Socratic Seminar Where questions, not answers, are the driving force in thinking.

Socrates’s Belief Greek Philosopher Socrates believed that enabling students to think for themselves was more important than filling their head with “right answers.” He believe that the surest way to attain reliable knowledge was through the practice of disciplined conversation (dialectic)

Purpose of Socratic Seminars Achieve a deeper understanding about the ideas and values in a text Participants question and examine issues and principals related to a particular content Conversation through disciplined analysis, interpretation, listening, and participation.

Community Agreements Mutual Respect: all people’s values, comments, and questions are valuable and worthy of being discussed Attentive Listening: we will listen with our ears and minds by giving undivided attention to the speaker Appreciation: we will look for opportunities to encourage, compliment, and thank others No Putdowns: we will show our consideration of for others through our words and actions Right to Pass: we will allow ourselves and others the choice to participate or not participate

Protocols for Participants in Socratic Seminar Discussions “In response to…” “I would like to follow that point with…” “Going back to _______’s point about…” “I agree that …” “I’d like to share…” “Adding to…” “I’d like to add…” “I think we could also consider…”

Protocols for Participants in Socratic Seminar Discussions “I have questions about…” “Another point of view is…” “Do you think….” “I’m confused about…” “What puzzles me is…” “Do you agree that one of the big ideas seems to be…” “I’d like to talk about…” “Do you think this is similar to…”

Reflection/Debriefing Questions 1. What did you learn about The Activity? Others? Yourself? 2. What are some of the points that you heard from others that you had not considered? 3. How did you contribute to the discussion? 4. What pros and cons do you see in using this activity?

Fish Bowl Style 1 Inner Group/ 1 Outer Group Inner Group: Facing each other and discussing text Outer Group: Observing and listening

Sample Open-Ended Questions What puzzles me is… I’d like to talk with people about… I’m confused about… Don’t you think this is similar to… Do you agree that the big ideas seem to be…

And finally… REMEMBER our first and most important classroom rule: R-E-S-P-E-C-T Respect your peers and differing viewpoints. While on the outer circle, respect the inner circle by remaining quiet. Respect yourself enough to come to class prepared to contribute to conversation.