Argumentation-based classroom interventions are a growing alternative for stimulating conceptual learning, thinking, and communicative skills. However, not all classroom argumentation is desired, nor does every argumentation design lead students to develop their abilities and understanding. In the educational literature, productive argumentation…

Experienced provers employ a host of skills when assessing the validity of a justification, often without names for those skills. This paper offers an introduction to a lens called Toulmin analysis that can help make sense of this process. Then this paper describes both an in-class module to help students learn to apply Toulmin analysis and…

This article shares a paper presented as the keynote for the Terry L. Wood Memorial Conference that was held virtually on May 20, 2022. This paper starts with a reference to the project, The Coordination of a Psychological and Sociological Perspective, that was funded by the Spencer Foundation. The results of the research in this project are…

The COVID-19 "pivot" created challenges for instructors in adapting their teaching strategies to the various forms of technology available for virtual delivery. One positive outcome discovered for teaching an introduction to debate class was the use of Blackboard's discussion board feature to assess student learning regarding…

The purpose of this article is to introduce a lesson fondly referred to as the 'Lego Shop' lesson. It stands out as not only the most engaging lesson we've conducted but is also highly adaptable to accommodate a diverse range of learners. Successfully implemented across all year levels, from Foundation to Year 6, this lesson has proven to be…

Infusing five processes into assignments can help students hone the skills they'll need to address complex problems. The world students will enter is full of complex, unpredictable problems--and students will need sophisticated thinking skills to cope. The authors unpack five thinking processes students need to internalize through opportunities in…

This article proposes a mock oral argument exercise that can be used periodically throughout the semester to enliven undergraduate business law classrooms and guide students to higher-ordered learning and deeper understanding: pairing students to argue the two sides of actual court cases that illustrate class topics, with the remainder of the…

When examining students' participation in these mathematics discussions, the focus is on their verbal contributions. However, students' nonverbal contributions--such as pointing, drawings, and models-- can be crucial resources for advancing the mathematical thinking and the collective activity of a classroom community (Johnson et al., 2023; Webb…

At the college level, it can be difficult to engage students outside the classroom through the use of effective homework assignments. Although it is straightforward to create assignments that test the ability to carry out computations as discussed in class, it is more challenging to create assignments that encourage students to think more…

In this article, the authors explain how to use the "evidence on the U" strategy to support deep and complex thinking in elementary students, and give examples of scaffolding activities that gradually place much of the responsibility for learning on the students themselves over the course of a year. They also describe how this teaching…

In this article, the authors identify and explore the work that teachers can do to support students to build and critique arguments with particular attention to critiquing arguments. Additionally, they seek to describe how the types of arguments students engage with and the work that teachers do to support this engagement change across grade…

Some have claimed that critical thinking is not a skill as much as an attitude. A "critical spirit"--whatever that might mean could be simultaneously both a skill and an attitude. Others have suggested that it comprises skills in argumentation, logic, and an awareness of cognitive biases in psychology. Whatever definition one favors, the…

Most children, when presented with the option between two drink items, will choose the one with "more." But what exactly do children consider when they recognize one object as having more than another? Is it the perceived surface area or volume of an object? Depending on children's cognitive development, the aspect of measurement on…

This article describes a pedagogical approach to collage based on the work of art historians John Berger (1926-2017) and Aby Warburg (1866-1929). Its aim is to understand how images can be used to develop critical visual thinking skills within the context of architectural education and architectural theory in particular. Drawing on the notions of…

The paper explains the role of oral language and dialogic interactions in the development of individual thinking and reasoning processes. Collaborative reasoning and its contribution is explained while examples are shared to illustrate ways to scaffold students' questioning, meaning making, and writing in the context of read alouds during…