Robert Marzano on Teaching Argumentation

(Originally titled “Teaching Argument”)

From the Marshall Memo #452

In this Educational Leadership column, author/consultant Robert Marzano says the art of argument is having a revival in light of the Common Core ELA and Math Standards, which require students to be able to create, analyze, and critique arguments that support a claim. Marzano says there are four parts of argumentation:

• Claim – A new idea or assertion, for example, People should not smoke.

• Grounds – To be valid, a claim must be supported by grounds or evidence, for example, Many medical organizations recommend that people not smoke to minimize their chances of getting lung cancer. 

• Backing – Additional information that helps establish the validity of the claim, for example, The American Association for Cancer Research, the American Lung Association, and the National Cancer Institute support this claim.

• Qualifiers – Exceptions to the argument, for example, Some cases of lung cancer aren’t caused by smoking. 

Marzano says that with younger students, these steps might be expressed slightly differently:

• My new idea is…
• I think this is true because… 
• I actually saw…
• But I don’t know…

“Teaching Argument” by Robert Marzano in Educational Leadership, September 2012 (Vol. 70, #1, p. 80-81), www.ascd.org