Argumentation Strategies in the Classroom

by Chrysi Rapanta (Author)

Argumentation as a teaching and learning method in the K-12 curriculum has received increasing attention across the globe. The reason for this is simple: argumentation helps students develop necessary critical thinking skills. However, teaching this method is not as straightforward as it may appear. Placing the classroom at the centre of the investigation, this book seeks to throw light onto argumentation as a teaching practice by asking: What does it take to teach as argument? What does it mean to be ‘argumentative’ teachers? And, how can we create classroom environments that will help and encourage young people to develop their argument skills?

Based on first-hand experience and extensive research, this volume guides the reader through argumentation with the focus placed on the relationship between this teaching method and effective learning and the need to investigate the role of teachers in encouraging argumentation in the classroom. Although there are a considerable number of tools and techniques that promote argumentation in the K-12 classroom, many teachers struggle to successfully implement them in the classroom. Aimed at addressing this issue, this book endeavours to instruct teachers on how to apply argumentation effectively in their day-to-day classes and to clarify argumentation as a teaching and learning strategy. As an important contribution to the field of argumentation and education, this book will be of interest to researchers, post-graduate students, and secondary school teachers, alike.

Review
There are few more important educational goals than to help students become skilled, confident arguers. Teachers by and large lack the knowledge and skills needed to meet this goal. This book provides a good introduction tailored for teachers new to the subject.

Prof. Dr. Deanna Kuhn
Columbia University

About the Author
Chrysi Rapanta was awarded a Phd in Communication Sciences from the University of Lugano, Switzerland, in 2011. Since 2015 she has been a post-doctoral researcher in Philosophy of Education in the Institute of Philosophy at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal. Before beginning her current position, she was an Assistant Professor of Communication at Zayed University, UAE. Having studied Psychology, Pedagogy, and Communication, her current research is focused on adapting argumentation theory in ways that may serve educational praxis, in particular, teachers' argumentation strategies in the classroom. She has also published in reputable education journals including the Review of Educational Research, the Journal of Philosophy of Education, and the British Journal of Educational Technology.