Dear colleague,
Not sure if you've heard, but there's an election coming up in the United States. (For more on how I've been teaching this election, you can read this article written by our local School News Network in which my work is featured a bit, or check out this video.)
But today, we're not talking about the election. We're talking about how this election makes an argument for argumentative work in the classroom that I've held to for over a decade: Americans are pretty bad at thinking argumentatively.
Do we argue in this country? Boy, do we.
But do we argue well in this country? No. We do not. At least, not in the earnest and amicable way that our hearts, souls, minds, and collective flourishing need.
(Chapter 4 of These 6 Things is all about this idea of what makes a good argument. I'd love for you to check it out.)
For today's article, let's look at two reliable ways to get students arguing better and valuing that argumentative improvement.
First, focus on quantity.
It's silly to mini-sermonize anything that you're not doing a lot in your classes. In other words, Value proof for a type of work is often in the pudding. Do we actually spend time doing this thing that my teacher says is important? Does my teacher actually spend time teaching us, in a clear and competent way.
If the answers are no, I'm going to have a hard time convincing my students that work is valuable.
So, what are the means through which I increase the amount of minutes we spend thinking argumentatively and practicing good argumentation? Pretty basic.
- Pop-Up Debates — at the time of this writing, we've done nine PUDs in my AP courses and six in my on-levels. Before, during, and after a Pop-Up Debate, I sprinkle in my apologetic mini-sermons on why this kind of in-class argument is Valuable.
- Examine how others argue — specifically, I have my students highlight argumentative articles, passages, or documents looking for the basic building blocks of arguments: claims, evidence, reasoning, counterclaims.
Thaaaaaaaat's about it. At this point in my career, I use very few “moves,” and they are moves I've used hundreds and hundreds of times. The more we allow ourselves to acquire excellence with basic instructional moves, the easier and more rewarding the job becomes. (That's basically the gist of These 6 Things…and all of my writing…and all of my PDs.)
As you go, mini-sermonize the Value of good arguments.
These are some of the mini-sermons bullet points I've touched on so far this school year:
- It feels good to make a good argument.
- It feels good to listen to someone else make a good argument.
- When someone disagrees with an argument you've made, that's a beautiful sign of respect. It means they listened to you and took your argument seriously.
- Great arguments typically do a few basic things: paraphrase someone else's argument, then either A) agree with it while adding on, B) disagree with it with reasons, or C) complicate it. This set of moves is called Paraphrase Plus, which you can learn all about in this article, this video, or pp. 117, 128-128, and 126f of These 6 Things.
- How you deliver an argument is half the battle. It's possible for folks to make a terrible argument but sound amazing, and it's possible for folks to make stellar arguments but sound so bad. Great delivery comes down to Poise, Voice, Life, Eye contact, Gestures, and Speed — Erik Palmer's PVLEGS. You can learn all about my take on PVLEGS in this article, this video, or pp. 34, 120, and 224-225 of These 6 Things.
- You'll argue your whole life, and being good at it will make your life better. It'll give you power, give you a voice, give you a sense of agency, give you awe and wonder.
- And c'mon…what teenager doesn't love bringing some more effectiveness to an argument with their parents? 😉
We're just scratching the surface here; there are so many other reasons to point out to students. But what all of these apologetics angles for the Value of argumentation in the classroom have in common for me is this: they are fun. I make it a point to enjoy myself when I'm talking about the importance of getting better at arguing. As I seek to enjoy myself, I tap in to being winsome and sure.
(If you want to dig way deeper into mini-sermons, see Strategy #4 in The Will to Learn.)
Teaching right beside you,
DSJR
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