would argue that vocational schools can allow students to think of
the benefit of taking working class jobs which we need in society, and explain how the current
education system is messing students up. OPP(anti-vocational education), on the other hand, could
argue that vocational education is very narrow and that it is worthless than many other subjects in
school.

Students
​ Streaming students according to their ability means sorting students and assigning different
classes based on their intelligence and their ability to study. This idea is brought up to increase the
effectiveness of education by not having a difficulty to teach every student at a different level.
However, the downside of this idea is that individual students may feel oppressed and miserable
once put in the lower level compared to others. The shame factor affects students and could even
impact on student’s studying. They may now even feel more pressure upon tests and homeworks.

Teaching
​ Teachers are paid equally monthly and yearly. The idea of paying teachers by their students’
performance can lead to more engagement of teachers. Teachers will take their job seriously as
their salary is depended, so the school district would be higher than before. Nonetheless, The
students will be pressured even more then, teachers would be more strict and possibly abusive,
which could cause petition from students and parents. Also, the teachers would tend to keep work
just to increase their salary.

Curriculum
​ In school, there are a lot different subjects to study. Commonly, there are more prefered and
highlighted subjects for the students’ future, which helps students to become more successful. In
the motion, it says it would prioritize STEM over the humanities in education. The gov can argue
that in modern days, especially with different kinds of technology being developed, students should
prioritize the study of STEM. Opp could argue, that if they overvalue STEM, the job balance would
break and could cause problems afterwards.

Philosophy
​ Result and process are the two things that make happenings. Some say that result is the
most crucial, some say that process is. Understanding the difference between those two ideas
would help the debate. It is impactful to come up with different scenarios in this motion.
EVIDENCE & EXAMPLES

Merit Pay For Teachers Is Only Fair

Objections range from fears that it will become a lever to erode salaries to claims that it will
undermine collegiality among teachers, but the biggest obstacle for its supporters is that evidence it
raises achievement is shaky, to say the least.

One of the few schemes to show tangible benefits of merit pay was the District Awards for Teacher
Excellence (DATE) program in Texas. Researchers from the National Center found student
achievement increased and teacher turnover fell in participating schools. The program was
subsequently emasculated and this year was effectively killed off, the victim of a budget crunch.

Streaming primary school pupils labels them for life

Educationally speaking, however, this is pure disaster. Researching the recent history of UK
schooling, I was fascinated to discover how much of the 1944 Education Act was based on the IQ
work of educational psychologist Sir Cyril Burt, whose research was later discredited.
In the words of one sceptical civil servant of the time, Burt believed "that children were divided into
three kinds. It was sort of Platonic. There were golden children, silver children and iron children."
Each was to be assigned to different institutions – grammar, secondary modern or the technical
schools – according to these rigidly, unimaginative descriptors.

[Link]/education/2011/aug/08/streaming-pupils-limits-aspirations

Performance-based Incentives

Providing incentives to motivate providers and organizations to participate in and maintain quality
performance can be important, particularly in voluntary programs like accreditation. Financial
incentives, such as linkages to payment systems, market advantage, reduction of liability insurance
premiums, preferential reimbursement from private insurers, and quality bonuses can be powerful
motivators to maintain quality programs, reward organizations’ superior performance, and stimulate
professional commitment. Symbolic rewards, including professional and public recognition through
publicity or special awards, can also be highly motivating, particularly if these are perceived to
endow the provider or organization with a competitive advantage.

[Link]
ext=What%20are%20performance%2Dbased%20incentives,or%20achievement%20of%20perform
ance%20targets.&text=They%20are%20provided%20directly%20to,change%20certain%20health%
2Drelated%20behaviors.
Teachers' performance pay 'does not raise standards'

The findings are that there is no clear pattern.

"In other words, some high-performing education systems use performance-based pay while others
don't," writes Mr Schleicher.
South Korea, often applauded as an education success story, does not use performance pay. But
Finland, often commended for an equitable system, does use an element of performance-based
pay.
England has a performance threshold linked to higher pay - while France and Germany do not use
performance pay.
But within this bigger picture of ambiguity there are some identifiable and contradictory trends.
In economies where teachers are relatively poorly paid, performance-related pay can be associated
with improved student performance.
The report says this might suggest that for countries that cannot afford good pay for teachers, such
a strategy could have value.
But in countries where teachers' pay is relatively good, the use of performance pay is linked to
poorer performance.

[Link]

Why is STEM important?

Australia:
Automation and globalisation are changing the way we think about, and define, careers.
Employment is becoming fluid, and people will go from having one profession to several in their
working life. These may be entirely different roles, across entirely different sectors.
As the world of work changes, we will need to change our skills to match. The gap between the
knowledge generated in the education system and the skills demanded by employers and
individuals is widening. Overcoming these limitations requires a priority focus on science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), including the development of workplace skills in
STEM. Future careers will also rely heavily on ‘21st century skills’ — for example, critical thinking,
creativity, cultural awareness, collaboration and problem-solving. When done well, STEM education
complements the development of 21st century skills. It’s predicted that future workers will spend
more than twice as much time on job tasks requiring science, maths and critical thinking than today.
It’s vital that Australia keeps pace with technological change to advance its economy and prosperity.
Without adequate STEM skills and understanding in Australia, there is a risk that companies
searching for these skills will be forced to set up elsewhere. But if we prepare Australians for the
jobs of the future, we will enjoy a thriving cycle of jobs and opportunities.
DEBATES

Be sure to do each of these components in making cases:

1)​ CONSENSUS: define, context, stakeholders, identify key issues on both sides
2)​ PERSPECTIVES: mechanism (if needed), Opp strategy, Best/Worst Cases
3)​ ARGUMENTS: each should answer why is this so and why it matters with evidence

THW introduce mandatory vocational programs in all highschools.

Definitions:
●​ Mandatory - should have one as a subject in school and should be graded.

Conext:
​ Vocational educations are not taking huge portions of education in the current society. It
mainly focuses on academic skills rather than working skills, since most of the people prefer jobs
that need academic skills better, because they think that they would succeed better by having those
jobs than having working class jobs. However, working class jobs are needed in the society. Almost
everything in the world is being controlled by the machines, technology, and etc. if things go wrong,
fixment is surely needed, and engineers, plumbers and mechanicals are needed in these situations
too. And their incentives are not that low either.
Stakeholders:
Students(based on their economic status), parents, teachers, people in those jobs, society.

GOV

Mechanism: Put vocational programs as a subject in the curriculum.

Key issues:
●​ Lack of working class jobs.

A1: We need working class jobs.

●​ Without working class jobs, there would be a lot of trouble in modern society.
●​ Electricians, Plumbers, Welders are important, they maintain the essential things in the
society.
A2: Vocational Education is the pathway to working class jobs.
●​ Since working class jobs are important, the best way to support these jobs is to teach
students about it.
A3: The focus on college is cruel.
●​ We all do not need to go to college, but the education insists us to go on to college.
However, we have a choice to take vocational education, to become a working class jobs,
which we don’t need to go to college.
A4: Supporting vocational education could help end the stigma.
 ●​ There is a stigma where people want their kids to rise up in society. However, this kind of
stigma detours children to take working class jobs which are essential, and with the motion,
we can get rid of the stigma which is usually negative.

OPP

Key issues:
●​ Vocational education is not important
●​ It rather creates difficulties in students’ value.

AA: Schools should not “sort” children.

●​ Proposition is trying to create classes, which will nakedly show off childrens’ economic
classes.
○​ Riches(academic), Mid-class~poor(Vocational)
​
AB: Vocational Education is very narrow.
●​ It is hard to move from one vocation to another
​
AC: Vocational education is worth less the less countries make.
●​ Current economic status is not based on manufacturing, which means we don’t need it in
current society.

AD: Job preparation should not be the primary focus of education.

●​ Vocational education only teaches about how to work, not the rich aspect of life, which is the
most important thing for students to study.

THBT students should be streamed accordingly to ability

Definitions:
●​ Streaming: putting students in the different classes according to their ability, no matter what
the students’ ages are.
Context: Lot of students struggle because of the hard work that the school gives. This magnitude of
stress differs among the students, some students may feel stuck on things that some students don’t.
This gap creates a difficulty for students and teachers to match the level of education. Students can
flunk a grade to follow the education, however, flunking is considered not a great thing to do as a
student.
Stakeholders: Students (based on economical status, ability), parents, teachers, society.

GOV

Mechanism: after the annual test from the school, students get to be picked into different classes,
suitable for their performance in school and test.

Key issues:
 ●​ Students struggle, whether the education they get from school is easy, or hard.
●​ Teachers struggle to teach every child that is at a different level in one class.

A1: Teachers can tailor their curriculum more easily.

●​ With all the students that perform almost the same, it is easy for the teachers to plan the
education.
A2: Streaming allows students to specialize in their area of interest.
●​ School should prepare students for a world that will ask them to be excellent at a few things.
A3: It’s easier on teachers who don’t have to worry about teaching multiple levels.
●​ It is hard for teachers to teach different types of students with different levels of study in one
class.

OPP

Key issues:
●​ Unfairness

AA: It labels students unfairly.

●​ Kids on the lower level of school will be getting a shame factor for being in that level, which
will decrease the courage of learning.
AB: It keeps the best teachers from the kids who need them most.
●​ The lower class students won’t be taught by the great teachers, who tend to teach excelling
students more.
AC: It concentrates the most poorly behaved students in the same classes.
●​ It would be a disaster, pencils thrown over the desk, police officer as a teacher. Great view.

THW pay teachers based on the performance of their students

Definitions:
●​ performance of their students - students' overall reports, including their behaviors.
Context:
​ Teachers have a duty to make a good atmosphere for the students to get educated, and to
give good education to the students. However, some teachers don't care about these things.
Students under those teachers, won’t get good scores, and this problem affects students in many
different ways. Teachers’ incentives are equal. No matter how they do, they all get the same
incentives.
Stakeholders: Teachers, students, parents.

GOV

Mechanisms: according to the progress report of the students, top 5 teachers who have successfully
taught, get the extra incentives at the end of the year.
Key issue
●​ Teachers think it’s unfair to get the same incentives.
●​ Teachers’ lack of engagement messes the students up.

A1: Incentive for teachers.

●​ Encourages and motivates teachers to teach students better.
○​ Increase of education level in total.
A2: Fairness.
●​ Hard work should result in a good salary and incentives.
○​ Less work, bad result = Hard work, great result → unfair
A3: Helps school to attract and retain best teachers.
●​ Easy for schools to attain more professional teachers.
A4: Competition.
●​ Overall quality of teachers will increase, having a small competition between teachers will
help them to develop better.

OPP

Key issue:
●​ Bad students exist everywhere.

AA: Unfairness.
●​ Students’ result is often out of teacher’s control, it is unfair for some teachers with ‘bad’ kids
in the class who don’t tend to change.
AB: Hard to measure performance.
●​ The standard of performance is hard to define.
AC: Teaching is not just about grades.
●​ It is best for teachers to teach them in an optimistic way with inspiration, which students in
the future remember more.
AD: Teaching to the test.
●​ Teachers will drive their students to prepare tests even worse, and it will stress the students
even more than before.

THW prioritize STEM over the humanities in education.

Definitions:
●​ Prioritize - have more subjects
Context: In the current society, many people especially parents drive their children to academies to
let them excel in STEM subjects. Main focus is to achieve a high score, to get into a good college
and live a better life than anyone could. Humanities also take place in education. Some argue that
the humanities is the most important thing for students to study, because it teaches us how we live
as a part of society.

Stakeholders: Students, Teachers, Parents, Society

GOV

Mechanism: Reduce the time to teach HUM, instead put more science and math. The proportion of
the score should be adjusted: HUM:STEM = 3:7

A1: We live in a scientific world.

●​ World now relies on technology, and to lead it, students need STEM.
A2: STEM jobs are lucrative.
●​ STEM jobs can earn a lot of money.
A3: STEM jobs are good for society.
●​ Can create a better society with STEM jobs, which can develop society better.
○​ Engineering and development of technology could build better infrastructure that
powers the future.
A4: The humanities are soft.
●​ Knowing poetry and literature in detail isn’t useful compared to STEM.

OPP
AA: STEM fields are overvalued.
●​ STEM jobs are going to be low-paid if the balance of the jobs are slanted towards STEM.
AB: STEM fields require creativity.
●​ STEM requires creativity because STEM jobs exist in order to find new things from
technology and science. And the best way to train it is through study of humanities.
AC: The humanities teach us how to use STEM.
●​ Humanities teach ways to use technology with wisdom.

THBT the ends justify the means.

Definition: THBT results are more important than process.

Context: This motion is debated so many times by the philosophers. They both are important, but
hard to decide which has the greater value. For example, torturing terrorists. Circumstance for this
debate is that we receive an explosion, massive explosion if we do not detonate it. However , to
detonate the bomb, we need an answer for the code. To do that, we torture terrorist that was caught,
and the bomb detonates. In this situation, the result is positive, saving thousands of citizens.
However, in the process of doing that, terrorists have been tortured, which is against human rights.
Deontologists would argue that this is bad, and the others would argue that this is correct.

GOV
A1: Outcomes matter.
●​ We have the moral obligation to choose the right outcome.
A2: Circumstances vary too much.
●​ With all the different scenarios possible, it is hard to define which is good or not.
A3: Most objections to means are problems with the outcome.
●​ For example, if we do not torture terrorist that is mentioned in the context, we all suffer,
which is the worst outcome.
A4: Intent does not change the outcome.
●​ Only thing that people care about is the result.

OPP
AA: No control over the future.
●​ We have to live under unexpected circumstances.
AB: Justify should be about control.
●​ We do not care about the intention in the motion.
AC: Means can be made fair.
●​ All the process in court is an efficient and factual way that analyse the means instead of the
result itself. It has proven that the process is important.
AD: Inconsistency.
●​ Crimes that fakes and hides the intention and cover it as a suicide.k