【Flyer杀G作文组】7.2-Argument 110-By CC

师大菜菜UID: 2838404

TOPIC: ARGUMENT110 - The following appeared in a memo from the Principal of Sherwood Junior High School.

"It appears that the lighting in Sherwood High's classrooms, which have large windows but minimal overhead light sources, is impairing student academic performance and teacher morale. Records show that during December and January, the two months with the fewest hours of daylight, attendance rates fall, average daily class participation drops, and grades decline. Teacher resignations are also highest during these months. According to a study of Tundra Vocational School, which experiences entire seasons with little daylight, students' grade point averages increased when Day Glow light bulbs, which mimic sunlight, were installed in classrooms. This study suggests that Sherwood can improve students' academic performance and teachers' morale by using Day Glow light bulbs in winter."
WORDS: 358
TIME: 00:30:00
DATE: 2010/7/17 14:59:39

The speaker suggests that Sherwood(S) can improve students’ academic performance and teachers' morale by using Day Glow (DG) light bulbs in winter. To support the suggestion, the author makes a comparison between Sherwood High (SH) and Tundra Vocational School (TVS) on students' grade point. At first glance, the argument seems plausible and logical. However, after carefully analyzing, I find out many logical fallacies in it which I will discuss as follow.

To begin with, the Principal fails to prove that it is the short of lighting in our classrooms that resulted in the lower attendance rates, daily class participation and grades. The speaker asserts that during December and January, student’s poor performance is caused by the fewest hours of daylight. However, common sense tells us that the weather is bad during the two months. It is very possible that students are not active, when faced with the bad weather. It is also possible that the bad weather causes increasing number of students who catch a cold. This also can explain students’ poor performances. Without ruling out these possibilities, the author cannot convince me that there is a relationship between lighting and the facts provided.

What’s more, the increase in students’ grade point averages at TVS is not necessarily due to the installing the DG light bulbs. There are many other factors can explain the increase such as school taking new policy which promotes the students’ studying enthusiasms. It is also entirely possible that TVS hires new teachers who educate students better. These factors all can contribute the increase in students’ grade point averages at TVS. Since the author fails to account for this alternative explanation for the increase, he or she cannot establish a causal relationship between the increase in students’ grade point averages and installing DG light bulbs.

Last but not least, even if it is true that the increase in students’ grade point averages at TVS dues to installing the DG light bulbs, the author still cannot convince me that installing DG light bulbs will bring SH an improvement of students’ performances. It is entirely possible that the DG light bulbs is suitable for the TVS’s classrooms, while the SH’s classrooms with large windows are not suitable. It is also possible that the students of TVS like the light color of DG light bulbs, while the students of SH do not. In short, without accounting for possible differences between TVS and SH, the Principal cannot convince me that his or her suggestion for SH is sound.

To sum up, the argument is neither well reasoned nor persuasive. To make the notion more forceful, the author should provide more evidence to show that the lighting in SH's classroom actually influence the student academic performance and teacher morale as well as showing that it is necessary to solve the problem to install DG light bulbs.