Challenging Students to Think for Themselves Introduction to Socratic Seminars

Socrates “Wisdom begins in wonder.”

Steven Wright “Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.”

Our Work Today  How Socratic Seminars challenge students to think for themselves.  How questioning impacts learning.  Experience with Socratic Seminars.  Foundations of Socratic Seminars  Questioning Practice  Demonstration Seminar  Practice Leading Micro-Seminars OutcomesAgenda

Socratic Seminars Transmission of Facts

Socratic Seminars  To enlarge understanding of issues, ideas, and values.

Socratic Seminars Help to Develop:  Reading skills  Writing skills  Listening skills  Speaking skills  Test-Taking skills  Critical Thinking  Initiative  Classroom Community  Originality  Self-Respect

Connections to the Curriculum  Language Arts  Science  Math  Social Studies  Fine Arts  Health  Physical Education  Technology  Foreign Language  Others  Identity (self and group)  Property  Respect  Love and Hate  Individual’s Place in Society  Punishment and Justice  Fairness Subject Areas Typically Successful Middle School Themes

SD Content Standards – Grades Students can interpret and respond to diverse, multicultural, and time period texts. 2. Students can access, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate informational texts. 3. Analyze the relationships/interactions among science, technology, environment, and society. 4. Analyze forms and purposes of government in relationship to the needs of citizens and societies including the impact of historical events, ideals, and documents. 5. Use deductive and inductive reasoning to recognize and apply properties of geometric figures.

Questioner: What does he mean by rational? Responder: I think he means logical. Questioner: How is logical different from rational? Responder: One way is by using steps. Questioner: Explain how using steps is rational. Responder: It is reasonable to use steps. Questioner: Can you give examples when to be reasonable uses steps? “Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.”

Prep Work SeminarReflection The Process of Socratic Seminars

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Our Work Today  How Socratic Seminars challenge students to think for themselves.  How questioning impacts learning.  Experience with Socratic Seminars.  Foundations of Socratic Seminars  Questioning Practice  Demonstration Seminar  Practice Leading Micro-Seminars OutcomesAgenda

Socratic Seminars Help to Develop:  Reading skills  Writing skills  Listening skills  Speaking skills  Test-Taking skills  Critical Thinking  Initiative  Classroom Community  Originality  Self-Respect