Every day, students are inundated with information. It seems that anyone with a laptop and a decent Wi-Fi connection can pontificate a point and present it as fact. These 'armchair experts" have the luxury of presenting information uninterrupted and propagate their points without the types of conversational feedback that is typically present in most interpersonal exchanges. When engaging in an argument with someone face-to-face, points are seldom left unchallenged and followed with a simple question such as "So what?" or "how do you know that?" (Toulmin, p. 98) However, in many modern digital platforms, commentators are allowed to spew misinformation without being challenged to their credentials or the sources of their information, thus giving credence and credibility to many who do not deserve it.
In The Uses of Argument (1958/2003) Stephen Toulmin argues that students need to be taught not to take in an argument on a macro level, but "the time has come to change the focus of our inquiry, and to concentrate on this finer level." (p. 87). Constructing conventional written arguments is a standard topic in the curricular standards guiding high school writing classes because it is essential for critical thinking and academic success (Hillocks, 2011). Because digital platforms have opened up our students to global exposure, the potential impact of an argument, be it one well-crafted or without any factual basis, can be enormous (Turner & Hicks, p. 8). It is essential to teach students the proper way to construct and argument not only for the purpose of influencing the opinions of others but teaching this skill will also have the benefit of strengthening the skill of deconstructing the arguments of others. Therefore, teaching students the basics of forming strong sound arguments provides a defensive measure to combat the absolute surplus of misinformation that is flooding their digital inboxes and social media feeds.
References:
Hillocks, G. (2011). Preface. In Teaching argument writing: Supporting claims with relevant evidence and clear reasoning (pp. xv-xxvi). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Toulmin, S. (2003). The Layout of Arguments. In The Uses of Argument (pp. 87-134). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511840005.007
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts (pp. 8–9). Heinemann.
Richard, you make a great point that the internet lacks the "conversational feedback that is typically present in most interpersonal exchanges". Without a way to deconstruct digital discourse, many readers-especially young ones-are inclined to accept it as fact. In this way, even "flimsy and unsubstantiated" claims can gain widespread acceptance (Hicks & Turner, p. 5). One example is the anti-vaccine movement. Despite numerous studies disproving the claim that vaccines are harmful to children, many people continue to advocate against them: often using information they discovered online.
ReplyDeleteHello, Richard. Nice blog post first of all. I love the Abraham Lincoln image. The first sentence is something that pops out to me because I found that interesting in my readings. Every single day "students are inundated with information. " Even though I find that statement true for adults as well. There is a large number of information all around us. As I read over your blog again, I wanted to find that sentence or word that aligned with your title. Importance of a strong argument in the digital world. When I read that I want to find the answer and I think you did a good job of using this to answer this. "Teaching students the basics of forming strong sound arguments provides a defensive measure to combat the absolute surplus of misinformation that is flooding their digital inboxes and social media feeds."
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