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Argument in Service of Civic Reasoning and Discourse

A recent report by the National Academy of Education, Educating for Civic Reasoning and Discourse, has directed our attention to the complex knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need to engage in civic reasoning and discourse. Because civic reasoning is essentially about argumentation—with one’s self, in relationships with others, and in the context of our democracy—this webinar will address foundational principles of argumentation that span disciplines, instructional strategies for engaging secondary students in productive discourse, and how to integrate consequential, civically-oriented questions into curricula to foster student’s literacy development, argumentation skills, and civic agency.

Dr. Carol Lee will also discuss:
● The cognitive, social, emotional, ethical, and identity dimensions entailed in civic reasoning and discourse
● How we can help students develop dispositions key to productive civic discourse, including an understanding of bias, a preference for evidence-based claims, and how to weigh multiple points of view
● How classrooms can foster ethical commitments to democratic principles and empathy with others
● Writing and active projects, research, and text investigations that secondary teachers can use to engage students across content areas—especially activities that center student voices and allow them to draw on their cultural repertoires to address critical social issues that affect their generation and their communities.

Carol D. Lee is the Edwina S. Tarry Professor Emerita in the School of Education and Social Policy and African-American Studies at Northwestern University. She is President of the National Academy of Education, Chair of Steering Committee, and co-author of the report Educating for Civic Reasoning and Discourse. Her career spans 56 years, including work as an ELA teacher at the high school and community college levels, a primary grade teacher, and a university professor.

Mar 14, 2023 03:30 PM in Pacific Time (US and Canada)