Sections for G4–G8 and G9–G12; 35 weeks. To compete, see Speech & Debate competitions.
How workshops run
Workshops enroll in rolling short terms: one seat lets a child rotate through 3 to 4 domains in a year, 7 to 8 weeks each, with a finished piece every session.
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Contact a course advisorFrequently Asked Questions
Will this pressure a quiet child in Irvine?
The course is built to move a student from daring to speak toward speaking clearly, so it begins with simply opening one's mouth rather than with performance. There are no mandatory tournaments, and a student can stay with the foundations of expression and argument for as long as that takes.
Does enrolling mean entering tournaments?
No. The course states plainly that competitive debate rounds are not required, and the 35 weeks are given over to foundational work on spoken expression and argument construction. Students who do want to compete move on to Speech & Debate competitions.
How are Irvine students grouped, and where?
Into grades 4 to 8 and grades 9 to 12, across 35 weeks. EDUBUS is based in Irvine and runs the course as a small in-person group with an online section at the same time. What is asked of a speaker differs sharply between those two stages, so the split keeps students among peers at a similar starting point.
Speech & Debate Intro or Voicemakers Club?
The difference is format and frequency. This is a 35-week foundational course with its own grade-level sections. Voicemakers Club is club-style, meets every other weekend, takes grades 5 to 10, and centers on discussion and research rather than foundational drills, which suits a tight after-school schedule.
How does an Irvine student move on to competing?
Through Speech & Debate competitions. The intro stage secures spoken expression and argument construction first, and because there is no fixed graduation point between the two courses, the right moment to move is worth confirming with the teacher, who sees how a student handles an argument in practice.
