Palmer - Good thinking - teaching argument, persuasion, and reasoning

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TEACHING ARGUMENT, PERSUASION, AND REASONING

ERIK PALMER

Stenhouse Publishers

www.stenhouse.com

Copyright 2016 by Erik Palmer

All rights reserved. This e-book is intended for individual use only. You can print a copy for your own personal use and you can access this e-book on multiple personal devices (i.e. computer, e-reader, smartphone). You may not reproduce digital copies to share with others, post a digital copy on a server or a website, make photocopies for others, or transmit in any form by any other means, electronic or mechanical, without permission from the publisher.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Palmer, Erik, 1953

Title: Good thinking : teaching argument, persuasion, and reason / Erik Palmer.

Description: Portland, Maine : Stenhouse Publishers, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015044683 (print) | LCCN 2015045259 (ebook) | ISBN 9781625310644 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781625310651 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Thought and thinking--Study and teaching. | Reasoning--Study and teaching. | Persuasion (Rhetoric)--Study and teaching.

Classification: LCC LB1590.3.P325 2016 (print) | LCC LB1590.3 (ebook) | DDC 370.15/2--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044683

Book design by Blue Design, Portland, Maine (www.bluedes.com)

To my debate coaches at Greendale High School and Southern Methodist University for their contributions to my lifelong obsession with good thinking

W hen I started this book, I went to the Twitterverse to find out how teachers were teaching argument and reasoning. It seems that many brilliant teachers have Twitter accounts and use those to connect with others who share a commitment to becoming better, more effective educators. Quite a few were willing to assist me. They covered a wide range of grade levels and subject expertise. They included teachers from around the globefrom Cathy, five miles away, to Teresa, a teacher at an international school in Hanoi. I was amazed at their enthusiasm and desire to help. Several of these teachers shared activities you will discover as you read the book; others contributed ideas to help me verify that I was on the right track. I thank all of them: Jessica Lifshitz, Colleen Kires, Erika DeShay, Cathy Walker-Gilman, Mark Bowden, Bill McBride, Lindsay Metcalfe, Paul Solarz, Kaitlyn Fischer, Sandy King, Donald Kreienkamp, Laura Wagenman, Megan Kelly, Andrew Smith, Paul Bogush, Dave Stuart Jr., and Teresa Winterstein. This book is better because of you.

I also found Sandy Otto on Twitter. Sandy has a few educators and authors that she calls edu-heroespeople who have inspired her and positively influenced her teaching. Sandy is my edu-hero. She is passionate about education and constantly striving to be better, though it is clear, after visiting her classroom, that she is already a master teacher. I bounced ideas off her to get a practitioners view of things. She tested lessons so I could see my ideas in action. She offered wonderful suggestions and encouragement. And she had a wonderful openness to new ideas. Education needs more Sandy Ottos. Her contributions to this book are invaluable.

For a third time, I find myself thanking Holly Holland, my editor extraordinaire. She made Well Spoken better, she made Digitally Speaking better, and she made this book much better. Holly helped me brainstorm the ideas and structure of the book before a word was written, and polished up the manuscript after all the words were written. She is a great editor and friend.

My wife, Anne, is mentioned in the book a few times. She is a fantastic teacher and artist. Her lessons show up in the text, and she drew

N ot everything is an argument!

Those were the exasperated words of my father. You see, I joined the debate team in high school. The debate team profoundly changed my life for the better. Debate involves researching, collaborating with partners, thinking critically, and performing under stress. Of course, debate also demands strong speaking skills, and as readers of my other books know, I am passionate about developing oral communication skills in all students. But the part that changed my fathers life for the worse was that debate is also about reasoning well. I never quit practicing.

Yes, Dad, I could take out the garbage, but lets look at that more closely. First of all, perhaps you are unaware of the womens lib movement, but there is no reason why certain jobs should always fall to males. Why not ask one of my sisters to do this? Additionally, you lead a sedentary life in an office. Research indicates that exercise is good for health, and though it is only mild, taking out the garbage does provide some exercise and would be good for you. I care about you and want what is best for your health.

Perhaps you can understand his exasperation.

He was no doubt correct: not everything is an argument. However, many definitions of the word argument contain phrases such as suggesting reasons to persuade others. If we use that meaning, it is certainly true that a large part of our communication is argument. We often try to convince people that an idea should be adopted. For example, we try to convince

a spouse that its a good night for pizza instead of leftovers.

the principal that more passing time is needed for students moving through hallways between classes.

the staff that the new initiative is good for everyone.

our students that they should work hard on the assignment.

our children that they should clean their rooms.

the store personnel that they should honor the coupon even though it is one day past expiration.

Many times a day, we try to reason with others. Ill wager that at least once a day you think, What? Thats crazy! They are way off! when you see or hear something that you think is unreasonable. Not a day goes by without us calling on our reasoning skills. We analyze the messages we receive. We reason with others. We even reason with ourselves: Should I eat that doughnut? Explain, conscience.

How well do students think?

We usually answer that by pointing to some kind of score: Kim got all the answers right on the quiz; Roberta correctly edited her paper. They must have done some good thinking. What really went on, though? Kim did a nice job of