Our students are constantly immersed in digital information through social media. According to Turner and Hicks (2017), on the Heinemann Blog, “digital texts influence what students buy, who they vote for, and what they believe about themselves and their world.” It is so important for them to learn how to properly express as well as analyze an argument in the digital world. It is our responsibility as educators to teach our students how to do so; however, we must first understand how to do so ourselves.
When scrolling through X, I came across a post and study shared about getting rid of long lecture times in classrooms. After an hour long lecture, a quiz was given on the information shared. Most thought that students would do well on the questions asked about the information from the end of the lecture because that would be most fresh on their minds. However, the study showed that students remembered the most information from the first 5 minutes of the lecture.
After reading chapter 6 and using Table 6.1 from Turner and Hicks (2017), I can evaluate this argument using the acronym MINDFUL. The letter “M” urges readers to monitor what we are reading. It is important to consider whether we know and trust the writer. I do not know the writer personally, but he is a well known author and speaker in the education world. The letter “I” prompts the reader to identify the claim. The claim in this instance is that teachers should not be lecturing for long periods of time because students only retain information from the beginning of the lecture. The letter “N” encourages readers to note the evidence. For this claim, there is evidence included and cited from a study posted on ERIC. This presents a strong argument as opposed to someone who just posts on social media claiming their opinion that lectures are not a meaningful way for students to learn. The letter “D” has us determine the framework. We should question whether the evidence clearly supports the claim. In this case, I believe the evidence from the student clearly supports the claim that the author is making. Continuing on with the acronym, the letter “F” tells us as readers that we must determine whether the writer is using facts or opinion. In this case, the writer of the X post used facts to support his opinion. The letter “U”, urges us as readers to understand the counterargument. For this claim, the counterargument would be that an hour-long lecture is necessary in order for students to understand and retain information taught in a class. The writer did not include any facts that dispute the counterclaim. The final letter in the acronym is “L” which has us leverage our response to the argument. Would sharing this claim or responding to this claim be beneficial? In this case, I agree with the claim that is being made and think that there is a valid point to the argument with great evidence to back it up; I find benefit in sharing this post with others in the education world. Below is a great podcast from the Heinemann blog with more information about argument in the real world for students.
References:
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017, January 25). Teaching argument to support meaningful conversation. Heinemann. https://blog.heinemann.com/teaching-argument-for-conversation
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Mallory, I enjoyed reading your blog. I agree that it is crucial for students to grasp the importance of using social media carefully, especially when it comes to posting, sharing, and analyzing information. According to the research conducted by Vogels et al. (2022) at the Pew Research Center, the U.S. Surgeon General has released a new advisory highlighting the adverse effects of social media on the mental well-being of young adults. The study reveals that adolescents are engaging on a social media platform “almost constantly” (para. 5). The image you included in your blog, "How to be MINDFUL readers and writers of social media" (Turner and Hicks, 2017), offers a valuable resource for students and adults to use before engaging in social media conversations.
ReplyDeleteHey Mallory, I really enjoyed your blog. Thank you for sharing the link to the Heinemann podcast on argument. I found that to be very insightful. I love how the MINDFUL acronym is a great roadmap for effective discourse. Social Media is full of opinions and high emotions. Before we respond to something we disagree with, it is so important for us to consider the facts and to see if our claim can be supported with evidence. On pages 109-110, Turner and Hicks (2017) include many great questions that people can ask themselves before posting to social media.
ReplyDeleteMallory, I think it is important for students to be mindful of what they read and post on social media. "Reading and writing are never neutral activities, and we must encourage students to be mindful as they participate in social media" (Turner and Hicks, 2017, p. 108). I think because social media is so impactful and what our younger generation use to be social, it is important they know how to navigate in a safe way. "In particular, the majority of adolescents (59%) admitted they use smartphone even more frequently than in the past with a daily use of more than 3 h in 46% of cases. Adolescents connected Internet alone (59%), consulting social media, mostly Instagram (72%), TikTok (62%), and YouTube (58%)"Bozzola et al., 2022). "In this context, social interaction over the Internet or simply social network consulting may play an important part in the lives of many young people, influencing them and their relationship with self-esteem and well-being"(Bozzola et al., 2022).
ReplyDeleteBozzola, E., Spina, G., Agostiniani, R., Barni, S., Russo, R., Scarpato, E., Mauro, A. D., Di Stefano, A. V., Caruso, C., Corsello, G., & Staiano, A. (2022). The Use of Social Media in Children and Adolescents: Scoping Review on the Potential Risks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169960