A critique of the ubiquity of the Toulmin model in argumentative writing instruction in the U.S.A.

Secondary and university instructors in the United States rely heavily on the Toulmin model to teach written argumentation. To date, pragma-dialectics (van Eemeren and Grootendorst 2004; van Eemeren 2010) is not a visible presence in American composition textbooks. This session encouraged writing consultants to ask critical questions not only associated with Toulmin's model but also those of the pragma-dialectic model of critical discussion in order to improve the critical thinking of writers.