We offer workshops for high school students and training for teachers in the art of argumentation and debating, as well as the psychological determinants of critical thinking.

The training and workshops are funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
We particularly invite pedagogical libraries, provincial libraries, and Teacher Training Centers to collaborate in organizing training for teachers.

We invite high schools to organise workshops for students.
Contact us!

Debating Workshops for Students
We offer two-day debating workshops in three formats: Oxford-style debate, “speed-debating,” and—most importantly—”Krakow debate.” This last form of debate is a cooperative debating model developed at our CTRL Centre, focused on gaining knowledge rather than—as in competitive debates—defeating an opponent. We believe that this debating model can not only be easily implemented in school education, but above all, it can positively impact the way our society debates and the related phenomena of polarisation and low public debate. The workshop includes debates in three formats: Oxford debate, Cracovian debate, and speed-debating. The workshop is led by Dr. Jakub Pruś.

Day one (6 teaching hours):

1. Introduction to the art of debating.
2. Speed-debating exercise.
3. Introduction to Oxford debate, selecting groups and a topic.
4. Preparing groups for the debate.
5. Oxford debate.
6. Discussing the debate.

Day two (6 teaching hours):

1. Introduction to the cooperative debating model.
2. Discussing the dynamics of Cracovian debate, selecting groups and a topic.
3. Preparing groups for the debate.
4. Cracovian Debate.
5. Debate Discussion.

The workshop is designed for groups of 10 to 30 people.

Debating Training for Teachers

We offer several hours of training in a new debating model – the Cracovian Debate. This cooperative debating method, developed at our CTRL Centre, focuses on gaining knowledge rather than – as in competitive debates – defeating the opponent. We believe that this debating model can not only be easily implemented in school education but, above all, can positively impact the way our society debates and the related phenomena of polarisation and low public debate. The training includes a theoretical introduction, participation in the Cracovian Debate, and a discussion of it. This prepares students to conduct a Krakow Debate, for example, in schools. The training is led by Dr. Jakub Pruś.

One-day training plan (6 teaching hours):

1. Introduction to debating.
2. Speed-debating exercise.
3. Introduction to the Cracovian debate – cooperative dynamics and logical structure.
4. Group debate preparation.
5. The Cracovian debate.
6. Debate discussion.

This training is designed for groups of 6 to 20 people.

Cognitive Distortions and the Role of Critical Thinking in Restructuring Them

We offer workshops and training on cognitive distortions and the role of critical thinking in restructuring them. This topic concerns the everyday functioning of our minds. Cognitive distortions affect everyone. During the development process, we acquire specific distortions, which over time become problematic and lead to maladaptive behavior. The training includes an introduction to the topic of cognitive distortions, which was developed within the framework of cognitive psychology. Specific cognitive techniques will then be presented, which can be used to independently address cognitive distortions. These techniques are tools for critical thinking. Training for teachers is led by Dr. hab. Piotr Duchliński, professor at UIK. Workshops for students are led by Dr. hab. Jarosław Kucharski.

Training and workshop schedule (6 teaching hours):

1. Introduction to cognitive distortions.
2. Where do cognitive distortions come from?
3. Typology of cognitive distortions.
4. Critical thinking and its role in identifying and restructuring cognitive distortions.
5. Using cognitive techniques to address cognitive distortions.
6. Critical thinking, self-development, and adaptability.

The classes are designed for groups of 10 to 30 participants.