Everyone loves a good fight...

Today: I decided, before class, that if "C," disrupted the class again today, I would give the students a QW to do, and then ask her (right then and there) if I could speak to her in the hall while they write. I'm so glad that didn't happen. I think I scared her last class when I brushed her off. I felt bad about it, but something had to be done, and it had to happen in front of the others because they needed to see me assert myself. I'm not a door-mat, and her attitude was inappropriate. 

The class was a bit tense to begin with (that's understandable after how I ended the last class), so I asked them how they were doing, how they liked the library ("It smells funny" was the most common reply to that one lol), and if they had any questions about our new paper. We talked for a bit, and then I showed them the "Argument Clinic" video from Monty Python, and we launched into the subject of countering. I had them break into groups and practice using the methods by creating at least one counter-argument against Schlosser. After, I had each group write their argument on the white board, and then told the other groups that if they wanted, they could, then, counter their peers.

A fiasco ensued, as I'd thought it would, and they began attacking each other right and left...  students were running up to the board to insert comments about others' claims, spelling issues, lack of support, etc., etc.

There were a few students who refused to attack their peers directly (those were the 5-6 students who had actually done the reading, and knew how it ended - with comments on civility), and I was very proud of how they conducted themselves.

After, I asked the class to look at the points they'd written against Schlosser and their peers, and to tell me if they saw anything that was worth discussing further. Did anyone make any strong efforts to further a topic, or were the majority of the posts petty complaints? Were they arguing, or were they bickering?
What is the purpose of an argument?

I brought out a copy of "Responses to Bartholomae and Elbow," and we talked about how petty even professional writers can be, but how important it is for authors to construct themselves as having something to say and working closely with texts to say it, rather than simply sounding contradictory to what has been said.

As a class, I felt that they needed to get all of their pent-up negativity out. We didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped we would today, and I'll have to discuss countering further next week, but today, they worked well as a whole. Everyone participated. Everyone used methods of countering (not well, but we'll work on that). AND "C" apologized, and asked if she could change her paper topic to something more realistic. I gave an enthusiastic response, and told her I looked forward to reading it. Booyah.