Argumentation is a skill area I think is underdeveloped in students. It is not that they don’t argue, it is that their arguments function in the manner recent political arguments in this country go. Folks talk louder and repeat themselves, but seldom offer evidence to support claims or understand clearly the claims and evidence offered by others with a different point of view.
For educators interested in this topic I recommend a book written by Deanna Kuhn and colleagues
Kuhn, D., Hemberger, L., & Khait, V. (2016). Argue with Me: Argument as a Path to Developing Students’ Thinking and Writing.
If you are not interested in taking on another book, here is an article form ASCD offering some ideas to get educators started.
For example – learn to differentiate claims from evidence and to identify when claims are made without evidence. Find an article on the use of smartphones in the classroom. Have students highlight claims in one color and evidence in another color. In the margins, identify the type of evidence used – facts, statistics, statements from interviews, etc. Identify the author’s conclusions and how the claims and evidence were related to this conclusion. Are claims made without evidence? Ask students to address the general conclusion, claims, and evidence of the author. Are there shortcomings that can be identified? Are counterclaims possible and what would they be?
Have students write their own position on this topic attempting to both offer supporting claims and evidence and identify counterclaims that can be refuted.
Argumentation is at the core of many important areas. The research conducted by scientists is an attempt to provide evidence in support of a claim and possibly counter a claim made by others. Argumentation is present in many other areas as well. Developing argumentation skills offers a way to practical way to practice critical thinking.
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