The Showing Evidence Tool

Showing Evidence Tool Version Toulmin’s Format (1958): –Claim –Data –Warrant –Backing –Qualifier –Rebuttal Showing Evidence Format: –Make a claim –Generate evidence –Evaluate the quality of evidence –Make explicit links between the claim and evidence –Provide reasoning for why evidence supports claim –Consider counter argument –Make a conclusion Differences: Terms have been changed to make them student-accessible Order is different

Showing Evidence Tool Requires students to specifically link their claim and evidence –Helps students consider relevance and importance of evidence collected Requires students to provide their reasoning as to why their evidence supports their claim –Should include general ideas or principles that allow students to make that connection Requires different thinking skills depending on whether students start by making a claim and then gather evidence, or gather evidence first, and then determine their claim –Both approaches are valid and require students to evaluate the evidence when making conclusions about claims

Determining Acceptable Evidence Different subject areas and audiences –Literature course may require quotations from text as evidence –Science course may accept experimental results/research from scientific journals –History course may accept primary sources, certain academic Websites, and a list of approved books –Project dealing with social issue may permit survey results, interviews, approved Websites, and certain books –Audience is important to consider when determining the “best” evidence to use What is important to a teen may be different from that of a politician or doctor. Other Questions to Consider –What is the lowest acceptable source for evidence? Where will you set the bar? –Should students consider all evidence – even poor evidence – or will their be a minimum threshold for quality? –What is the highest or most desirable source for evidence? –Do you expect direct quotes or summaries of the evidence? –How do you want the source cited? –Is there a minimum number of supporting and/or opposing pieces of evidence?

Evaluating the Claim Consider both the support and quality ratings of the evidence. Consider the following rubric as a starting point: Unfounded Considering all of the evidence and the quality of that evidence, this claim has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be untrue. “Reasonable Doubt” Circumstantial or minor evidence does seem to support this claim, but not enough to make a decision. "Reasonable doubt" exists. “Hung Jury” The evidence provided does support the claim, but there are still uncertainties as to whether that support really proves the claim is true. This rating is the result of a "hung jury." Likely True There is room for interpretation or other possibility, but considering all of the evidence and the quality of that evidence, the claim is strongly supported and is most likely true and/or valid. True and Valid Considering all the evidence and the quality of that evidence, it is quite obvious that this claim is true and valid.

References Wood, N., Perspectives on Argument, 2 nd ed., pp Swadley, Charles. “Argumentation.” Retrieved from 1/argumentation.htm. 1/argumentation.htm Batey, A., Pllard, J., Shott, S., and Yost, J., (2005). Intel ® Teach to the Future Workshop on Teaching Thinking with Technology. Intel Corporation. Thinking Tools with Technology.