Book In Review; Teaching Arguments (By Jennifer Fletcher)

Here is an image of the book that I selected for my LAE 3432 Spring 2017 course at UCF:

This book offers great advice for secondary teachers (specifically for upper-class high school students) like me who want to push students farther than simply critiquing a literary work. Fletcher teaches argumentative writing through the use of rhetorical comprehension, critical inquiry and responsive reading (Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Kairos). One extremely important concept that Fletcher introduces is the idea that if students "struggle for a deeper understanding [involving] more than garden-variety confusion, chances are [they are] on the doorstep of a threshold concept" (Fletcher, p.XIII). This threshold concept is the basis for the rest of the book because it is the role of the educator to guide students through the threshold into a deeper and more enriched approach to literary criticism. 

Here is an overview (with images) of the chapters:

  

Chapters 1-2

What's the BIG IDEA?

There are many ways to approach arguments. Fletcher introduces ethos, pathos and logs as approaches to making a case for argumentative writing. Argumentative writing is so much deeper and broader than a traditional approach. Fletcher talks about the threshold concept and the role of educators in these chapters. 

#Bigidea

Breakdown/Quotes:

• "A rhetorical approach to texts acknowledges that writing begins with reading" (Fletcher, p.1). This is the beginning of approaching arguments; students have to begin reading with a critical mind before they can truly write to imitate this internal dialogue. 
• "We attempt to suspend all judgement and personal reactions as we work to understand a writer's meaning" (p.5). In order to have a strong, well structured argument, students must learn to be open-minded and lay down biases. In this way, students will learn how to logically approach an argument without sounding too opinionated (in this way, they will be able to persuade their audience in a clever way). 
• "Stasis is the fixed point upon which an argument hinges" (p.15). This is the point where students identify the point of the disagreement. Once students recognize this, then they can  engage with their audience.
• "Sometimes its our beliefs we have to suspend" (p.28). Fletcher introduces the "doubting game" which requires students to being to be a critic and start challenging the source of the literary work they are reading. 
• Ethos, Pathos and Logos is a great rhetorical appeal that questions the credibility of the author, the emotional appeal and the proof/facts of the argument. 

Chapters 3-4

Introducing Kairos (chapter 3)! Fletcher defines Kairos as the "circumstantial kind of time, a window of opportunity during which something could happen" (p. 58). This concept is important to introduce to students because it deals with opportunity for characters within a story or a space where arguments are made and action is suspended. When students can identify this crucial moment in literature, then they are beginning to understand arguments and opportunity.

Fletcher believes that Kairos works well with the stasis theory because, in the moment of stasis an argument is born and in the moment of Kairos, the character decides their response. The result of the Karios/stasis moment is up to the student and how they choose to respond. 

Chapter 4 defends the importance of audience and gives examples for teachers to help students deal with audiences. According to Fletcher, students should anticipate the audience's values so that they can "play the believing game with other people's beliefs" (p.79). Students should have multiple opportunities to write for specific audiences (newspaper articles, peer-review, future boss, mock rejection letters) and by using the three appeals. In this way, students will grasp the cause-and-effect mindset of argumentative writing. 

Chapters 5-6

"When we earnestly enter an argument, we do so  with a specific purpose in mind" (p. 107). Fletcher advocates for a deliberate approach to writing, specifically argumentative writing. Students should have an idea of why they are writing and for what purpose so their writing has focus and precision. 

There are three types of rhetoric; forensic ("logical proofs" (p.114)), deliberative (group decision making, policy and "democratic participation" (p.111)) and epideictic (career readiness, "judgments of virtue and vice" (p.117)) rhetoric. 

             

Chapter 6 focuses on diving deeper into Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Fletcher states that "using all three appeals just means paying attention to your voice, your audience and your language" (p.178). In other words, students should learn to use meta-cognition and be aware of the devices they are using for what purpose and which audience they are writing to. 

Chapter 7

Final thought; how do students view themselves? Fletcher wants students to acknowledge mistakes a simply a learning process. In order for students to establish a positive "self-efficacy.... [which] can be especially important for low-income and minority students" (p.184), can be fostered through preparation and encouragement. Lastly, through the year, students who operate within the threshold concept should develop their academic skills and identity. Once students are confident in who they are (academically) and how they preform (their skill-set), then they can establish well-structured and deeply analyzed arguments. 

One way to help students find their academic identity and skills would be to help them craft college readiness application letters. Furthermore, students should be given a choice about what they want to write about and how they want to approach the argument by the end of the year so they have the formats/tips memorized. 

                                                                         Work Cited

Fletcher, Jennifer. Teaching Arguments: Rhetorical Comprehension, Critique, and Response. 

       Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2015. Print.