Socratic Seminar: Immigration Social Studies 7 2016 Mrs. Smith

SOCRATIC SEMINAR Asking questions to clarify learning…..

Who was Socrates? Socrates (ca. 470-399 BC) was a Classical Greek philosopher who developed a Theory of Knowledge. Socrates was convinced that the surest way to attain reliable knowledge was through the practice of disciplined conversation. He called this method dialectic.

How did Socrates use the dialectic? Socrates would begin with a discussion of the obvious aspects of any problem. He believed that through the process of dialogue, where all parties were forced to clarify their ideas, the final outcome of the conversation would be a clear statement of what was meant. He assumed that by progressively correcting incomplete or inaccurate notions, one could coax the truth out of anyone.

What is a Socratic Seminar? A Socratic Seminar is a method to try to understand information by creating a dialectic in class. In a Socratic Seminar, participants seek deeper understanding of complex ideas through rigorously thoughtful dialogue, rather than by memorizing bits of information.

So, how does this work? First, you MUST be prepared: 1) You need a topic. 2) You need some questions that are good thinking questions that you think would be good discussion starters. Avoid the “yes/no answer” variety. 3) You need to be prepared with background information, some points you want to make about the topic, and several open-ended questions.

So what do I do? As a participant in a Socratic Seminar, you carry the burden of responsibility for the quality of the seminar. Good seminars occur when participants study their information in advance, listen actively, share their ideas and questions in response to the ideas and questions of others, and search for evidence in the text to support their ideas.

What is the difference between DIALOGUE and DEBATE? oppositional; two opposing sides try to prove each other wrong one listens to find flaws, spot differences, and to counter arguments rebuts contrary positions and may belittle or deprecate other participants demands a conclusion collaborative; multiple sides work toward shared understanding one listens to understand, to make meaning, and find common ground respects all the other participants and seeks not to alienate or offend remains open-ended

How do we make good questions so we have something interesting to talk about? Do some research so you have some background information on the topic. Create questions that are open-ended. If there is only one right answer, it is not open-ended. Ask questions that require participants to back up what they say with facts or evidence from a text. Ask questions that help others think about the topic.

People move to new locations in order to meet their economic and social needs. Immigrants contribute to the cultural diversity of a country. Immigrants may face challenges with assimilation and from nativists.

parallel

How can we improve questions? How are these better? Which groups immigrated to the United States? How were the different groups received? What is assimilation? What is nativism? What policies did the government institute to deal with immigration? Is immigration good for our country? How are these better? What are the push and pull factors that influence groups to immigrate to the United States? Which ones would make you want to move here? Why? What patterns do you see in terms of immigrant’s reception in their new land? Do some groups get better treatment? Why? Over time, what do you think the expectations are of new immigrants in terms of how they “fit in” with Americans? What patterns do you see re-occurring when new waves of immigrants come here? What do you notice about how people who have been here react? Has the US government been consistently supportive of immigration? What is your perspective on the contributions to our country by immigrants over time?

Task: In your groups, choose five questions about immigration that “have possibility.” Make sure these are topics that you are interested in learning more about and finding out what others think. Work together to develop those questions using the Kaplan icons and the question stems provided at your table. Neatly write out your best four revamped questions and give them to Mrs. Smith. Once all the questions have been compiled, choose your favorite four questions for preparation for the Socratic Seminar on November 10 (A-day) or November 12 (B-day).

Expectations: You will work on your answers to these questions over the course of the next 2 weeks. Do not put them off until the night before. Your answers will be in paragraph form with supporting evidence from your class notes, readings, and individual research. Your answers will be typed (one-inch margins, double-spaced, academic font, 11-12 pt.). They will be assessed for accurate information regarding immigration in the United States over time. On the day of the Socratic Seminar, you will come prepared with your work. If not, you will work on your answers during the seminar and will have to make-up the seminar at a later date after-school.

Exit ticket: What questions do you still have about the Socratic Seminar? What are you looking forward to and what concerns you about the Socratic Seminar?