Argument v.s. Judgment

While reading Argument in the Real World, my eyes were opened to the fact that arguments are all around us. The social media culture we live in has opened doors for voices to be expressed anywhere and everywhere. Television commercials, social media, Youtube, billboards, etc. All voice opinions, and we as the viewers also have a choice to make. Do we believe their argument, or do we make a counter argument of our own. Until reading Arguments in the Real World, I have always viewed an argument as a bad thing such as a heated conflict. It is imperative that we see the difference between an argument and judgement. You see, “[T]he Internet is full of arguments of judgement and policy where the authors have not articulated reasons or used relatively simple criteria for them” (p.33). As educators, it is imperative that we teach, “students to define (and identify) the criteria to evaluate a digital argument [this] may help temper a mass spewing of unsubstantiated judgements that can be destructive to society” (p.33). The Webster dictionary defines an argument as a “discussion” or “supported facts”, whereas judgement or judging is defined as someone who compares something/someone for competition, or in a court sense.

Lets face it, our culture is glued to social media. It’s the first thing our eyes see in the morning and the last thing that comes to mind at night. “[A]nyone, anywhere, with access to a smartphone can mount an argument that can circle the globe in seconds… So an argument can be any text- written, spoken, aural or visual- that expresses a point of view” (p.6). Our students are growing up in this culture. It is our job as educators to “help guide” students to compose responsible posts on  social media and share their thoughts as arguments, and not as judgments (p.130). So, how can we turn our students into model citizens on the internet? How can we help them establish a good digital footprint? These three steps can help mold students' mindset to form arguments NOT judgements. 

1. Teach our students that it isn’t just declarative knowledge used to form an argument,  it also takes procedural knowledge. Declarative knowledge is, “what you know” or the “fact” behind the information (p.126). Procedural knowledge is the “how to” (p.126). When forming a public argument, the declarative knowledge isn’t enough. For an argument to be effective you must be able to dissect the argument and use your procedural knowledge to put it back together.

2. Give students opportunities to practice forming their arguments. As teachers, we sometimes expect our students just to know “common knowledge”. We look on social media and think “I can’t believe they said that” or “How can they be so ignorant”. The truth of the matter is, many people express their point of view in a judgemental way instead of an argumentative way because they were never taught, and never had time to practice. Giving students a platform to practice their argumentative writing will improve their arguments and deeper cognitive thinking. 

3. And finally, lead by example.  As Kristen Turner and Troy Hicks says, “When it comes to writing, we can serve either as coaches or judges” (p.123). We too as teachers need to be cautious that we aren't being perceived by our students as judges, but as leaders. As John Wooden said, “The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example” (goleansixsigma.com, 2017).  If we are promoting students to establish a professional platform on social media, it is our job to abide by the same guidelines we give our students. We must be our students coaches and not judges.

References

Turner, Kristen Hawley, and Troy Hicks. “Argument in the Real World.” Heinemann Publishing, Heinemann Publishing, 1 Nov. 2016, www.heinemann.com/products/e08675.aspx. 

“‘The Most Powerful Leadership Tool You Have Is Your Own Personal Example." - John Wooden.” GoLeanSixSigma.com, 24 Feb. 2017, goleansixsigma.com/powerful-leadership-tool-personal-example/.