Any teacher out there looking for a writing assignment requiring writers to build an argument with a compelling thesis, a clear cause and effect chain, and incontrovertible evidence?
Are you familiar with the AP Language course in public schools? This whole post is quite a gift for AP Lang teachers if they can pivot to it, among other challenges. Thank you for writing this! You crafted a fantastic AP Language activity -but it requires a supportive district that allows teachers to use your very wise and attentive teaching option here when it is happening outside of the classroom. The voices in society that would disagree with your claim of "incontrovertible evidence" are important voices for students to wrestle with - what is the more Rogerian rhetoric compared to sophistry, for instance, in our daily lives right now? Why would someone argue from a stance that relies on reduction or misdirection or hyperbolic claims to encourage stifling arguments? Those are really useful questions - a teacher could get to those with your lesson plan.
But it also requires teachers with more of a journalistic and philosophical disposition to be open to pivot off of prior plans, to listen closely to student responses, and learn alongside the moments in the public sphere while applying what they know about rhetorical situations in writing. Jurgen Habermas's philosophy of the Public Sphere is really helpful for a starting point - it was referenced through the AP Lang community briefly since Larry Scanlon referenced it at a training in the 2010's, along with a few other voices prior. Key there is Mr. Scanlon was a test question writer and very involved in the AP Language course's culture and growth in the 2000's - high school teachers used his acronym for teaching exigence for decades (SOAPSTONE). I'm filing this away myself for the right opportunity to use it with my one section of AP Lang, possibly today but maybe not. If my students are already attentive to the general topic, we'll engage in it through this lens.
Thank you, Scott. At one point I had some knowledge of AP language; my daughter took the class about 15 years ago. I hadn’t thought about it much since, but your comment opens up a folder on my One Drive. SOAPSTONE rings a bell. Habermas is a gift to humanity. I taught research methods in the MA program at Sac State from his presumption of emancipation as the goal of educational research. I’m going to return to your comment as my starting point for learning about AP language. Let me know what you do vis a vis this analysis of Trump’s performative rhetoric designed to mislead and evade responsibility.
Are you familiar with the AP Language course in public schools? This whole post is quite a gift for AP Lang teachers if they can pivot to it, among other challenges. Thank you for writing this! You crafted a fantastic AP Language activity -but it requires a supportive district that allows teachers to use your very wise and attentive teaching option here when it is happening outside of the classroom. The voices in society that would disagree with your claim of "incontrovertible evidence" are important voices for students to wrestle with - what is the more Rogerian rhetoric compared to sophistry, for instance, in our daily lives right now? Why would someone argue from a stance that relies on reduction or misdirection or hyperbolic claims to encourage stifling arguments? Those are really useful questions - a teacher could get to those with your lesson plan.
But it also requires teachers with more of a journalistic and philosophical disposition to be open to pivot off of prior plans, to listen closely to student responses, and learn alongside the moments in the public sphere while applying what they know about rhetorical situations in writing. Jurgen Habermas's philosophy of the Public Sphere is really helpful for a starting point - it was referenced through the AP Lang community briefly since Larry Scanlon referenced it at a training in the 2010's, along with a few other voices prior. Key there is Mr. Scanlon was a test question writer and very involved in the AP Language course's culture and growth in the 2000's - high school teachers used his acronym for teaching exigence for decades (SOAPSTONE). I'm filing this away myself for the right opportunity to use it with my one section of AP Lang, possibly today but maybe not. If my students are already attentive to the general topic, we'll engage in it through this lens.
Thank you, Scott. At one point I had some knowledge of AP language; my daughter took the class about 15 years ago. I hadn’t thought about it much since, but your comment opens up a folder on my One Drive. SOAPSTONE rings a bell. Habermas is a gift to humanity. I taught research methods in the MA program at Sac State from his presumption of emancipation as the goal of educational research. I’m going to return to your comment as my starting point for learning about AP language. Let me know what you do vis a vis this analysis of Trump’s performative rhetoric designed to mislead and evade responsibility.