Focusing on the issues

1. Focusing on the issues

2. Quirky works • Watch 'David Mitchell's Soapbox' at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2011/sep/15/david-mitchell-soapbox-climate-change-doubters-video • Spot the following techniques: • Irony and humour • Rhetorical questions • Repetition • Questioning • Hypothetical examples • Emphatic tone

3. Picking your target • David Mitchell doesn't take a wide topic to consider, such as 'the environment': he narrows the focus down to argue against those who deny climate change. • Why is it effective to narrow your focus like this? • Have a look at other David Mitchell Soapboxes – they may give you an idea for your own topic! http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/series/david-mitchell-soap-box

4. Looking through windows • Most topics – even ones which are commonly considered, such as euthanasia, animal rights, the environment, etc – are incredibly complex and cannot be adequately covered in a 500–1000 word essay or 5-minute speech. • It is therefore necessary to narrow our focus as much as possible and explore the topic in depth. There may be a number of issues we could consider, a number of 'windows' we could look at the topic through; we have to choose which one.

5. School uniform • School uniform is a topic which is tackled (perhaps too) often by candidates. But what do we mean by 'school uniform'? • What 'windows' could we look at the topic through? • What might come under these headings?

8. Explain, expand, exemplify How do we focus? • First, we explain our point. • Then, we expand on the reasons why we think that. • Finally, we exemplifyour point with an example from real life and/or a hypothetical example.

9. Think about David Mitchell's argument. • Explain: people who don't think climate change is a danger should prove to us that it isn't. • Expand: every scientist thinks climate change at least might be a danger, so if it is possible we shouldn't take the risk and continue to damage the planet. • Exemplify: (a) if there is a lot of evidence that our house is on fire, we don't carry behaving as if it isn't just because we don't have proof; (b) if there's a possibility that a toy is even remotely dangerous to children, we withdraw it.

10. Take some of the arguments about school uniform given in slide 7. • Briefly note how you might explain, expand and exemplify those arguments

11. Your own writing • Take a section of writing you have already done: it might be a blog or tweet, notes from a previous exercise or an old essay. • Try to develop that writing using explain, expand, exemplify.

12. Peer / Self Evaluation • With a partner, share a piece of writing you have each produced using the EEE structure. Compare each other’s writing, commenting on the following success criteria: • Does the writing Explain a point of view clearly? • Does the writing effectively Expand that point of view? • Is a sensible Exemplification of the point of view offered?