Telling Stories, Making Arguments: Responding to Personal Experience in Classroom Discussions of Social Justice Issues

Authors

  • Lynne Scott Constantine College of Visual & Performing Arts, School of Art
  • Suzanne Scott Constantine The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, New Century College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13021/G8SS3T

Keywords:

critical thinking, creativity, classroom management

Abstract

Storytelling is among the most powerful tools in a university professor's pedagogy. Students, too, tell storiesââ¬âbut while the professor's story is usually an example meant to introduce or support an argument based on other forms of evidence, students often deploy their personal stories as arguments, conflating pathos and logos and presenting personal experience as the ultimate evidence. This session examines the complex dynamics of this common classroom situation and explores a variety of ways to use such moments positively to deepen the classroom encounter.

Author Biographies

Lynne Scott Constantine, College of Visual & Performing Arts, School of Art

**2015 GMU Teacher of Distinction**

Suzanne Scott Constantine, The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, New Century College

**2007 GMU Teaching Excellence Award**

Published

2014-09-18

Issue

Section

1:00pm-1:40pm Mini-Workshops, Panels, & Roundtables