When teaching argumentation it is important to break the tradition of authoritative exposition and instead use a pedagogy that promotes discussion and reasoning, which is more conducive in generating a supportive classroom climate.
Group discussions are valuable for practising argumentation. Students need to develop sound skills of listening carefully to each other and taking it in turns to respond to each other before they can fully engage in argumentation. Videos, lesson outlines and lesson resources for developing group work strategies and resources that provide context for argumentation activities are accessible at http://www.azteachscience.co.uk/ext/cpd/argumentation/unit1.php
For successful group discussions the tasks needs to be well planned to engage all students. It is important to have clear concrete focus and explicit outcomes. Specific time limits are helpful to focus the group work.
Once students have developed the basic skills of listening and responding, they can begin to engage more fruitfully in argumentation. Strategies that can help students to take stances and justify their position through constructing arguments with evidence are for example the use of arguing prompts to scaffold argumentation and writing frames to enhance the quality of the argumentation.
Arguing Prompts and Writing Frames
Once students have developed the basic skills of listening and responding, they can begin to engage more fruitfully in argumentation. Strategies that can help students to take stances and justify their position through constructing arguments with evidence are for example the use of arguing prompts to scaffold argumentation and writing frames to enhance the quality of the argumentation.
Arguing prompts:
- Why do you think that?
- What is your reason for that?
- Can you think of another argument for your view?
- Can you think of an argument against your view?
- How do you know?
- What is your evidence?
- Is there another argument for what you believe?
Writing Frames:
- My idea is that…
- My reasons are that…
- Arguments against my idea might be that…
- I would convince somebody that does not believe me by…
- The evidence I would use to convince them is that…