How do you find a debater? At MAN 1 Pekanbaru, ETA Blake Stanley and his co-teacher, Ms. Sa’adah, decided to start with a test. As the first step in launching a new, experimental debate program at the school, Blake designed an English diagnostic test for a group of handpicked “students of interest.”

The test had four parts. Students began together with a listening section, then moved on to reading comprehension and a short opinion paragraph. On a separate day, each student sat down with Blake for a one-on-one speaking test.

The speaking test held a surprise. After a guided conversation on an everyday topic like food or travel, each student was asked a question on a completely different subject, such as “Is it better to be respected or to be liked?” Then, Blake disagreed with their answer. Ms. Sa’adah had noticed that many Indonesian students speak English well but struggle to respond quickly to difficult questions, so this final step was designed to measure exactly that skill: thinking on their feet.

The results will help Blake and Ms. Sa’adah choose and train the new program’s first debaters, with lessons built around each student’s strengths. For the students, the test was a first taste of what debate demands: listening closely, reasoning clearly, and holding their ground.

Blake Stanley is currently teaching at MAN 1 Pekanbaru, Riau.