Page 159 - Šolsko polje, XXX, 2019, št. 5-6: Civic, citizenship and rhetorical education in a rapidly changing world, eds. Janja Žmavc and Plamen Mirazchiyski
P. 159
i. ž. žagar ■ slovenian experience with rhetoric in primary schools
would be more appropriate, a “softer” start in a way, if they are intro-
duced to rhetoric with something they already know and give this
knowledge a theoretical and technical foundation.
They would learn how to control the body and the voice, and how
different body postures and voice modulations and manipulations,
influence the audience. Which is also of great importance for the
modes of persuasion. Not just for ethos and pathos, knowing how to
control one’s body and voice can also greatly influence logos.
2. From actio, conceived this way, we then approach inventio. We have
eliminated the teaching about syllogisms, enthymemes and topoi
with a heavy heart, but in these concrete circumstances where the
syllabus is too packed, where there is little time to learn and practice,
and where the new subject is pretty new, less is indeed more. We have
also eliminated the “ethics of dialogue”, merged some related objec-
tives (objectives 6 (canons of rhetoric) and 7 (modes of persuasion)
thus giving more time to exercise and practice.
3. All these eliminations were “replaced” by stasis in its simplest form,
leading the seven questions grid and the invention. The simplest
form meaning that pupils have to determine first whether the prob-
lem at hand is about: fact, definition (of this fact), quality (of this de-
fined fact) or about the policy/place (of this defined and qualified
fact).
4. We have restored a written analysis of a speech or a text, necessary
for one of the three grades, and insisted on written preparation of
speeches in our recommendations. “Browse and swipe” cannot re-
place “read and write”, is going to be our motto.
5. And finally, rhetoric should not be a goal in itself, it should serve to
educate an active citizen. We hope to achieve this goal by inter-cur-
ricular modifications and adaptations, especially in close collabora-
tion with the teachers of civic education.
The necessary talks with the ministry are already on their way.
References
Ducrot, O. (1996) Slovenian Lectures/Conférences slovènes. Ljubljana: ISH.
Ducrot, O. (2009) Slovenian Lectures. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
Farenga, V. (1979) Periphrasis on the Origin of Rhetoric. Comparative Liter-
ature 94 (5), pp. 1035–36.
Grice, H. P. (1989) Studies in the Way of Words. Harvard: Harvard Universi-
ty Press.
157
would be more appropriate, a “softer” start in a way, if they are intro-
duced to rhetoric with something they already know and give this
knowledge a theoretical and technical foundation.
They would learn how to control the body and the voice, and how
different body postures and voice modulations and manipulations,
influence the audience. Which is also of great importance for the
modes of persuasion. Not just for ethos and pathos, knowing how to
control one’s body and voice can also greatly influence logos.
2. From actio, conceived this way, we then approach inventio. We have
eliminated the teaching about syllogisms, enthymemes and topoi
with a heavy heart, but in these concrete circumstances where the
syllabus is too packed, where there is little time to learn and practice,
and where the new subject is pretty new, less is indeed more. We have
also eliminated the “ethics of dialogue”, merged some related objec-
tives (objectives 6 (canons of rhetoric) and 7 (modes of persuasion)
thus giving more time to exercise and practice.
3. All these eliminations were “replaced” by stasis in its simplest form,
leading the seven questions grid and the invention. The simplest
form meaning that pupils have to determine first whether the prob-
lem at hand is about: fact, definition (of this fact), quality (of this de-
fined fact) or about the policy/place (of this defined and qualified
fact).
4. We have restored a written analysis of a speech or a text, necessary
for one of the three grades, and insisted on written preparation of
speeches in our recommendations. “Browse and swipe” cannot re-
place “read and write”, is going to be our motto.
5. And finally, rhetoric should not be a goal in itself, it should serve to
educate an active citizen. We hope to achieve this goal by inter-cur-
ricular modifications and adaptations, especially in close collabora-
tion with the teachers of civic education.
The necessary talks with the ministry are already on their way.
References
Ducrot, O. (1996) Slovenian Lectures/Conférences slovènes. Ljubljana: ISH.
Ducrot, O. (2009) Slovenian Lectures. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
Farenga, V. (1979) Periphrasis on the Origin of Rhetoric. Comparative Liter-
ature 94 (5), pp. 1035–36.
Grice, H. P. (1989) Studies in the Way of Words. Harvard: Harvard Universi-
ty Press.
157
