When working with students on discursive writing, I have found the most effective way to build genuine passion is to begin from their own interests. Rather than introducing discursive essays as a mechanical formula, I ask them to choose an issue they already feel strongly about—something they argue about with friends or debate at home. This immediately shifts the exercise from abstract skill-building into a lived, personal engagement. A student might care deeply about climate action, gaming, or school uniforms. Whatever the topic, they discover that discursive writing is not about compliance, but about giving structured form to thoughts they already have.

From there, I emphasise that strong argumentation is never one-sided. Students often assume persuasive writing is simply about pushing their view harder. I guide them to see that real conviction requires understanding the opposite perspective. By modelling this, I show them that acknowledging and responding to counterarguments strengthens rather than weakens their stance. When they realise that good writing involves exploring tension between competing positions, they begin to intuitively recognise the intellectual satisfaction of discursive form.

At this stage, I link passion and critical thinking to paragraph structure. Using the familiar PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation) or TEEL (Topic, Evidence, Explanation, Link) frameworks, I demonstrate how their ideas can be sharpened, clarified, and sequenced. They see that writing is not simply a record of opinion but a craft that can produce emergent understanding—by balancing argument and counterargument, their essays generate nuance.

Ultimately, the goal is for students to experience discursive writing not as a school task but as a vehicle for thinking. When they see that passion combined with structure allows them to communicate complex ideas, they develop both confidence and genuine enthusiasm for the form.

Thea Macarthur-Lassen