Argu64酒香作文小组第七次作业BY侃侃

周张侃UID: 2668079

Argu64：
In this memo, the dean of Omni State University recommends beginning an intensive program to prepare our future teachers to teach high school Latin. To support this recommendation the dean points out that, over 80 percent of the graduates who studying Latin at seven of our states' high schools enroll in collage and those students are much better in logic and critical thinking. This argument contains several critical flaws, which render it unpersuasive.

First of all, this argument is based on the unfounded assumption that offering the course of Latin could contribute to a higher percentage of students enrolling in collage and studing Latin helps students enhance their critical thinking. Firstly, we aren't given any data about other high schools who don't offer Latin course. It is entirely possible that those high schools may have a higher enrollment rates than schools who offer Latin course. And after all, 80 percentage enrollment rate necessarily is a high level. Secondly, the author claims that it is studying Latin that facilitates the students' logic and critical thinking ability. Experience tells us, however, that will necessary be the case. Perhaps other language courses like, Chinese, English, or French in high schools that inspire the students' logic and critical thinking skills. In short, without offering data about other high schools can't we draw the conclusion that it is Latin course but other languages course that benefit school enrollment rates and students logic and critical thinking skill.

Additionally, the dean of Omni State University are failing to consider other possible alternatives to the increasing enrollment rates in high schools. Such alternatives may include the fact that students who are smart or good at studying are allowed sufficient opportunities to learn Latin, or that these seven high schools have big advantage in teacher and device resources over other schools. In addition, the recent study might not convince us confoundedly. We don't know that if the students in these seven schools are more excellent than other school students. Perhaps students in these seven schools are themselves have critical thinking skills but other schools' students are not. Therefor, author should focus on students themselves but other factors.

Finally, the author fails to provide sufficient evidence that the state's high schools suffer from a lack of Latin teachers. It is entirely possible that high schools here don't have enough money to support such a Latin course, or that students here are inclined to learning Latin, even though Latin has lots of benefits and there may be many Latin teachers. In this case, Omni State University isn't necessary to begin an intensive program to prepare our future teachers to teach high school Latin.

To sum up, the shallow statement can not draw the conclusion that Latin program should be putted in to practice. To strengthen this recommendation, author should offer more detail data like, research data of learning Latin can benefit students' ability, survey data of other high schools enrollment rate, study conditions of these seven high schools students, and so on.

nofeelings811UID: 2388638

I find the speaker侃.doc (25 KB, 下载次数: 2)

2010-11-15 21:06:11 上传

下载次数: 2