How do you decide what topic students learn?

With a wide array of debate camps out there, it is often difficult for prospective students to distinguish the nuances between different organizations. After all, every camp claims to provide the best. At NSD we pride ourselves in being able to justify our claims of providing an elite, meticulous, and tailored curriculum. Having directed numerous debate organizations, and now NSD Philadelphia, I have worked tirelessly to create and develop our learning models and curriculum for the better part of the last 5 years. 

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Having worked with hundreds of students, I understand and appreciate that everyone has a unique learning style. That considered, we carefully design our curriculum to appeal to every skill level. For instance in the case of seminars, we offer dozens of varying topic options ranging from how to lead a small school program, to discussions about tournament mindset, to nuanced lectures on advanced topics such as theory and kritikal debate. By offering a wide variety of seminars each day, students are given the choice and flexibility to learn about what interests them. In the case of labs, we carefully select lab leader-student placement based on students’ experience and the instructors’ teaching style. We heavily emphasize feedback-based teaching, and encourage instructors to adapt their curriculum to the classroom’s needs and pace. Finally, our mentor program — a student favorite — allows students to connect with a designated instructor throughout the course of the camp in a tutor-esque environment to work on whatever they need. 

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This tailored teaching style, coupled with our nationally-renowned staff, offers students the opportunity to connect with different debate styles, increasing their versatility and competitive success.