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Free but Structured Long Term Debate in Classrooms?


Obviously this has several current complications given the current school systems, but just bare with me and entertain this idea. 
One of the biggest problems we have with education in America is the inability for students to think scientifically (Steinkuehler 2008). That is to think of knowledge as “an open-ended process of evaluation and argument of hypotheses about whether and how how “algorithms” govern natural phenomena”
So just a brainstorming idea think about this. Kids can pick whatever topic they wan’t, that’s right, it can be what WOW character is the best and why, why we should or should not say the national anthem everday, or why a certain type of pot lamp is inferior to another. I think it is really important here to leave it open ended (which obviously conflicts with the current censoring of school topics) If you leave it open ended you allow students to develop actual interests (not just whether or not schools should have uniforms, we all know that fucking sucks to write about, nobody really gives a crap, its a hypothetical situation that will probably never affect their lives) Again it is extremely important to allow kids to first pick a topic that is inherently interesting to them. This is a concept known as “interest driven learning” (Squire 2011).
Second, develop structured forms of debate between students that lasts for weeks. I think there should be relatively little interference about the modes of resources but rather what they talk about. That is make sure the students keep debating, but don’t monitor how they do it. 
I would be extremely interested to see in this context if the students would start debating fiercely, and by means of trying to prove their point if they would naturally start to delve into scientific methods of evidence and reasoning. In Steinkuehlers article “scientific habits of minds in virtual worlds” she finds that these scientific habits of mind occur in WOW forums about 87% of the time (2008). If an open ended forum in WOW can develop scientific habits perhaps classroom debate can too. 
I don’t feel like making a formal biblography, but for the legitimacy of what I said here these are the references I documented. 
KURT SQUIRE “Videogames and Learning: teaching and participatory culture in the digital age” it is a book. copyright 2011. 
CONSTANCE STEINKUEHLER/SEAN DUNCAN (perhaps  the person I will soon research under that is stienkuehler) article “Scientific Habits of Mind in Virtual Worlds” in the journal sci educ technol. 2008

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