I did formal debate in high school and university, and agree with wfo - formal debate is possibly one of the worst things to teach if your goal is understanding and critical thinking about topics.<p>Keep in mind that in a typical formal debate you don&#x27;t get to pick your sides - you are assigned a position on an issue and must successfully argue in favor of that position. Formal debate is about the art of rhetoric, and explicitly part of the expectation - and the skill taught - is the deliberate distortion&#x2F;reframing of fact in order to support your case. Anyone who&#x27;s done formal debates will have learned this, since you&#x27;re frequently asked to argue positions you personally disagree with.<p>Formal debate is a craft of being convincing, not of being right.<p>Not to mention the structure of formal debates means there is a winner and a loser, and so compromise is impossible. The goal isn&#x27;t to reach an understanding or middle ground, but to completely obliterate your opponent rhetorically. This fits poorly with real life.