The toulmin model A six-part model of presenting and critiquing evidence The toulmin model Stephen toulmin created this model to help all of understand the logic of everyday arguments He presumed that no argument was indisputable He challenged us to understand the importance of recognizing opposing claims The toulmin model Claim Grounds Warrant Backing Qualifier rebuttal The claim What I want you to believe, accept or do the policy I want you to adopt The program that works best The grounds The evidence I use to bolster my claim Can be any of the examples from the writing arguments book (see pages 74-77) The stronger your evidence, the stronger your claim The warrant Sometimes stated, sometimes implicit the values, beliefs or principles I need you to accept in order for my claim to remain valid The warrant is NOT evidence The backing Supports the warrant Requires evidence You’re perhaps moving toward persuasion here The qualifier How forceful do you need to be to convince people to move to your side? Words such as “very likely” or “probably” are allies to you here The rebuttal Your recognition that your argument is not perfect Acknowledgement of other opinions, proposals, etc. Let’s try it out Here is my claim: public colleges and universities should be free to all students public colleges and universities should be free to all students What are my grounds? What types of evidence should I consider? public colleges and universities should be free to all students Let’s discuss the warrants For my claim to remain valid, what American beliefs, values, etc. might come into play? public colleges and universities should be free to all students We need backing for the warrants How are you going to support those warrants? public colleges and universities should be free to all students What qualifiers are in play? How much resistance do I expect? public colleges and universities should be free to all students In acknowledging the rebuttal, I might say… A cartoon and the toulmin model Your third paper (due Aug. 1) In a 4-6 page paper, you are going to use the toulmin model to again attempt to validate how you answered the “burqa and niqab” question You do not need to do additional research for this paper Your third paper (due aug. 1) you are going to take apart your second paper (which is due next week) and employ the steps of the toulmin model you are going to make a kind-of appeal to convince your audience that the burqa and niqab should/shouldn’t be banned Pages 64-70 in your writing arguments book provide you a model to follow; I expect you to structure your paper like this Your third paper (due aug. 1) Remember, you’re looking at a roughly 4-6 page paper I don’t need a title page I do need a works cited page (using appropriate apa style; this page does Not count toward your 4-6 pages) Your oral presentation (AUG. 1) You also will do a roughly 4-minute oral presentation on aug. 1, when you will discuss how y ...

1. The toulmin model
A six-part model of presenting and critiquing evidence
The toulmin model
Stephen toulmin created this model to help all of understand the
logic of everyday arguments
He presumed that no argument was indisputable
He challenged us to understand the importance of recognizing
opposing claims
The toulmin model
Claim
Grounds
Warrant
Backing
Qualifier
rebuttal
The claim
What I want you to believe, accept or do
the policy I want you to adopt
The program that works best
The grounds
The evidence I use to bolster my claim
Can be any of the examples from the writing arguments book
(see pages 74-77)
The stronger your evidence, the stronger your claim

2. The warrant
Sometimes stated, sometimes implicit
the values, beliefs or principles I need you to accept in order for
my claim to remain valid
The warrant is NOT evidence
The backing
Supports the warrant
Requires evidence
You’re perhaps moving toward persuasion here
The qualifier
How forceful do you need to be to convince people to move to
your side?
Words such as “very likely” or “probably” are allies to you here
The rebuttal
Your recognition that your argument is not perfect
Acknowledgement of other opinions, proposals, etc.
Let’s try it out
Here is my claim: public colleges and universities should be
free to all students
public colleges and universities should be free to all students
What are my grounds?
What types of evidence should I consider?
public colleges and universities should be free to all students

3. Let’s discuss the warrants
For my claim to remain valid, what American beliefs, values,
etc. might come into play?
public colleges and universities should be free to all students
We need backing for the warrants
How are you going to support those warrants?
public colleges and universities should be free to all students
What qualifiers are in play?
How much resistance do I expect?
public colleges and universities should be free to all students
In acknowledging the rebuttal, I might say…
A cartoon and the toulmin model
Your third paper (due Aug. 1)
In a 4-6 page paper, you are going to use the toulmin model to
again attempt to validate how you answered the “burqa and
niqab” question
You do not need to do additional research for this paper
Your third paper (due aug. 1)
you are going to take apart your second paper (which is due
next week) and employ the steps of the toulmin model
you are going to make a kind-of appeal to convince your
audience that the burqa and niqab should/shouldn’t be banned
Pages 64-70 in your writing arguments book provide you a

4. model to follow; I expect you to structure your paper like this
Your third paper (due aug. 1)
Remember, you’re looking at a roughly 4-6 page paper
I don’t need a title page
I do need a works cited page (using appropriate apa style; this
page does Not count toward your 4-6 pages)
Your oral presentation (AUG. 1)
You also will do a roughly 4-minute oral presentation on aug. 1,
when you will discuss how your paper properly demonstrates
the toulmin model
Your oral presentation (AUG. 1)
To help us follow you, you need to use sayings such as…
‘my claim is…”
“I believe my claim is valid based on these grounds…”
“in America, it is accepted that…” (warrant)
Your oral presentation (AUG. 1)
“we see other examples of this American value when…”
(backing)
“I state/believe/assert…” (qualifier)
“the critics will say…” (rebuttal)
Your oral presentation (AUG. 1)
As a reminder, You also will do a roughly 4-minute oral
presentation on aug. 1
you will discuss how your paper properly demonstrates the
toulmin model

5. Critical Incident Analysis (CIA) This assignment offers you
the opportunity to reflect on and integrate the readings, class
discussions, and your experience with groups this semester,
whether at your placement or during in-class experiential work.
Ask yourself: Are there specific critical incidents that stand
out in my experiences facilitating or co-facilitating a group, or
as an observer or participant in a group experience? This paper
should be 8-10 pages, double spaced, 1” margins on all sides,
and formatted according to the APA Manual, 6th edition.Use 7
sources of literature, at least 3 must come from outside of the
syllabus
Goals for planning:
*
Critical Incident Paper Critical incidents are those practice
situations, classroom events, and life experiences that
crystallize an understanding, raise hard questions, present
dilemmas or remain lingering and unresolved. Critical incidents
are made up of demands for work and what happens
immediately before and immediately after.
1. Select a “critical incident.” This can be an incident from
one group, or a pattern that emerged in a few group sessions. A

6. critical incident is often comprised of demands for work made
by a client and/or group workers. Write up in the incident(s)
verbatim (like a process recording) if you can, and if not, try to
describe the dialogue in as much detail as possible so that you
can capture the context and conversation. Underline and
number each demand for work that you will analyze.
Goals for planning:
*
Critical Incident Paper
2. Overview of Group
Community and setting where the group takes place.
Group purpose.
Brief description of the group composition: members’ gender,
age, race, ethnicity, culture, presenting complaints and/or
reason for referral to the group.
Structure of the group-as-whole (norms, roles, how members
interact and communicate with each other, sessional beginnings
and endings, etc.)
Goals for planning:
*
Critical Incident Paper
A demand for work is defined as a statement or action made by
a group worker or group member that impacts group process and
catalyzes changes in the group’s dynamics, sense of safety,
cohesion, or realization of group mission and purpose.

7. Remember, the interventions made by group members are as
important, if not more important than the workers. And, also
remember that ‘demands for work’ are interventions.
Goals for planning:
*
1. Demand for work (verbatim if possible, otherwise be very
detailed)
What precipitated demand for work #1 (what happened right
before?)
What was the group’s response? (external stimuli, what
happened right after?)
What sense did you make of the group’s response at the time?
Including thoughts and feelings at the time. (internal stimuli)
What sense do you make of the group’s response now as you
think about it and write about it? (Reflection/meaning making)
If you were not the worker, please include how you made sense
of the worker’s choices, and include some discussion of what
you might have done differently if you were the worker at that
moment. (Reflection/meaning making)
Integrate 3 relevant literature to support your discussion.
Explore one ethical dilemma that has arisen or could arise from
this group. Define the ethical concern using both the NASW
Code of Ethics and the AASWG Standards for Social Group
Work Practice (www.iaswg.org).Reflect on what you have
learned from your critical incident analysis. What this analysis
taught you about group work process and about yourself as a
group worker? What curiosities are you left with as you
complete this paper about group work and yourself as a group
worker.

8. Example:
Darren began the conversation by stating that he has struggled a
lot with suicidal thoughts in the past. He mentioned that he has
tried to kill himself numerous times. Kathy related to what
Darren was saying as she talked of also having had past suicide
attempts. She spoke of being in a coma for a week, a couple of
years ago, after overdosing on bottles of prescription sleeping
pills. Cheri related to what was being said by discussing the
time she had tried to jump off a bridge and had broken several
bones in her body. After a slight pause, she hesitantly stated
that she too had been in a coma after this attempt. I said that it
sounded like a frightening experience. (1) Cheri responded by
nodding. I then asked the group what warning signs, if any,
preceded their suicide attempts. (2) Kathy said that she feels
more depressed and hopeless. She talked of feeling like she was
in a dark endless tunnel. Al mentioned that he feels an intense
feeling of doom. Jason mentioned that when he isolates, it’s
usually a sign that something is definitely wrong. He continued
to say how he is usually a “people person” and that it is
dangerous for him when he starts to avoid friends and family.
The group continued to share warning signs.
Goals for planning:
*
Example:
1. DEMAND FOR WORK: I said that it sounded like a
frightening experience.

9. What was going on just before/interpretation: Cheri’s hesitancy
in sharing a past suicide attempt. Cheri was feeling vulnerable
and ambivalent about sharing her experiences with the group.
Group members’ response(s) to intervention/Demand for work:
Cheri (and others) nodded.
Your interpretation of response(s): Cheri used non-verbal
communication to inform the leader that she agreed with the
summation, recognizing the leader’s validation of her thoughts
and fears.
What sense do you make of it now that you have reflected upon
it.
If you were the worker, what would YOU have done differently?
I might have responded to the group as a whole, rather than just
one member. Perhaps I would have said something like, “it
sounds like a lot of you have struggled with these thoughts
before. I’m really glad that you are all so willing to share your
stories with the group.
Goals for planning:
*
Example:
f. Support your ideas:
“Once the client experiences acceptance and affirmation from
the worker, the likelihood of productive work increases”
(DeJong & Miller, 1995, p. 61). I wanted to let Cheri know that
it was acceptable to verbalize her experiences so that she would
feel validated and also so that other members would feel more
comfortable in sharing their own experiences.
”The worker’s gentle restatement of the client’s feelings has
communicated to the client the worker’s understanding and
compassion” (Shulman, 1999, p. 159). Shulman supports my
intervention to empathize aloud in the group so that the member

10. knows I am in the moment with them.
”…The practitioner may convey understanding of the client’s
feeling state and verbalize the feeling explicitly through a
reflective response that attends to the emotion suggested in the
client’s nonverbal expressions” (Hepworth, Rooney, & Larson,
1997, p. 116). I wanted to help Cheri name the emotions she
was experiencing in addition to describing what had happened;
to aid her in making this connection.
”The clinical encounter may be the first opportunity people
have had to feel that their stories are moving and
believable and that the details ring true to a witness” (Murphy
& Dillon, 1998, p. 85).Bearing witness to Cheri’s frightening
experience, I was also acknowledging Darren and Kathy.
Goals for planning:
*