Continuing Education

The University of Houston Honors Debate Workshop is pleased to announce the inaugural Honors Debate Coaches Continuing Education program. Running from July 7th through the 11th, this program is designed for High School teachers who run their school’s forensics programs to grow both as teachers and debate coaches, helping to bring the unique pedagogical opportunities of debate into the classroom while also increasing the competitive potential of their teams. This is done with an intensive one week course hosted entirely on the University of Houston campus, with either residential or commuter options available to its participants. Successful completion of the program will give its participants forty-hours (40) of Continuing Professional Education credit in compliance with TEA guidelines.

The Program has two tracks available for participants:

Debate in the Classroom – This track is designed to support Teachers to bring debate to their classroom as a mode of pedagogical instruction outside of the debate class and team. Participants will spend their mornings working with some of the leading debate coaches from around Texas and the Country with a program designed to fit their needs as debate coaches, helping to improve specifics in form, content, and institutional practice in both the activities they teach and a more holistic models of forensics. After this morning session the instructors will then split off into courses designed by UH Faculty on debate in specifics fields of education, focusing on how to use debate as a tool to improve pedagogical outcomes for students. This includes Debate as a tool for teaching Science Communication, Debate and Engagement with Literature, and Debate as a Tool for Civic and Historical Engagement, amongst other courses. Someone who participates in this course will leave not just a better debate coach but as someone who is prepared to bring debate into their classroom to better engage students in classroom instruction.

Debate Intensive – This track is designed to help elevate coaches to reach their full potential as debate instructors on both a pedagogical and competitive basis. Participants will spend their mornings engaging with UH HDW faculty from around the country on how to best understand and engage with debate as a competitive activity, with the course designed to meet the coach wherever they are in their experience level (absolute beginner, limited background, or more practiced) and then work with them to improve with carefully selected goals. This will include instruction on all levels of debate coaching ranging from institutional growth (recruitment, fundraising, etc.), through to tournament practice, and activity specific content. In the afternoon participants will break out to join HDW student labs to work with Faculty members on event specific skillsets ranging from evidence production, judging, speech work, and more. At the end of the week the participants will judge rounds with Faculty members to put this skillset into practice, learning from round interactions and then engaging in supervised coaching with students to finalize the experiential process of the seminar series.

debate instructor with students in class

COST

We offer two modes of engaging with the Seminar Series.

Residential Experience - $1,200

This includes housing on campus in the Quad apartments with private bedrooms and kitchenette, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Commuter Experience - $800

This does not include housing on Campus but does include Breakfast and Lunch provided in the UH cafeteria and an end-of-term celebratory dinner.

DEBATER DISCOUNT:

Teachers whose schools bring at least five students will be eligible for a negotiated discount of up to 25% off their tuition, teachers whose programs bring ten or more students may qualifier for steeper discounts. These discounts are conditional on the amount of discounts, if any, applied to students. We will also work with teachers who bring students to ensure they have direct experience with their students during lab instruction to help lay the foundation for work during the year ahead.

SIGNUP

If you are interested in attending please fill out this FORM
We will reach out to you to confirm details and to design a curriculum to fit your needs and then arrange payment.

Ryan Nasif director of continuing education

Director, Ryan Nassif

Dr. Ryan Nassif (he/him) is an experienced educator and director of speech and debate with over 14 years of teaching experience. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (with a focus on Instructional Coaching) from the University of Texas at Tyler, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Houston–Clear Lake. He also holds principal certification.

Throughout his career, Dr. Nassif has coached students to success in numerous local, statewide, and national tournaments. His students have earned top honors, including winning the UIL Cross-Examination State Championship, placing third in Extemporaneous Debate at the NSDA National Tournament, and achieving numerous quarterfinal and semifinal finishes at both UIL and TFA State competitions. He has extensive experience with tournament administration, having worked in over eighty tab rooms across his career including twelve times at TFA State and twice at the NSDA National Tournament. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the South Texas District of the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA).