Place free will in an academic context. Within philosophy, the two opposing sides in the free will debate are the metaphysical libertarians, who argue that nothing is predetermined and free will is total, and the determinists, who argue that everything is planned and that free will does not exist. People who believe that the two can be reconciled are called compatibilists.
Contrast free will with examples of non-free will. For example, you can choose to get out of bed in the morning or sleep longer. However, you cannot choose to stop your heart beating or not. Similarly, a dog cannot stop its mouth drooling when it sees food. Explain that free will is the ability to control your decisions.
Explain about the idea of the "self." Humans are self-aware, unlike other animals, and are able to conceive of our actions in the past, present and future. The part of the brain which does the choosing is the self-aware, or conscious, part. Being hungry comes from the subconscious part of the brain, but what we do when we experience hunger is a conscious choice; we don't eat other people's food or things that will make us sick.
Link with free will the idea of moral responsibility. Free will is intrinsically linked with the idea of ethics. If we make conscious decisions, we are responsible for their consequences. If a bear kills a man, it is a different crime to if a man kills his brother. Determinism is strongly linked with religious arguments, in that life is God's plan. The Enlightenment values of free will led to a rise in secular ethics.
Give thought to problems which will help to understand the basics of free will. Thomas Hobbes stated that a man being held up by a robber with a gun hands over his money from free will; he has the choice to hand over his money or be shot. Discuss whether you agree with this, and what are the limitations of this conceptualization. This will help frame a discussion for a deeper understanding of free will.