ThinkOnYourFeetDEBATEASACRITICALEXERCISE

JONATHANGILL,MNENGLISHLANGUAGEPROGRAM,UOFMN

CreatingaCriticalThinkingClassroomMyprevioustalk,“ThinkFirst!CenteringESLclassesaroundCriticalThinking*”outlinedtheneedtoincreasethefocusonCriticalThinkingintheL2classroom◦ Emphasisisusuallyonlanguageskills,withcontentandcriticalthinkingadistant2ndor3rd

◦ Textbooksreflectthislowstatus,asdomanylearningoutcomesacrosscurricula◦ It’sasmallbutimportantsteptoswitchthefocustocriticalthinkingskillsratherthanjustlanguageskills

CriticalThinkingpreparesSs for:◦ SuccessinUniversity(Davidson,1998),and◦ Progressintheworld(Benesch,1993;1999)

*MELEd 2014,TESOL2015

CriticalThinkingDefinition(s)WhatitIS:◦ “Theintellectuallydisciplinedprocessofactivelyandskillfullyconceptualizing,applying,analyzing,synthesizing,and/orevaluatinginformation…asaguidetobeliefandaction.” (Scriven &Paul,1987)

WhatitisNOT:◦ 1)“themereacquisitionandretentionofinformationalone;◦ 2)themerepossessionofasetofskills;◦ 3)themereuseofthoseskills("asanexercise")withoutacceptanceoftheirresults.”

◦ (Scriven &Paul,1987)

Thatis,CriticalThinkingisaskill andaprocess forapurpose.

CriticalThinkingDefinition(s)“Thinkingthatexplicitlyaimsatwell-foundedjudgmentandhenceutilizesappropriateevaluativestandardsintheattempttodeterminethetrueworth,merit,orvalueofsomething.”(Paul,Elder,&Bartell1997)

Foraninteractivemodelexplainingthesestandards,elements,andtraits,goto:http://www.criticalthinking.org/ctmodel/logic-model1.htm#

FoundationforCriticalThinking,www.criticalthinking.org

WhyCriticalThinking?“Humanthinkinglefttoitselfoftengravitatestowardprejudice,over-generalization,commonfallacies,self-deception,rigidity,andnarrowness…

“Soundcriticalthinkingmaximizesourabilitytosolveproblemsofimportancetous byhelpingusbothtoavoidcommonmistakesandtoproceedinthemostrationalandlogicalfashion.”

(Paul,Elder,&Bartell1997)

Yourlogicalfallacyis.com

WhyDebate?“Studentsparticipatingindebategenerallyhaveahigherlevelofcriticalthinkingthantheirnondebatingcounterparts.”(Colbert1995)

Debateemploysavastmajorityofthestandards,elements,andtraitsidentifiedbytheFoundationforCriticalThinking:

FoundationforCriticalThinking,www.criticalthinking.org

WhyDebate?“Studentsparticipatingindebategenerallyhaveahigherlevelofcriticalthinkingthantheirnondebatingcounterparts.”(Colbert1995)

Debateemploysavastmajorityofthestandards,elements,andtraitsidentifiedbytheFoundationforCriticalThinking:

ChickenortheEgg?Isdebateacauseoraresultofcriticalthinking?

Colbert1995:

“Docriticalthinkersmigratetowardacademicdebatingordoesacademicdebatingenhancecriticalthinking?Thetwoseemintrinsicallyrelated.Whetherthechickenortheeggcamefirstmaynotbeasimportantasconsideringwhetheronecoulddevelopwithouttheother.”

“Thekeyissueisnotwhetherdebatingcausescriticalthinking,buttodiscoverhowdebatingcancultivateit forthosewithvaryinglevelsofcriticalthinkingability.”

BottomLine?Itcanand does:

“Thepreponderanceofdefendableevidencesuggestscompetitivedebateexperiencecanindeedimprovecriticalthinkingskills.”

TheUniversityCultureis DebateoManyofmyinternationalstudents(studyingESL)comefromeducationalsystemsthatdon’tteach,use,orevenvaluecriticalthinking.Theyaretaughttomemorizeandrecite.

o Incontrast,theUSclassroomisalwaysforcingthemtoformopinions,evaluateevidence,questionassumptions,andengageindiscussionwithadiversesetofclassmates.

o Inaword,ourUniversityCultureISadebate!

o Debateisevenbeingintegratedintocoursesthatmaysurpriseyou!o Ex:BIOL1010- HumanBiology:ConceptsandCurrentEthicalIssues

So,WHYDEBATE?

Performinghigh-orderacademicthinkinginasecondlanguageisclearlyagoalofUniversitylanguageprograms.Howcanweprepareourstudentstodomorethancounttoten?

TheSetup(seehandout)Myspecificexamplecomesfromamixed-upper-level(advancedtohigh-advanced),content-basedESLintegratedskillsclass,“CurrentIssuesintheMedia”

CurrentlywearedoingPair-vs.-Pairdebatesevery3weeks

Eachpairsitsorstandsatadeskandfacestheaudience:

PreparationandDeliveryPREPARATION:Chooseatopic andtakesides(chooseasa foursome)Research thetopicforvaluableevidence

◦ Planargumentation (withtheir partner)◦ Predictnecessarycounterarguments◦ Prepareanoutline and/ornotecardsfortheirturn◦ Writeaformal,writtenargumentessay(turnedinbeforedebatebegins)

DELIVERY:◦ Deliverthedebate(5-5-3-3-1-1:this18-minuteformattobedescribedbelow)◦ Notes aretakenduringthedebateandusedforcounterargument(rebuttal)

HANDIN:◦ Writtenessaywithsources;outline/notecards;handwrittennotes

ElementsofaDebate:RequiredNECESSARYSCAFFOLDING:◦ Argumentation – claims,appeals,language◦ Counterargument – concession,prediction,co-opting,rebuttal,refutation◦ LogicalFallacies– strawman,adhominem,anecdotalevidence,etc.◦ Evidence – support,logic◦ Research – reliability,keywords,sourceuse,citations(writtenandoral)◦Model– it’simportanttoseeanexampleofaformaldebatefirst

ElementsofaDebate:RequiredFORMALFORMAT:◦ PROPOSITION(5minuteseach)◦ – preparedmainargument(mayNOTreadtheiressay– workfromoutline/notecard)

◦REBUTTAL(3minuteseach)◦ – impromptufromnotestakenduringproposition◦ – somecounterargumentcanbepreparedaheadoftime;noguaranteeitwillbeused

◦ CONCLUSION (1minuteeach)◦ Summaryofbothpropositionandgistofrebuttal◦ Synthesisofpreparedandimpromptumaterial

ElementsofaDebate:RequiredMODELMOCKDEBATE(donesolobytheteacher,orbyvideo)◦ Helpsstudentsunfamiliarwithformaldebateseetheformat◦ Canfocusonrelevantoralskills,nonverbal◦ Can betailoredtowhateveryouwanttofocuson(moreonthatlater)◦ Showshowpositionscanbetakenregardlessofpersonalopinion:

ElementsofaDebate:RequiredINTEGRATEDSKILLS(tosomedegree)◦ Mydesignisverymuchanintegratedskillsversion◦ Evenifyoursisforadifferentclass,therewillbesomemixingofskillsneededtopulloffaneffectivedebate

◦ Evenifyoudon’tassessskillsyou’renotfocusedon,itstillbuildsamorebalanceduseofCriticalThinkingwhentheL2isbeingusedforallofthesevariedtasks

ElementsofaDebate:OptionalFormatsIndividual(1-on-1)Pros:EnsuresthateachdebaterisgettingthefullrangeofpreparedandimpromptuexperienceCons:Moreworkforeachperson;absenceondebateday;multi-levelconsiderations(morelater)

Pair/Team(2+vs2+)Pros:Teamwork;Roles(inbothprepanddelivery)canbedistributed;TeamsandrolescanbemixedandmatchedforsubsequentdebatesCons:Unreliablepartners;miscommunications

3-wayPros:Helpsmanagewithodd-numberedclasses;moreperspectivesheard;morenuanceCons:Logisticsofrebuttalsandtiming;limitstopicstoonesthathavemorethan2sides;dangersofthemiddleground

ElementsofaDebate:OptionalProductsCREATEDMATERIALS

Formyproject,studentsturnin:◦ Awrittenargumentativeessay(approx.1page)thatsummarizestheirmainpoints,includescounterargument/concession,andcitesspecificevidenceandsources

◦ Theiroutline/notecardsthattheyuseduringthedebate(theymayNOTreadtheiressay)◦ Theirwrittennotestakenduringtheotherteam’sproposition◦ Duringthedebate,Itakenotesand/orvideorecordthem

Exactlywhatyourequireyourstudentstoproducecanvarygreatly◦ Howmuchresearchshouldtheydo?◦ Whatskillsaremostimportantformyclass?◦ Whatmaterialscantheyreasonablyproduce?◦ Whatwillhelpmeassesstheircriticalthinking?

MakeItYourOwn:Tailoring&ScaffoldingLEVEL-SPECIFICCONSIDERATIONS◦ Lowerlevels:◦ Easiertopics(theyshouldstillberelevant)◦ Morevocabavailable(existingorscaffolded)◦ Shorterturns(3-2-1isjustasgoodas5-3-1,forexample)

◦Multi-levelclasses◦ Pairlowerwithlower,higherwithhigher,OR◦ Pairhighwithlowinteams,givinghigherstudentsthehardertasks(suchasrebuttal)◦ Adjustweightoflanguageskillslowerthancontentandtaskoutcomes(ARGUMENT>DELIVERY)

MakeItYourOwn:Tailoring&ScaffoldingSKILL-SPECIFICCONSIDERATIONS◦ INTEGRATEDSKILLS:Weightmostelementsrelativelyequally(seemyrubrics)◦ ORALSKILLSFOCUS:◦ Scaffoldandweightdelivery,enunciationofkeyterms,oralcitations,argumentationlanguage,expressionofemotion,audienceinvolvement,note-takingforrebuttalprep

◦ Writtenelement:weightsmaller,reduce,oreliminateit◦ WRITTENFOCUS:◦ Weightthewrittenportionmoreheavily◦ Givespecificrequirementsfortheoutlineand/ornotecards◦ Thepaper’scounterargumentsection:evidenceofwhethertheyconsideredtheothersidebeforethedebate

◦ Followuponsourceuse,sourcereliability,etc.

MakeItYourOwn:Tailoring&ScaffoldingPOPULATION-SPECIFICCONSIDERATIONS◦ Educationalbackgroundandexperiencewithdebate◦ Culturalorpersonalvalueofdebate◦ Triggersforsensitivetopics(thiscanalsobeanupside)

CONTEXT-SPECIFICCONSIDERATIONS◦ Courseintent(content,specificpurposes◦ Couldbeusedasamajorfinalproject,regularmediumprojects,orstreamlinedintosmallerHWprojects

◦ Impromptudebateisharder,butcanbeusefulforhigh-levelpractice◦ Studentswithhighability/ambitioncanbechallengedtodefendpositionstheydisagreewith

Recommendations&ExpansionDebatescouldleadto(orbecomplementedwith)full-classdiscussion,Socraticdialogues,etc.◦ Peterson(2009)suggestsusingtheSocraticMethodinclassdiscussionsformanyreasons,includingdeeperunderstandingduetocriticalthinking

Havingdebatesregularlybuildsacultureofcriticalthinking◦ Inmycourse,studentsmaylearnabout“humans’needtoexplore,”butthisisthenexpandedwhenweusedebatetovisualizewhatcanhappen(goodandbad)whenwedo

◦ Givingthemthechancetodiscoverthesethingsforthemselvesbreaksthemoutofthepassiveandreceptivelearningtheymaybemorecomfortablein,andresultswillstickwiththemlonger

Encouragetopicsthatarerelevanttobothclasscontentandstudents◦ Topicsthatareacademic,important,andpersonallyrelevant

Selectedtopicswe’vedebated:Doesglobalizationcausemorepovertyorlesspoverty?

ShouldUSimmigrationpoliciesbemoreorlessstrict?

Isgeneticengineeringethical?

Whoshouldcarefortheelderly?

Asaspecies,ismankind moredestructiveorcreative?

Shouldspaceexplorationbeprivatelyorpubliclyfunded?

Shouldhealthcarebefree?

Istraditionanobstacletoprogress?

Shouldmachinesreplacehumansintheworkforce?

Isitimportanttopreservehistoricalplacesandartifacts?

Whoshouldbeallowedtocarryguns?

Shouldweuseanimalsfortesting?

Whatlimitsshouldtherebeonabortion?

Isnucleartechnologygoodforthefuture?

Doesreligionleadtoterrorism?

Conclusion

Debateisnottheonlywaytobringcriticalthinkingintoyourclass…butit’sasurefireone!

DebateISacriticalexercise!

Cultivatingacultureofregulardebate(formalandinformal)buildsaclassroomthatwillbeequippedwithHOWtothink,notjustWHATtothink.

ReferencesBenesch,S.(1993).Criticalthinking:alearningprocessfordemocracy.TESOLQuarterly,27,545-548.

Benesch,S.(1999).ThinkingCritically,ThinkingDialogically.TESOLQuarterly,33,573-580.

Colbert,K.(1995).Enhancingcriticalthinkingabilitythroughacademicdebate. ContemporaryArgumentation&Debate, 16,52-72.

Davidson,B.(1998),CommentsonDwightAtkinson's“ACriticalApproachtoCriticalThinkinginTESOL”:ACaseforCriticalThinkingintheEnglishLanguageClassroom.TESOLQuarterly,32:119–123.

Gill,J.(2015,April).ThinkFirst!CenteringESLclassesaroundcriticalthinking.PresentationgivenattheannualinternationalconventionforTeachersofEnglishtoSpeakersofOtherLanguages(TESOL),Toronto,ON,Canada.

Paul,R.,Elder,L.,&Bartell,T.(1997)CaliforniaTeacherPreparationforInstructioninCriticalThinking:ResearchFindingsandPolicyRecommendations. Sacramento,CA:CaliforniaCommissiononTeacherCredentialing,1997,fromTheCriticalThinkingCommunityWebsite:http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/center-for-critical-thinking/401

Peterson,E.(1999).Teachingtothink:applyingtheSocraticMethodoutsidethelawschoolsetting.JournalofCollegeTeachingandLearning, 6,83-87.

Scriven,M.,&Paul,R.(1987).Definingcriticalthinking.Adraftstatementforthenationalcouncil forexcellenceincriticalthinking.RetrievedMay28,2014,fromTheCriticalThinkingCommunityWebsite:http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766

ContactInformation

JonathanGillMinnesotaEnglishLanguageProgram,UniversityofMN

gill0218@umn.edu