Arguing for Democracy: A Multimodal Approach to Argumentative Writing Instruction in the Social Studies Classroom

ABSTRACT

Democratic societies require a citizenry skilled in argumentation. At present, the written argument maintains primacy among communicative modes. Because of its cognitive demands, written argumentation is often difficult to teach. A multimodal approach to writing instruction carries the potential to assist struggling learners. This article outlines an instructional approach in which students engage with a visual argument to better understand the essentials of argumentation, as specified by the Toulmin Method. It asserts that once students have deepened their understanding of argument via a visual mode, they will then be able to apply this understanding to the written mode of argumentation. It concludes with a brief discussion of how students may apply their understanding of multimodal argumentation toward civic engagement.

KEYWORDS:

• Argumentative writing
• civics
• immigration
• visual literacy