Paideia Seminar O is a collaborative, intellectual dialogue about a text, facilitated with open-ended questions. O learning goals are to help students improve their social and intellectual skills. O increased understanding of ideas and values.

A Paideia Seminar evolves as three steps: O 1a. pre-seminar content prep for analysis of ideas and values in the text usually through reading, and doc analysis O 1b. pre-seminar process to prepare for the whole group dialogue. O 2. Seminar to discuss the ideas and values of the text.

Steps contin. O 3a. post-seminar process to assess both individual and group participation in the communicative event. O 3b. post-seminar content for student application of the ideas and values (usually through writing).

O Following a brief introduction, or “pre- seminar,” where the teacher provides the class with necessary background information, the discussion questions (divided into three categories) lead the students through a critical examination of the text and their reaction to it.

The Seminar: O Opening questions intended to put the possibilities in the text into play quickly O should be quite general and “open ended.” O Some good opening questions: O What might be another good title for this text? O What do you think is the main idea? O What do you notice first about this text?

Core questions O require critical interpretation on the part of the student O intended to foster a close reading of the text, O any interpretation needs to be supported by evidence within the text itself. Some other core questions: O How does the beginning of this text relate to the end? O What tensions do you notice in the text?

Closing questions O intended to help students examine the rhetorical import of the text within the larger frameworks of local and global experience. O How can the message of the text be applied to your/our current situation? O What action, if any, does the text request of the reader? O What would happen if readers complied with that request?

Follow-up questions O Asked at any point in the discussion to help students elaborate upon and refine their thoughts on the text. O Ask probing questions about previous comments such as: O What do you mean when you say ________ ? O What would lead you to that conclusion? O How does that relate with what you said about ___________ ?

Post-seminar questions O Write a reflection piece answering the following questions: O What did you like about the Paidea process? What did you dislike? How can we make it better? O Could you apply anything to the modern world from this document? If so, what? If not, why not? O What would you use specifically from this document to answer the essential question associated with it?