In the introduction to Teaching the Argument in Writing (1996), there’s this spot where author Richard Fulkerson beautifully depicts the argumentative culture I hope to build my classes on each year: “…I want students to see argument in a larger, less militant, and more comprehensive context — one in which the goal is not victory but a good […]
speaking and listening
An Expectancy-Value Pop-Up Debate
This is a simple pop-up debate activity meant to: support the development of expectancy-value academic mindsets reinvigorate pop-up debates if/when they become stale deepen students’ understanding of Fulkersonian argument (i.e., collaborative, argumentative discussion) give students a chance to practice Palmer’s PVLEGS Also, it doesn’t need to take long (doable in 20 minutes for a 30-student class), as there is […]
A Simple Set of Activities for Building Public Speaking Comfort in Students
Last school year, I studied the impact of a fairly simple method for increasing public speaking comfort in kids. Thanks to support from Character Lab, I was able to verify that, indeed, this intervention produced a statistically significant improvement in public speaking comfort. (See Figure 1.) The activity is meant to take place during the first […]
Refutation Two-Chance: A New Frontier for Pop-Up Debate
If you ever want to work ahead of me on developing student achievement in the “Go Big on Argument” portion of the Non-Freaked Out Framework, you need to go no further than The Debatifier, the blogging arm of Les Lynn’s stellar Argument-Centered Education. The way Les approaches argument is the Tour De France of my tricycle-riding Pop-Up Debate. In fact, […]
Beyond the Fear of Public Speaking: Making the First Pop-Up Debate a Success for All Students
Every school year, I have students who are anxious to the point of nausea about speaking in front of their peers. And, every school year, I have a student or two who goes through a transformation similar to Rebekah’s. Let’s take a look at her story (click here for video). I’m not sure if Rebekah’s newfound desire for a career in politics is something I should celebrate or mourn, but what I do know is that Rebekah is a zestier, more courageous and confident young woman…