Learning How to Think

By Meredith Bower

For years, the Oratory unit was a mainstay of the sophomore English curriculum, but like many traditions, in the spring of 2020, it was upended by the pandemic. And as it turned out, that was not a bad thing.

Today, students no longer work to convince their peers to agree with their side of an issue through a compelling speech. Instead, they investigate a topic of interest from all sides before writing an essay and drawing a conclusion based on facts. Essentially, students are learning how to think, not what to think.

“As English teachers, part of what we do is to help students develop their voice and ability to communicate. A large part of communicating is listening,” explains sophomore English teacher Michele McFarland.

The first task in the new five-week Investigative Essay unit is to develop a question relative to a current social justice topic that can be explored from several points of view. While some students choose topics about which they already have an opinion, others take the opportunity to explore unfamiliar subjects. With their curiosity piqued, they begin their research using a variety of primary and secondary sources. As they probe into the various sides of the issue, the tenth graders quickly learn about the value of data in forming an opinion, and they gain an understanding of media bias.

McFarland notes that students are often surprised to learn that some of their sources rank high on the Interactive Media Bias Chart. She tells them, “Nothing is incorrect, you just have to understand that not all sources are equal. That’s part of bias.”

Amani Murray-Lompo ’24 found the chart to be an eyeopening resource. She says, “Having to look at the bias of every source and the requirement to get sources from both sides of the spectrum made my essay better. It also exposed me to more diverse points of view.”

Classmate Jai Bajaj agrees, adding, “One of the biggest problems the world has today is that people have an opinion and never even try to understand the other side. That’s why I loved this.”

Hugh Rheingold, a sophomore English teacher who led the Oratory program for years, adds that in the final version of their essay, students are required to talk about what piece of evidence they found most compelling and why. He explains that although Oratory required giving space to the other side, the emphasis was more on how persuasive a student could be. “Kids have access to more information than we’ve ever had. Now we are working on giving them the critical tools to explore what they don’t know and to evaluate their sources,” he says.

After developing an outline of their essay, including which side of the issue they are leaning toward, students workshop their findings and opinions with their peers to determine if the topic is being perceived as they intended. Then, seated around a Harkness table, each topic is presented to the class. McFarland says that not only do the sophomores learn about the many different issues presented and the different ways of looking at them, but they also learn more about each other.

“We are a country that is trying to decide how we are going to debate; the Investigative Essay helps students understand the value of communication and where someone else is coming from,” she says. “We are putting forward 160 voices rather than one. Everyone gets a chance to feel that what they have to say is valuable. We are not judging where they land, we are judging their ability to do the research, write coherently and clearly, and educate their audience.”

With the Investigative Essay unit behind them, the tenth graders move to the final unit of the sophomore English curriculum—Spoken Word Poetry, which hones their public speaking skills. Students and teachers alike feel that the essay process provides a solid foundation of acceptance and trust, giving students greater confidence to write and perform poems for an audience of their peers.