Socratic Seminar

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Socratic Seminar
The only good is knowledge and the only evil is
ignorance.
Socrates
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STEM Resources

• You may want to use some of these STEM Resources
  to enhance the impact of this Socratic Seminar.
• Assessment Collection
• Curriculum Integration
• Teacher Resources/Questioning WebLinks
• Socratic Seminar Self-Assessment

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Socratic Seminar - Overview
As its name implies, this teaching technique
dates back to Socrates. Its essential
characteristic is discussion that is driven by
questions. The discussion is usually focused on a
piece of text, although text can be defined
broadly to include a painting, graph, data set,
math problem, as well as essays, poems, and short
stories. The purpose of the seminar is to
develop a deeper understanding of the text
through sharing of perspectives, questions, and
interpretations. Through the seminar students
learn to Listen actively Converse directly
other students, without the need for mediation by
the teacher Clarify, amplify, and recognize
implications in the text Build upon what others
say Question the text and fellow
participants The teachers principal
responsibilities are to select the discussion
topic, facilitate the seminar by posing
questions, clarifying ideas, and ensuring
equitable participation. Eventually, students
develop good seminar skills and the teacher may
choose to leave the seminar and assume the role
of observer. This step requires that the students
be well prepared to generate probing questions of
the text.
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Socratic Seminar Implementation Tips
Before the SeminarSelect a Focus All seminar
participants examine a particular text, image,
object, song, etc.. This is usually completed as
homework the night before. If the text is brief,
it can be studied in class immediately before the
seminar. If students have not learned how to
mark-up a text, instruction needs to be
provided. Marking up the text consists of
identifying its key passages.
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Socratic Seminar Implementation Tips

• During the SeminarDefine the Task
• Divide the class in half. One half forms an
  inner circle and participates in the discussion
  .
• Each member of the outer circle maintains
  silence and is given a specific task to perform.
  
• Tasks can focus on either process skills for
  effective seminars (e.g. building on what others
  say, asking questions of each other, making
  direct references to the text, etc.) or the
  content of the seminar (e.g. identifying main
  themes, insights, etc.).
• In the first few seminars, a class typically
  focuses on group process skills. After students
  become skilled seminar participants, attention
  can shift to the content of the discussion.
• 3. The leader (early seminars should be led by
  the teacher) begins the seminar with an opening
  question.
• It is sometimes worthwhile to begin with a
  whip a relatively simple question to which
  each participant responds briefly.
• A good opening question is What is the most
  important sentence in this piece? Please read it
  as we go around the circle. This initiates the
  seminar by having enables in the circle
  contribute their ideas.
• 4. From this point on, the seminar is driven by
  questions from both the leader and participants.
• 5. At the end of the seminar, members of the
  outer circle report their findings.
• 6. If time permits, participants switch circles
  and another seminar on the same or similar text
  is conducted.

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Socratic Seminar Implementation Tips
After the SeminarConduct the Formative
Assessment One of the most important goals
of a seminar is to expand understanding of the
text. An excellent post-seminar task is a writing
assignment in which the students are asked to
demonstrate new knowledge gained from the
seminar. An effective strategy, if planned into
the seminar is to complete a pre-seminar writing.
This passage can be used later as a prompt for
the post-seminar writing. The final step is to
use feedback from the outer circle to set goals
for the next seminar.
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Implementation Tips Possible Outer Circle
Questions/Tasks

• What were the other participants doing while
  someone was talking? Take notes.
• How many times did each person speak? Keep a
  written tally.
• How many times did males and females speak? Keep
  a written tally.
• Did the seminar touch on many different ideas or
  did it remain focused on one or two? Note the
  ideas discussed.
• How many times were direct references made to the
  text? Note examples.
• How many times did a participant ask a question
  of another participant? Make note of a few of
  these questions.
• How many times did a participant respond to or
  build on the comment of another seminar
  participant? Make note of examples.
• Was there any evidence that a participant changed
  his or her opinion or position as a result of
  what was discussed in the seminar? Make note of
  instances.
• What did the seminar leader do during the
  seminar? Take notes.
• Did anyone ask another participant to clarify or
  explain something that someone said? Note
  examples.
• Observe the seminar participant across from you.
  Make note of what he/she is doing during the
  seminar?

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Socratic SeminarEnter Title Here

• Enter your name, school, subject area, email
  address and other background information here.

Describe the intended student audience, course,
and general topic associated with this Socratic
Seminar.
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Socratic Seminar Focus

• Identify the learning goals/expectations targeted
  in this Socratic Seminar.
• Please enter the piece of text, diagram,
  hyperlink, lyric, image etc. that will be the
  focus of this Seminar.
• Some desirable characteristics for the focus of a
  Seminar include challenging, interesting
  complex, somewhat ambiguous, based on a big idea

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Socratic Seminar Guiding Questions

• Socratic Seminars tend to employ questions that
  promote analysis of ideas, synthesis and
  application of new information, and evaluation of
  peoples thinking.
• What is the big question that you will use to
  kick off this Socratic Seminar?
• Prepare an additional 6-10 follow-up questions
  that you are apt to use during this Seminar.

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Implementation/Materials/Assessment
IMPLEMENTATION TIPS Give specific ideas to
help another teacher successfully make use of
this Seminar.

• FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• Include the formative assessment being used to
  evaluate student performance during this Socratic
  Seminar.
• Refer to the Assessment Collection in the STEM
  Resource for ideas.

MATERIALS List all of the materials needed to
complete this Socratic Seminar.
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Resources Credits

• SOCRATIC SEMINAR RESOURCES
• Curriki
• Socratic Seminars
• Socratic Seminars Journey to Excellence
• Socratic Seminars International
• Socratic Seminar Grading Rubric
• Socratic Seminar Overview
• Socratic Seminar Study Guide
• The Paideia Philosophy
• Contributed by Lawrence Wakeford.

• CREDITS
• Enter the names and URLs of the websites and
  curriculum resources that you used to develop
  this Socratic Seminar.

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Socratic Seminar Student Ground Rules
Socrates had no syllabus. He wanted Athenians to
think for themselves. No wonder the local
authorities were disturbed. Inevitably, they
decided that Socrates was subversive.
Gray

1. All members of the inner circle are expected to
   participate in the discussion.
2. Anyone who doesnt wish to answer a question
   should so indicate by saying, Id like to pass.
3. Try to direct your comments and questions to each
   other and not to the Seminar leader.
4. Please maintain rules of civil discourse Its
   OK to disagree with a persons ideas, but never
   to criticize the person offering them.
5. Members of the outer circle must maintain silent
   until the seminar is concluded.