Socratic Seminar Intro & Rules Pre-AP 9 // BJHS

What? Socratic seminars are 30-60 minute discussions intended to be a “highly motivating form of intellectual and scholarly discourse.”

Who? Socrates was a Greek philosopher and teacher who acted as a major founder of Western philosophy. He believed that “enabling students to think for themselves was more important than filling their heads with the right answers.”

What’s the point? - To create effective dialogue between student scholars -To closely examine the chosen text in an academic group setting -To promote metacognition and intrinsic student investment in his/her own learning process

How? For Socratic seminar to be effective, certain rules and guidelines must be in place: RESPECT for your peers and seminar leader -Patience & Thoughtfulness -Preparation

Getting started -Asking questions is the key. Students will be provided questions to seminar to fuel dialogue. -Dialogue is a skill of collaboration that enables groups to create collective thinking. -When beginning to use dialogue with discussion, the two practices need to be defined and differentiated. -Students must risk making mistakes in order to learn how to think critically and work collaboratively.

Discussion vs. dialogue -Discussion is “a close examination of a subject with interchange of opinions, sometimes using argument, in an effort to reach an agreement. -Dialogue is “an interchange of ideas especially when being open and frank in order to seek mutual understanding.” EFFECTIVE GROUPS NEED TO USE BOTH DIALOGUE AND DISCUSSION.

DIALOGUE VS. DEBATE DIALOGUE IS NOT DEBATE!!! Debate: Dialogue: -Is oppositional -Is collaborative -Involves counterargument -Involves finding common ground -Affirms individual points of view -Enlarges points of view for examination -Defends assumptions as truth -Reveals assumptions for re-evaluation -Creates close-minded attitudes and division between debaters -Creates an open-minded and collective mindset

Dialogue vs. Debate Con’t… -Defends thinking to show that it is right -Expects other’s reflections will improve your own thinking -Searches for weaknesses -Temporarily suspending one’s beliefs -Rebuts contrary opinions and may belittle others -Searches for strengths -Assumes a single right answer -Respects others and seeks to not alienate those with different opinions -Demands a conclusion -Assumes that cooperation can lead to greater understanding

Four Elements 1. The text being considered 2. The questions being raised 3. The participants 4. The seminar facilitator

The Opening Question The opening question has no right answer: It reflects a genuine curiosity from the seminar group.

Participant Guidelines -Share responsibility of the seminar -Most effective when participants: Closely study the text in advance Listen actively Share ideas and questions in response to others Search for textual evidence to support their ideas

Fishbowl strategy for seminar Inner Circle: Actively discusses and dialogues Outer Circle: Pays close attention to the dialogue in the inner-circle, possibly evaluates peers, and/or prepares for entering the inner- circle

Questions?