7th – 8th Grades
Dorothy Sayers called this the Pert Stage.
Students ARGUE to understand.
- Arguing is easy and pleasurable!
- Students enjoy answering back.
- Students like to point out that someone is wrong.
- Students develop a capacity for abstract thought.
- Imagination takes a back seat for a while.
How do they do this?
By means of DISCURSIVE REASONING (logic instead of intuition).
- Formal logic is the key to this stage.
- Students need proper training of their reasoning skills.
- They enjoy reading essays and arguments and taking sides.
- Students thirst for WHY and HOW.
- Students enjoy debates, plays, research, and questions (especially how and why)
What are the TOOLS for learning at this stage?
LOGICAL THINKING
- Fallacy detection
- Critical thinking
- Analysis skills
- Asking why
- Looking for the interconnectedness of ideas
These students will be better prepared to refute fallacies, defend their beliefs, and analyze arguments for truth and logic.
