Defend a Model or Argument

Building an argument involves both organizing compelling evidence and communicating it in a clear and persuasive manner. Students need practice determining which evidences best support their claim. They also need an opportunity to practice the art of argumentation itself.

Examples in the ABLConnect Database

Let’s Try to Stop the Tokugawa Shogunate from Collapsing: Role Playing Historical Decisions

Students travel back in time to 19 th-century Japan, assuming the roles of advisors to the Tokugawa shogunate. They must synthesize primary readings on social and political unrest to propose reforms that could prevent the regime from collapsing...

The Spectrum Game

Students compare and contrast different philosophers they have read in the course by locating them a spectrum based on various criteria. Introduction: In preparation for their second paper, which required comparing two philosophers, the instructor used...

Simulated Investment in Genome Editing Technology

In this simulation activity, students decide which of two companies, each using a different CRISPR genome-editing technology, to invest in. They engage with research on CRISPR genome editing to understand how unintended consequences of one technology used...

Being in the White House Situation Room: Developing Strategic Options

Faculty develop a national security crisis and simulate placing the students on the National Security Council Staff to develop strategic options to drive U.S. foreign policy. By thrusting students into positions of responsibility for solutions to real...

Learning through Case Construction

Students familiar with case study analysis construct their own cases to capture a specific ethical question. They then lead their classmates through the case. This case construction gives students the opportunity to try to stump one another with new...

Religion & Climate Simulation

A three day simulation of the Parliament of World Religions teaches students about the role of faith groups in addressing climate change. Goals: to provide an opportunity to study religious teachings related to nature and the environment to investigate...

Why?

Being able to clearly articulate one’s own argument is essential for effective communication and collaboration. In a team setting with diverse backgrounds and thinking approaches, knowledge can only be generated when all team members understand each other’s points. It is also important to be able to defend your argument against those who have an opposing view. Often, this involves acknowledging the contrarian viewpoint and providing counter-arguments to convince them otherwise.

Examples

Developing Communication Skills can be worked into a variety of activity types! Here are just a few examples:

Presentation: Presentations are an obvious opportunity to focus on communication skills. Students will have to speak on a class topic in front of their peers. Take this opportunity to teach effective slide design, talk organization/logic, and speaking techniques.

Research: Written research reports are a common assignment across secondary education classrooms. In addition to emphasizing research methods, emphasize the content and style of the final report. How should students structure the assignment? What tone and style is appropriate for the discipline and the type of report?

There are also ways to focus on Developing Communication Skills in unexpected activity types.

Case Study: A case study typically requires a leader to head the class discussion. Rather than having the instructor play this role, students can be assigned to lead provided they have feedback prior to their presentation to ensure they cover the required material. This provides students an additional opportunity to make a clear and effective presentation, convey key information, and manage their classmates feedback to formulate a final summary on the spot. Have groups of students rotate during the semester so each student has the opportunity to present at least once.

Research

Coming soon!