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The Logical Fallacies Essay: Share what you have learned about teaching logical fallacies to students of logic. What particular methods did you observe that you can emulate?This course presented the teaching of logical fallacies with informal, light-hearted discussions that focused on defining necessary terms, providing clear examples, encouraging dialectic exploration, and practicing new understanding. An atmosphere of respect and encouragement was evident, and the students in the class appeared relaxed, engaged, and joyful which provided an opportunity to take risks and participate in class discussion. To begin each class, terms were defined. At the beginning of the course, students were given a big picture of logical fallacies. They were encouraged to continue asking the question, “What is the REAL issue being argued?” They were then introduced to three broad categories of logical fallacies: relevance, presumption, and clarity. To determine relevance the question, “Is this argument relevant?” must be asked. Asking, “Is this argument assuming something illegitimate?” helps to identify fallacies of presumption. “Is the argument clear?” must be answered affirmatively to establish the clarity of an argument. Each broad category was then broken down into specific fallacies. As each specific fallacy was introduced, a clear definition was provided.After the fallacy had been categorized and defined, examples of the fallacy were provided. Two types of examples were most common, the use of fake advertisements and real-life examples. The fake advertisements provided a visual example of the fallacy and gave students an opportunity to connect to ads they may have encountered. Real-life examples were used to provide relevant, familiar models students may have heard or seen. The students were prepared for class because they had read the material prior class. This gave them the opportunity to confidently participate by providing examples by they encountered in their books.Students were invited into a discussion regarding each fallacy after concrete examples had been introduced. Common questions were:“Where have you seen this fallacy used?” “Can you think of any other examples of this fallacy?” “How is this fallacy similar or different from previous fallacies?” “Why does this fallacy belong in this category?”These open-ended questions provided students the opportunity to think critically and explore their understanding of each fallacy. The discussions were laced with humor in an informal setting that appeared to provide students with a relaxed disposition. When students contributed an example or idea that was inaccurate, care was made by the instructor to gently correct the statement without embarrassing or shaming the students. Finally, after the fallacy had been categorized, defined, exemplified, and discussed, students were often encouraged to practice what they had just learned. Students were invited to create their own fallacies to apply their understanding of the fallacy. This provided students with a true challenge and they were comfortable enough to try it! Watching this course equipped me with an excellent example of the careful balance between direct instruction and dialectic conversation. By providing clear definitions in a textbook and again in class, students have a foundation for discussion. Humorous and relevant examples of each fallacy illuminated the definitions provided. Once students understood the new fallacy by definition and example, they were ready to confidently engage in a discussion that stretched their knowledge and invited them to pursue a deeper understanding of the new material. Taking risks to create their own examples made the class engaging and challenging. The backdrop for this pattern for learning is relationship. Students were obviously relaxed and respected, so they were ready to learn and participate. This is a format I will emulate not only to teach logical fallacies but many other subjects as well. ................
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