Title
Scaffolded Writing as a Tool for Critical Thinking: Teaching Beginning Students How to Write Arguments
Document Type
Article
Department or Administrative Unit
Philosophy and Religious Studies
Publication Date
3-2011
Abstract
In this paper I argue for the efficacy of scaffolded writing assignments in teaching critical thinking and writing in lower-division philosophy courses. Scaffolding involves converting the skills one expects students to display on a culminating assignment (in this case an argumentative paper) into a progressive series of smaller assignments, moving from papers that use relatively simple skills, such as summarizing small pieces of text, to much more complex skills, such as evaluating others’ positions, constructing their own judgments about an issue, and defending those claims. I use this technique in a course oriented around the idea of enlightenment, so that students see the writing assignments as part of the practice of intellectual maturity.
Recommended Citation
Coe, C. D. (2011). Scaffolded Writing as a Tool for Critical Thinking. Teaching Philosophy, 34(1), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.5840/teachphil20113413
Journal
Teaching Philosophy
Rights
© Teaching Philosophy, 2011. All rights reserved.
Comments
This article was originally published in Teaching Philosophy. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
Due to copyright restrictions, this article is not available for free download from ScholarWorks @ CWU.