The instructor ends the 45-minute lecture (during which thumbs have fidgeted with cell phones, feet have tapped on the worn floor, bodies have shifted in the not-so-comfortable chairs, and some heads have helplessly nodded) and asks the inevitable: “Any questions?” This is a sure signal that the class has ended and students quickly shake their heads in a negative and begin packing their bags to escape the confines of the classroom. Does this sound familiar?
Then, a lone hand rises from a corner: “Could you tell me why…?” If the student is lucky, he or she might get a quick response that clarifies the question. If the student’s question is actually an opinion or point of view, it may require a longer conversation that mimics an argument — but more often than not, such questions are also dealt with as if they are asking for a clear and authoritative answer. At other times the teacher may see it as a challenge to his or her position, and reacts defensively. An even rarer occasion is when the student’s point of view is taken up by another student who either opposes it or supports it. And suddenly, what appeared to be a closed chapter opens up again. A perceptive teacher or a persistent student group can push this exchange further to create an important learning opportunity.
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Argumentation is a valuable learning tool, allowing the participants not only to probe deeper into the topic with sharp questions, but also to explore and possibly see it from different points of view. However, by and large, our understanding of “argument” is limited, even negative, seen as either a rude challenge to authority or an aggressive way of establishing intellectual superiority. It doesn’t help much that the so-called panel discussions we watch on television end up being nothing more than shouting matches although they are meant to be educated arguments!
Debate competitions, which many of us have participated in or witnessed in school, are supposed to build the skills of argumentation. In these competitions, we’re asked to take a position for or against a topic and argue from that point of view. The focus is on outdoing the other team and winning the debate. When we attempt to start a discussion based on any question about the status quo — in many social situations, or even at home, we are told that one should not argue with elders, that it is a sign of disrespect.
This perception has given argument a bad name, and it is the rare teacher who would go out on a limb to make use of this potentially disruptive device — after all, as we see on television, arguments can get out of hand!
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If we move away from the idea that an argument is like a battle—it has to be won—then it becomes an interesting and stimulating way to explore an issue or even a situation. Argumentation is all about asking “why” and exploring the answers in a logical and methodical way, so that you gain greater understanding of the topic in question. It involves clear articulation of one’s own point of view and the reasons why one holds it. It requires a careful consideration of the evidence related to that and to choose the points that will support the claims you are making.
It also (and this is particularly important) involves listening carefully to the opposing (or complementing/supplementing) views and weighing them carefully in your mind before responding to them. Argument is essentially an exchange of considered views, with the possibility of changing those views if the evidence from the other side is strong enough.
Sometimes an argument leads to a change of mindset; at others, it reaffirms the original mindset and makes that position clearer. In either case, the change or the affirmation happens because one has understood the viewpoint better. There is greater clarity.
What was once celebrated as the Socratic method is not much different; you seek more and more clarity about an object of inquiry by asking increasingly searching questions about it. In an argument too, one person may be asking the questions from a position of skepticism, ignorance, or conviction, while the other attempts to respond to that from a different position. In a stimulating argument, you are constantly turning things over in your mind, not just presenting a predetermined set of statements (as in a school debate). To do this, you need to learn to engage at a deep level, and make use of all your mental faculties—speaking, listening, analysis and observation—to ask the right questions and to assess the answers that are given.
So, maybe we need to make space for more real argument in the classroom — and out of it — to stimulate our learning, and, in the process, also learn how to articulate both our doubts and our convictions.
The author teaches at the University of Hyderabad and edits Teacher Plus magazine. Email: usha.bpgll@gmail.com.