12 October 2012 Last updated at 16:07

What are World Class debates?

Debates can take place with large or small groups of students

Every week, BBC World Class hold online debates, and any school in the world can take part.

Simply put, the debates are an online forum on the World Class website. The week before each debate, World Class publishes new resources and discussion points online for schools to think about.

The debates are scheduled for a certain time - usually two-hours - and during that time, schools simply email their opinions and comments to us.

We then publish the comments in a live text page, like this one, so that everyone else taking part can read it and respond.

The debates allow pupils around the world to share ideas.

Taking part in a debate

If you are interested in taking part, there are a number of ways to find out when the debates are.

You can check out our upcoming debates page, and when you have chosen one, keep an eye on the World Class homepage in the week beforehand - where we will publish resources for the debate prominently.

During the debate, the live text page will be the main story on the homepage. Follow the discussion and email [e-mail] whenever you have something to say.

You can also send your opinions to the same address at any time before the debate if you can't make the scheduled debate time.

You can also get in touch with any questions you may have - and if you have a particular topic you would like schools to debate, please let us know!