with Socratic Seminars

Google Classroom Code: gc8sms

Today’s Agenda● Click here to sign-in

● Instructional Goals

● Today’s Objective

BCHS Instructional Goals

● By the end of the school year, 100% of teachers will implement standards based curriculum that assesses daily student achievement.

● By the end of the first quarter, 100% of teachers will plan daily student tasks that engage learners at a DOK level of 2 or higher.

● It is expected that 100% of teachers will actively participate and engage in collaboration.

Today’s Goals

● Teachers will be able to use the Socratic Seminar to level up student engagement and critical thinking in their classroom.

The Set-Up

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The Vision

• Socrates believed that enabling students to think for themselves was more important than filling their heads with “right answers.”

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The Vision

• Participants seek deeper understanding of complex ideas through rigorously thoughtful dialogue, rather than by memorizing bits of information.

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Starting Dialogue

• Asking questions is the key!

• A leader prompts the use of dialogue

– Participants learn to be less attached to their ideas and less reliant on persuasion for influencing opinions.

• Dialogue is a skill of collaboration that enables groups to create collective thinking.

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Dialogue is NOT Debate!

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•Is collaborative

•One listens to find common ground

•Enlarges points of view

•Reveals assumptions for re-evaluation

•Creates an open-minded attitude

•Is oppositional

•One listens to counter arguments.

•Affirms participant's points of view.

•Defends assumptions as truth

•Creates a close-minded attitude

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Four Elements

An effective seminar consists of four interdependent elements:

1. the text being considered

2. the questions raised

3. the seminar leader, and

4. the participants

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The Text

• Socratic Seminar texts are chosen for their richness in ideas, issues, and values, and their ability to stimulate extended, thoughtful dialogue.

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The Question

• An opening question has no right answer

– It reflects a genuine curiosity on the part of the leader.

Should human embryos be cloned in order to save lives?

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The Leader• Plays a dual role as leader and

participant

– Consciously leads a thoughtful exploration of the ideas in the text.

– As a seminar participant, actively engages in the group's exploration of the text.

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The Leader

• Helps participants clarify their

positions when arguments become confused

• Involves reluctant participants while restraining their more vocal peers

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The Participants

• Share responsibility for the quality of the seminar.

• Most effective when participants: – study the text closely

in advance– listen actively

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The Participants

• Most effective when participants: – share their ideas and

questions in response to others

– search for evidence in the text to support their ideas

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Conducting a “Fishbowl”

• A strategy to use when you have a class of over 20 students

• Divide the class into “Inner” and “Outer” circles

• Have a “Hot Seat”

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Conducting a “Fishbowl”

• Role of the inner circle: Discussion regarding the text and topic at hand.

• Role of the outer circle: Observation only*• Role of the hot seat: Where an outer circle

member can move to if they would like to speak.

*Some use the “Wingman” format

● Use what works for you!

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Example Questions• By what reasoning did you come to that

conclusion?

• What would you say to someone who said __?

• Are the reasons adequate? Why?

• What led you to that belief?

• How does that apply to this case?

• What would change your mind?

• Who is in the position to know if that is so?

• Why did you say “they?”

• What view would be in opposition to what you are saying?

Socratic Seminar De-Briefing Questions

Answer the following questions on a separate piece of lined paper:

1. What was the best point made during the seminar?

2. What ideas did you agree with?

3. What ideas did you disagree with?

4. What do you wish you had said in the discussion?

5. What is your overall evaluation of the seminar?

Socratic SeminarWhat does it look like?

1. Important to teach what Socratic Seminar is and your expectations.2. Assign the text and reading aid the day (or two days) before the

Socratic Seminar. 3. Refresh students memory of what they need to do each time you host

a Socratic Seminar.4. Be actively involved, especially the first few times that you do this

activity.a. Be willing to step down and ask a student to be the leader

5. Have a method of tracking who is in the inner and outer circle so students experience BOTH.

6. Budget your time so there is enough time for the reflection questions AND for the outer circle to report out (accountability piece).

Socratic Seminar Materials

1. Text of your choice (excerpt of a book, poem, article of interest, song lyrics)

2. Student Reading Aid and Rubric3. Inner/Outer Circle Observation Form (day of the Socratic Seminar -

only pass out to the outer circle)4. De-Briefing Questions (slide)