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Scholarship
March 29, 2017
Argumentation in Higher Education: Improving Practice Through Theory and Research
- Author
- Andrews, Richard
- Publisher
- Routledge, New York, NY
- ISBN
- 9780415995009
- Table of Contents
-
Illustrations
Acknowledgements
ch. 1 Why Argument?
The Importance of Argument
Argument and/or Argumentation
Argumentation in Higher Education
An Example
Is Argumentation Too 'High' a Term?
The Position of Argumentation
Theoretical justifications for the Focus on Argumentation
Is Argument a New Preoccupation?
The Structure of the Book
The Practical Dimension
ch. 2 The Current State of Argumentation in Higher Education
Who?
What?
To Whom?
Why?
A Case Study: Argumentation in History
The Practical Dimension
ch. 3 Generic Skills in Argumentation
Recent Models of Argumentation in Education
Definitions
Literature Review
The ‘Toulmin Model’
Models of Argument
Visual Argumentation
A Spectrum of Models
The Practical Dimension
ch. 4 Discipline-Specific Skills in Argumentation Richard Andrews Carole Torgerson Beng-Huat See
First-Year Students Believe Argument to be Important in Their Disciplines
Students Feel the Need for More Explicit Instruction
Students Tend to Draw on Argumentation Skills Learned in the Previous Stage of Formal Education
Most Students are not Sceptical in their Academic Reading
Differences Among Institutions, Disciplines and Individual Lecturers are Highly Significant
There is a Mismatch Between the Way Lecturers and Students see Argument
If Argument is Formally Assessed, it is More Highly Valued by Students
Argument in Three Disciplines: History, Biology, Electronics
History
Biology
Electronics/Electrical Engineering
Conclusion
The Practical Dimension
ch. 5 The Balance Between Generic and Discipline-Specific Skills
Generic Stages in the Development of an Argument
The Balance Between Generic and Discipline-Specific Skills
Argumentation and Academic Literacy/Literacies
Interdisciplinary
The Practical Dimension
ch. 6 Information and Communication Technologies, Multimodality and Argumentation
An Example of an Undergraduate Dissertation
What Does Argumentation Look Like From a Modal Perspective?
Argumentation and Information and Communication Technologies in Higher Education
Conclusion
The Practical Dimension
ch. 7 Further Evidence from Research
Argumentation at School Level: Lessons for Higher Education
Implications for Higher Education
Implications: The Conditions That Have to be in Place
Implications: Specific Activities
Transitions in Education: How Does Argument Change?
The Practical Dimension
ch. 8 Students' Views on Argumentation
Students Interviewing Other Students
Case Study 1 Argumentation in a Medical Course
Case Study 2 Argumentation in Mathematics
Case Study 3 Argumentation in Psychology
Case Study 4 Argumentation in Politics
Case Study 5 Argumentation in Literature Studies, Writing and Performance
Case Study 6 Argumentation and Discussion in a Vocational Course
Case Study 7 A More In-Depth Look at Argumentation in Chemistry
The Practical Dimension
ch. 9 Students' Essays and Reports in a Range of Disciplines
Two Examples
The End of the Essay?
The Personal Voice
Conclusion
The Practical Dimension
ch. 10 The Significance of Feedback from Lecturers
Feedback at Undergraduate Level
Feedback at Postgraduate Level
The Practical Dimension
ch. 11 Methodological Issues in Researching Argumentation
What Counts as Evidence?
Existing Evidence
New Evidence
Questions to Ask Regarding 'Evidence': A Provisional Checklist
What Kinds of Methods can be Used to Investigate Argumentation?
Argumentation and Scientific Method
The Practical Dimension
ch. 12 Conclusion and a Way Forward in Argumentation Studies in Education
Introduction
Looking Back
The Distinctiveness of the English Argumentational Tradition at Postgraduate Level
What are the Principles of Argumentation as Manifested in Postgraduate Student Writing?
Four Dissertations
Argument in Engineering: The Case of a Dissertation
The Critical Dimension
Interim Conclusion
Further Discussion
References and Bibliography
Index
Argumentation in Higher Education offers professors, lecturers and researchers informative guidance for teaching effective argumentation skills to their undergraduate and graduate students. This professional guide aims to make the complex topic of argumentation open and transparent. Grounded in empirical research and theory, but with student voices heard strongly throughout, this book fills the gap of argumentation instruction for the undergraduate and graduate level.
Written to enlighten even the most experienced professor, this text contributes to a better understanding of the demands of speaking, writing, and visual argumentation in higher education, and will undoubtedly inform and enhance course design. The book argues for a more explicit treatment of argument (the product) and argumentation (the process) in higher education, so that the ground rules of the academic discipline in question are made clear. Each chapter concludes with practical exercises for staff development use.
Topics discussed include:
The importance of argument
The current state of argumentation in higher education
Generic skills in argumentation
The balance between generic and discipline specific skills
Information communication technologies and visual argumentation
How can we best teach argumentation so that students feel fully empowered in their academic composition? Professors (new and experienced), lecturers, researchers, professional developers and writing coaches worldwide grappling with this question will find this accessible text to be an extremely valuable resource.
Richard Andrews is Professor in English at the Institute of Education, University of London. (From the Publisher)
Written to enlighten even the most experienced professor, this text contributes to a better understanding of the demands of speaking, writing, and visual argumentation in higher education, and will undoubtedly inform and enhance course design. The book argues for a more explicit treatment of argument (the product) and argumentation (the process) in higher education, so that the ground rules of the academic discipline in question are made clear. Each chapter concludes with practical exercises for staff development use.
Topics discussed include:
The importance of argument
The current state of argumentation in higher education
Generic skills in argumentation
The balance between generic and discipline specific skills
Information communication technologies and visual argumentation
How can we best teach argumentation so that students feel fully empowered in their academic composition? Professors (new and experienced), lecturers, researchers, professional developers and writing coaches worldwide grappling with this question will find this accessible text to be an extremely valuable resource.
Richard Andrews is Professor in English at the Institute of Education, University of London. (From the Publisher)