Why Should Educators Care about Argumentation?

Abstract

Educators who are reflective about their educational endeavours ask themselves questions like: What is the aim of education? What moral, methodological, or other constraints govern our educational activities and efforts? One natural place to look for answers is in the philosophy of education, which (among other things) tries to provide systematic answers to these questions. One general answer offered by the philosophy of education is that the aim of education consists in fostering the development of students' rationality. On this view, education has as its fundamental task both the development of students' reasoning ability, and also the fostering of a complex of attitudes, habits of mind, dispositions and character traits, such that students are not only able to reason well; they also care about reasons, and organize their beliefs, judgments and actions in accordance with the deliverances of the reasoned evaluation of reasons. Argumentation theory is also concerned with the analysis of the power and convicting force of reasons. When do reasons for a claim warrant acceptance of that claim? By what criteria are reasons evaluated? How are these criteria themselves justified? Such questions as these are the meat and potatoes of argumentation theory, which, in pursuing these questions, promises to shed light on the character of rationality as the aim of education. Rationality, which links education and argumentation theory, provides educators with a reason to care about argumentation-if rationality can be cogently defended as an educational ideal. In this paper I will try to provide such a defense, and in doing so explain why educators should care about argumentation. The defense will be a moral one: I will argue that we are morally obliged to endeavour to foster the rationality of students, because that is what is required to meet our obligations to treat students with respect as persons. I will also consider some general criticisms of the Enlightenment ideal of rationality, offered by Feminist, Multiculturalist, and Postmodemist scholars. If these criticisms are cogent, then both argumentation theory and the view that the aim of education is the fostering of rationality are threatened. I will argue that the criticisms, while important and instructive, are not so destructive of the ideal of rationality as some contemporary scholars suppose.

The Role of Argumentation in Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning During Problem-Based Learning in Medical Education: A Conceptual Framework

“…A pedagogical emphasis on argumentation is consistent with general educational goals that seek to enhance students' reasoning abilities, including paying attention to reasons, evaluating the quality and relevance of those reasons, and formulating valid ideas or beliefs based on those reasons (Siegel, 1995). This suggests that supporting students' argumentation involves promoting their reasoning and problem solving in PBL (Cerbin, 1988;Jonassen, 2011).…”

“…Argumentation theory can provide a theoretical framework not only for understanding collaborative problem solving from both social and cognitive perspectives (Anderson et al, 2001;Driver, Newton, & Osborne, 2000) but also for developing tools to analyze and evaluate students' thinking and reasoning (Driver et al, 2000;Jonassen, 2011;Nussbaum, 2011;Siegel, 1995). Toulmin's model (1958) has been considered to be seminal in the fi eld of argumentation theory (Andrews, 2005;Jiménez-Aleixandre & Rodriguez, 2000;Jonassen, 2011;Nussbaum, 2011).…”

The Evaluation of “Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge based Argumentation Practices” Training for Science Teachers

“…Argümantasyona dayalı öğrenme ile ilgili uluslararası alanda 1990'lı yıllardan beri çalışılmasına rağmen (Lemke, 1990;Kuhn, 1991Kuhn, , 1993Siegel, 1995) ülkemizde bu alandaki ilk çalışmanın Kaya (2005) tarafından 2005 yılında yapıldığı ve yine ülkemizde yürütülen argümantasyona dayalı çalışmaların çoğunun eğitim teknolojilerini aktif olarak kullanmaksızın gerçekleştirildiği (Günel, Kıngır ve Geban, 2012;Kıngır, Geban ve Günel, 2011;Günel, Akkuş ve Özer Keskin, 2010;Gümrah ve Kabapınar, 2010;Kaya ve Kılıç, 2008;Erduran, Ardaç ve Yakmacı Güzel, 2006) görülmektedir. Teknoloji ile zenginleştirilmiş öğrenme ortamlarının tüm Dünya'da sık ve yaygın bir şekilde kullanıldığı günümüzde öğretim yöntemlerinin zaman ve mekândan bağımsız hale getirilmesi, bilgi ve teknoloji üretiminde başat role sahip olabilmede önem kazanmaktadır.…”

Dialectical Features of Students’ Argumentation: A Critical Review of Argumentation Studies in Science Education

“…There are a number of reasons for why the argumentation strand in science education should focus on these dialectical features. It has been argued that if the aim of education is to foster the development of rational agents, it involves enabling students to be attentive to their dialectical obligations of providing adequate argumentation and engaging with the argumentation of others (Siegel 1995). It has been argued that dialectical argumentation is part and parcel of scientific debate (Pera 1994) -indicating that the approbation of the skills for such argumentative discourse should be a prime aim of science education.…”