We explored the scientific argumentation that occurs among university biology students during an argumentation task implemented in two environments: face-to-face in a classroom and online in an asynchronous discussion. We observed 10 student groups, each composed of three students. Our analysis focused on how students respond to their peers'…

Learning how to formulate, comprehend, and evaluate arguments is an essential part of helping students develop the ability to make better, more reasonable judgments. The Common Core identified argumentation as a fundamental life skill that is broadly important for the literate person. According to the authors, having students engage in an inquiry…

This article examines three commonly used pedagogical methods, namely the Socratic method of inquiry, collaborative problem solving, and debate-based deliberation, establishing the relationship of each one of these methods with the strategic promotion of argumentative reasoning, as a commonplace objective and means of inquiry-based educational…

Stories are a powerful means to change people's attitudes and beliefs. The aim of the current work was to shed light on the role of argument strength (argument quality) in narrative persuasion. The present study examined the influence of strong versus weak arguments on attitudes in a low or high narrative context. Moreover, baseline attitudes,…

The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of 2 different types of intervention aimed at improving written argumentative synthesis by integrating conflicting information from different sources. Both interventions combined the use of a guide with collaborative practice, but one of them also included explicit strategy instruction. Only…

Argument skills play a crucial role in fostering students' scientific literacy. Students who possess such skills can employ reason and evidence to make decisions. This classroom action research was aimed at investigating the best practices for teaching chemistry to promote argument skills through socioscientific issues (SSI). The participants were…

This work explores the potential of using a critical service-learning project with middle grades English language arts students to facilitate development of a social justice mindset. Through The Responsible Change Project, a curriculum designed by classroom teachers, students identified social justice issues of concern within their communities,…

Contemporary educational initiatives require more non-fiction reading in English/language arts (ELA), close readings of primary and secondary sources in social studies/history (SSH), and text-based writing in all curricula. Teachers rely on various objective reading measures to determine a suitable challenge level for students. Primary sources, a…

The art of debating is an ancient practice that is still frequently performed in contemporary social, business, and political interactions. It is a valuable skill that requires several techniques taught in Academic English units, including the use of critical thinking, application of formal language, and development of sound arguments. These…

Much previous research has conceptualized pauses during writing as indicators of the engagement of higher-level cognitive processes. In the present study 101 university students composed narrative or argumentative essays, while their key logging was recorded. We investigated the relation between pauses within three time intervals (300-999,…

Recent science reform documents have called for incorporating authentic scientific discourse into science classes as engaging in discourse has shown to result in numerous benefits. Whether these benefits are observed in students depends upon the quality of the discourse in which they engage. However, characterizing the quality of student-student…

We examined subjects' ability to judge the soundness of informal arguments. The argument claims matched or did not match subject beliefs. In all experiments subjects indicated beliefs about spanking and television violence in a prescreening. Subjects read one-sentence arguments consisting of a claim followed by a reason and then judged the…

With the massive amounts of conflicting information and opinion bombarding us from all sides today, it has never been more important to teach young people to suspend judgment, to weigh evidence, and to consider multiple perspectives. Teaching students the craft of argument writing--not only in language arts classes, but also in social studies,…

Middle school students need opportunities to craft informal mathematical arguments beyond justification of steps in an algorithm. Pentominoes provide an excellent vehicle for such activity. In this article, the authors describe an exploration with pentominoes that engaged a group of ninth-grade students in proportional reasoning, dilation, and…

This paper explores the relation between formative assessment principles and their analogues in video games that game designers have been developing over the past 35 years. We identify important parallels between the two that should enable effective and efficient use of well-designed video games in the classroom as part of an overall learning…