Deanna Kuhn Lecture and New Book Signing Event Held

“In America, the term ‘argue’ even has a connotation of ‘fight,’ and children then will use arguments to argue and come up with reasons,” said Professor Deanna Kuhn at an informative talk and book signing event for her recent book : Argue with me: Argumentas a path to developing students’ thinking and writing (Routledge, 2016).

May 15, 2017

“In America, the term ‘argue’ even has a connotation of ‘fight,’ and children then will use arguments to argue and come up with reasons,” said Professor Deanna Kuhn at an informative talk and book signing event for her recent book : Argue with me: Argumentas a path to developing students’ thinking and writing (Routledge, 2016). “If we don’t introduce them to problems that don’t have simple and clear answers of right or wrong, how would they face those issues with their own children and with their own spouses as adults?”

“We can’t change the system. But parents can do something in terms of telling children that passing the exam is not the whole story,” Professor Kuhn added.

The event was hold by Columbia Global Centers | Beijing and Due West Education on May 15. Around 40 participants attended the event along with more than 10 thousand people watching live through iFeng live-streaming. Teachers College alumna Dr. Wendy Goh and Teachers College Ph. D. candidate Yuchen Shi also joined the event.

“I think there has to be a distinction between ‘argue’ and ‘quarrel,’ which to vocabulary Chinese people are often confused about,” added XXXX. “We believe it is very important to family that you talk with your children and let them express their opinions. Otherwise when they get to the society or even the classroom, they don’t know how to express themselves. They can get very upset, and sometimes get violent because they cannot persuade other people.”

Professor Deanna Kuhn is a leading figure in the promotion of dialogue to develop students’skills of argument – the foundation of critical thinking and writing. She holds a Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley, in developmental psychologyand is a professor of psychology and education at Teachers College Columbia University. Her new book, Argue with me: Argument as a path to developing students’ thinking and writing, is for middle- and high-school students to develop argument and writing skills through peer dialog. She designs a two-year curriculum which can be used in different programs and schools to help students become critical thinkers.

“We can’t change the system. But parents can do something in terms of telling children that passing the exam is not the whole story,” Professor Kuhn added.

 

Deanna Kuhn Lecture and New Book Signing Event Held