Unit 2: Arguments: What They Are and How To Facilitate
Welcome to Unit 2! This unit has two parts.
Unit Objectives:
- The learner will be able to analyze arguments for completeness and effectiveness.
- Given scaffolds and guidance, the learner will be able to facilitate discussions and support students in building effective arguments of their own..
Guiding questions for this unit:
- What is an argument? What makes an argument effective? (Part 1)
- How can we support students in developing effective arguments in their discussions? (Part 2)
Part 1: What is an argument? What makes an argument effective?
Because argumentation is a key component of inquiry dialogues because it is what leads to a reasonable answer, we must first figure out what an argument is, then what makes them effective.
1. What Do I Already Know?
Examine the image on the right. Reflect on what about it would be part of a strong argument, and what makes it weak, and what could make it stronger. Add your reflections to the Part 1 Discussion Section.
2. Read: An Argument Is (Or Can Be) …
Teachers might already know this. However, this can be a new idea to students. They may believe that an argument is always an angry disagreement, or they might think that it is the same thing as persuasion. Any of these resources could easily be used with students.
- Not Persuasion: Read the chart from ReadWriteThink to compare. Since the goal of inquiry dialogue is to come to the most reasonable answer as a community and not to "win", this is an important distinction. (The chart compares writing purposes, but the same points hold true for discussions).
- More or less effective, depending on support: Examine the two examples. Think about what would happen to the argument if one of the supporting pieces was removed.
Diagram of a basic argument with an example.
3. Do: As a quick check, complete the Google Form linked below.
Part 2: Supporting Students Through Discussion Facilitation
Now that we've reviewed the definition of “argument” and the parts of an effective argument, we need to know how to support students during a discussion in order to help them construct their own arguments, ideas, and knowledge as well as giving them tools to help them be able to extend, critique, question, and evaluate.
These are all important parts of argumentation, and the skills involved are highly transferable in a wide variety of contexts – in school and out of it!
1. Watch: "Analyzing the Argument (Part 1 of 2)"
As you watch the video, consider how the ideas about analyzing an argument might apply to inquiry discussions. How might these ideas be important and useful for both teachers and students?
Discuss your thinking about this question in the Part 2 Discussion.
2. Read & Watch: Ways to Support Students and Help Students Support Each Other
Critical thinking, collaboration, and communication are three of the 21st Century skills that can be fostered through collaborative inquiry discussions. However, this type of discussion really integrates all of them, either at the same time or different times! Discussions like this can be a challenge to learn to do well, though, for both teachers and students.
The teacher’s biggest role here is to facilitate the discussion. But what does this mean, and how do you do it? The facilitator’s job is to help students come to the most reasonable answer to the question being discussed, and they can do this through questioning, clarifying, making sure diverse perspectives are included, and pushing students to provide acceptable and logical reasons, evidence, and explanations. Oftentimes, a final answer may not in fact be reached, and the facilitator then will guide students through a discussion of the valid points made on all sides.
A good way to think about facilitation is to consider the criteria of good logic and discussion, and then questioning when necessary based on how the discussion is going. You might also think about setting a goal for the discussion, then focusing mainly on that one area.
The chart below outlines four criteria to develop during discussions, along with supporting facilitation questions. The bottom section is good for reflecting on the discussion as a whole and setting goals for future discussions. Click here for a PDF version of this chart.
It is possible that after lots of modeling by the teacher and with practice, students may be able to ask these questions of each other rather than relying on the teacher to facilitate all the time. In the meantime, students can use accountable "talk moves" to help them discuss and argue effectively. Having a list of these available for students is a great scaffold and reminder for them.
Watch the video for a demonstration of "talk moves" in action, how they enhance academic conversations, and the various ways they can benefit different students.
Some "Talk Move" resources (also known as "accountable talk") are linked below. Having these available for students to refer to is extremely helpful. The resources vary in complexity and can always be adapted for the needs of students. You can also select some of the questions from the facilitation chart as students become more adept at these conversations.
Talk Move Resources
- Printable Talk Moves Half-Sheets (Beginner)
- Accountable Talk Stems (Mid)
- Sentence Stems For Higher-Level Discussion (Advanced)
3. Do: Compare Discussion Examples
In this activity, you will be provided with two excerpts from class discussions. Compare what you notice by filling in the chart, then try to draw some conclusions. Underneath the chart, the researchers' analysis of each discussion excerpt is included to help you check. Click the link, and make a copy of the Google Doc. If you have the opportunity, compare your responses and conclusions with other learners.
Class Discussion Comparison Activity
Links to Other Units
Unit 1: The What & Why of Inquiry Dialogue
Unit 3: The Elements of a Discussion
References & Resources
Basic Structure of Argument. (n.d.). [Graphic]. Https://Rampages.Us/Cnjacksonfall15univ112/Basic-Structure-of-Argument/. https://rampages.us/cnjacksonfall15univ112/basic-structure-of-argument/
Edutopia. (2018, November 16). Encouraging Academic Conversations With Talk Moves [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSI4imt0dXg
Everett Public Schools. (n.d.). 21st Century Skills [Infographic]. Https://Www.Everettsd.Org/Page/25540. https://www.everettsd.org/Page/25540
King Middle School, Portland, ME & Edutopia. (2009). Talk Moves [PDF Document]. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/Talk_Moves_2_UP.pdf
ReadWriteThink. (n.d.). What Is the Difference Between Persuasive and Argumentative Writing? [Chart]. ReadWriteThink. https://www.readwritethink.org/sites/default/files/resources/lesson-docs/Difference_Between_Persuasive_Argumentative.pdf
Reznitskaya, A., Wilkinson, I. A. G., & Snow, C. E. (2017). The Most Reasonable Answer: Helping Students Build Better Arguments Together (Annotated ed.). Harvard Education Press.
SAPEREP4C. (n.d.). 27 questions for facilitating philosophical dialogue [PDF Document]. Searchable Library of P4C Resources. https://archive.sapere.org.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=289
Snap Language. (2016, June 23). Analyzing the argument - part 1 of 2 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP8dWURrEF0
Staff, T. (2022, January 19). 26 Sentence Stems For Higher-Level Conversation In The Classroom. TeachThought. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/sentence-stems/
The Learning Accelerator. (2021, June 10). Discussion Sentence Stems. Resources & Guidance from The Learning Accelerator. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://practices.learningaccelerator.org/artifacts/discussion-sentence-stems
Wilkinson, I. A. G., Reznitskaya, A., Bourdage, K., Oyler, J., Glina, M., Drewry, R., Kim, M. Y., & Nelson, K. (2016). Toward a more dialogic pedagogy: changing teachers’ beliefs and practices through professional development in language arts classrooms. Language and Education, 31(1), 65–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2016.1230129