|
|
Richard.Jewell.net |
CollegeWriting.info
|
|
|
CollegeWriting.info |
|
 |
Activities & Exercises for Dialogic Arguing |
|
|
Activities for This Chapter |
ROLE PLAYING: (A) In a small group of three or four people, choose or make up an interesting or controversial subject. Then imagine three entirely different roles to play--different from yourself and from each other: for example, a younger female student might choose to be an elderly male politician; an older male student might choose to be a young female corporation vice-president, etc. Each role should be entered on paper (or a computer): e.g., "U.S. CONGRESSMAN:". Then each of you should, in your role, write a position as different as possible from that of the others in the group. Do so on the group on the subject you have chosen. Next, read your positions out loud (or, on the computer, look at all three; positions together). Then, once the above is finished, the final step is to work as a group to summarize each position in two to three sentences. When you are done, read the results to the entire class: the subject, your individual roles, and your summaries.
(B) If you wish to continue the above exercise, each group should pass its paper to another group (or, if you are at a computer terminal, stand as a group and move to another group's computer terminal). Next, each group should read the summaries of the three differing positions before them. Then each group should imagine that it is a highly paid professional team of leaders in the field involving the arguments before them. As highly paid professional leaders, it is your group's job to find a higher, better position or belief--or, at the least, a compromise--which can satisfy all three of the people who wrote three such different arguments about the position on the computer terminal. Write at least 50 words stating/explaining this fourth position; then read it to the class.
PASSION AND LOGIC: In groups or as an individual,
(A) first choose a point of view
with which you agree or disagree intensely. Write as fast as you can about it, agreeing or
disagreeing, either alone or in small groups. (B) Then choose a point of view with which
you neither strongly agree nor disagree, but one about which you have knowledge or
experience. Write representing both sides well. (C) Then choose either to (a) write
supporting the opposite position of your choice in #1 above, or (b) choose an entirely odd
or even strange third point of view for the subject of your choice in #2 above.
(D)
Finally, analyze and write about the different feelings, logic, and writing experiences
you had: describe what each was like, explain how or why they occurred, and evaluate the
value of each by comparing and contrasting them with each other and with what is expected
in school and work for such writing.
"FUN" PAGE: Go to the
chapter's "Fun" page and, as an individual
or a group, engage in one of its activities.
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CHAPTER: Read the chapter and take
notes about it using one of the three methods in "General
Study Questions."
OTHER ACTIVITIES: For a wide variety of other
activities and exercises, go to "Activities
& Groups."
ROUGH DRAFT: As an individual or a group, write a
dialogic paper as described in this chapter. Use the subtitles shown
in the "Introduction" or the "Basics"
section as subtitles of your rough draft, and write at least 50+ words in
each body section. If you are working as a group, you may, if your
instructor allows, develop a fictional and fanciful background and subject
for your rough draft.
GROUP CRITIQUE OF A
LATER DRAFT:
If your class has a paper all of you are preparing for grading, gather in a group to
critique each other's developed drafts:
(a) Simply pass the papers to each other;
your paper preferably should be checked by three other people. (Some
instructors prefer that you make several copies, distribute them to your
group members, take the copies home that you receive, and comment on them
there.)
(b) Write comments for each other.
To do so, use a a
set of grading guidelines (or "rubric"):
for example, "How are the contents,"
"How is the organization of parts," "Do paragraphs work
well," and "How well have editing errors been corrected?"
Preferably, you can use the guidelines your instructor applies when grading.
(c) For each question or requirement in your guidelines, write one or more
comments. Your comments should be substantial and specific (more like a
complete sentence, and more specific than just "Nice!" or "Needs
work"). Your comments also should be positive or helpfully
constructive: when positive, they should offer specific praise of a particular part, detail, or
method; when constructive, they should offer specific advice about what to add or do to make
the paper better.
(d) Add a final positive or constructive comment about how you think the
average reader of this paper might respond to it, and/or how the paper could
be changed or fixed for a stronger or more positive response from its
audience.
(e) After
receiving your comments from others, take them home. Review
what they have written. Remember
that your readers are not commenting on you as a person, but rather on how
easily (or poorly) they have been able to read your paper as its audience
members. Pay attention in particular to comments that may have
been repeated by more than one of your readers.
----------
|
Contents and Page Design © 2002-2004 by Richard Jewell. Nonprofit copying for education is allowed. Images
courtesy of Barry's Clip Art, Clip
Art Warehouse, The
Clip Art Universe, Clipart
Collection, Microsoft Clip Art Gallery and Design
Gallery Live, School Discovery,
and Web Clip Art |
|
