Competing and Consensual Voices (The Language and Education Library, 8)

Learning to argue is one of the central objectives of education. Whether it be conducting a formal debate, participating in a group discussion, writing an essay, a critique or a persuasive appeal, the ability of the student to employ argument and to anticipate and evaluate the arguments of others will generally be an important measure of achievement. This book examines the theory and practice of argument in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Several of its chapters offer theoretical discussion of the forms and functions of argument within social, philosophical, historical and rhetorical contexts. Others contain critical analyses of spoken and written argument and show how these are part of the learning process. A number of the chapters provide ideas for developing the skills of argument. The book, whose contributors represent a range of international and disciplinary perspectives, is an important resource for teachers and researchers sharing an interest in the rich and complex relations between language, thinking and education.