Malleable vs. Fixed Intelligence - Week 5

This week, my partner and I participated in a debate on whether intelligence is fixed or malleable. We argued the side that intelligence is malleable. Overall, I was pleased with how the debate went. I thought both sides were well-prepared and able to make convincing arguments. However, I do wish that we had met with the opposing side prior to the debate so we could go over the stances we were taking.

I think there was some confusion, since the fixed side argued that intelligence was malleable only to a certain extent because of preconceived limits. This caused the debate to become a bit confusing, as it seemed at times that we were arguing the same point. We used this confusion as a counterargument, and looking back, I think it was a little unfair for us to do so, because we had not met up beforehand to discuss our sides. However, I think overall our debate was successful and brought up a lot of interesting points and questions. I was nervous going into the debate because I dread public speaking, but I was surprised that I was able to keep it together under pressure and present our arguments relatively clearly (even though I had the prepared notes in front of me!). Even though the debate was confusing at times, I thought that it was successful overall.