The Socratic Seminar

What is a Socratic Seminar? It is a discussion of an essential question in which student opinions are shared, proven, refuted, and refined through dialogue with other students.

Who was Socrates? A 4th Century BC Greek philosopher and intellectual Socrates believed that it was more important to enable students to think for themselves than to merely fill their heads with "right" answers. He engaged his pupils in dialogues by responding to their questions with questions, instead of answers. This process encourages independent thought and reasoning.

Who was Socrates? Socrates was very controversial and angered Athenian leaders. He was put on trial, convicted of corrupting the Athenian youth, and sentenced to death. He chose to die by drinking a tea made from hemlock, a poisonous flower used in executions at the time.

The Socratic Paradox Socrates was said to have stated, “I know that I know nothing”, which really meant that he is not saying that he does not know anything, but instead that one cannot know anything with absolute certainty, but can feel confident about certain things.

So Socrates….

Socrates in Action

A Socratic Seminar is based on dialogue, not debate Dialogue is… Collaborative About understanding Listening for deeper meaning Re-evaluating assumptions Keeping an open mind Temporarily suspending beliefs Respecting all participants Exploring different possibilities Open-ended Debate is… Oppositional About proving others wrong Listening for flaws Defending assumptions Close-minded About defending beliefs Belittling or demeaning others Having one right answer Demands a conclusion

A Real Socratic Seminar

What a Socratic Seminar Looks Like

Roles in Socratic Seminar Inner Circle- you are the speakers You are responsible for conducting the discussion Outer Circle- you are the supporter of the speaker in front of you You are responsible for listening to all the speakers, and evaluating the speaker you are supporting in front of you After 15-20 minutes, students swap places and begin the discussion again

During the Seminar Be prepared to participate and ask good questions Show respect for all opinions-no put downs or disrespect Do not interrupt a speaker Build on what others say- Add to, paraphrase, clarify, etc.

During the Seminar Use active listening skills Participate openly and keep your mind open to new ideas Refer to the text often, and use evidence from the text Discuss the ideas of the text, and not each other’s personal experiences Take notes about important points you want to remember or new questions you want to ask.

Rules for Socratic Seminar Discuss, not debate Be courteous! No put-downs! Do not raise your hand, but wait until someone has completed their thought before you speak Respect differing opinions and ideas Everyone must speak at least once!