When I was in high school, there was an active debate club that competed with all the area high schools. If successful, our team could compete at regional, state and even nation events. At the time, It was one of many extracurricular opportunities whose presence I took for granted. Now the arts are gone, recess is replaced by test prep drills, and most extracurricular activities vanish if there are not enough candy bar or gift wrap sales to keep them going. Debate club was one of the first to go by the wayside.
So it is no wonder that recent research on the place of argument in the school curriculum shows that students cannot even define the term, much less formulate an opinion about it. A whole generation of students has grown up thinking "argument" means nothing more than a verbal quarrel, either to be avoided or won, usually by voice volume rather than persuasive points.
Not only are the students clueless, but according to Gerald Graff, so are their teachers.
Why does Dr. Graff think so? To find out, wander on over to School Crossing and while you are there, take advantage of the opportunity to order the calculator report and/or the substitute teacher course simply by sending an email to the email address at the top of the blog.