Socratic Seminar How do I start? EDU 592 Curriculum for the Gifted Converse College

Socratic Circle  The term ‘Socratic seminar’ appears to have first been used by the Great Books Program founder Scott Buchanan in his work with the St. John’s College New Program, and the concept has been popularized by organizations such as The Center for Socratic Practice, the Touchstones Project, Junior Great Books, the National Paideia Center, and the Coalition of Essential Schools.

Socrates c B.C.  School: Classical Greek  Main interests: Epistemology, Ethics  Main ideas: Socratic method, Socratic irony  Influences: Plato, Aristotle, Aristipus, Antisthenes, Western philosophy  Father: Stonemason, Mother: Midwife  Three son

Socrates chose to honor his commitment to truth and morality even though it cost him his life One should never do wrong even in response to the evil committed by another It Always is wrong to disobey the state Therefore, one ought never to disobey the state.

Socratic Method  Is a form of philosophical inquiry  Involves asking a series of questions surrounding a central issue  Draws individual answers  Encourages fundamental insights into the issues at hand  Involves the defenses of one point of view against another  Is oppositional

Three Column Diagram Didadic (facts)CoachingMaieutic or Socratic Acquisition of knowledge Develop skillsEnlarge understanding By means of: Lectures and textbooks In Language, Literature, Math, and Social Studies By means of: Exercises Questioning about skills in problem solving, critical thinking, communication By means of: Socratic questioning About ideas in the discussion of books, poems, ethics, reality, etc.

We Learn Well… 5 % of what we hear in a lecture 10% of what we read 20% from an audio-visual presentation 30% from a demonstration 50% of what is discussed in a group 70% of what we practice or do 90% of what we teach to another

 One hallmark of Socratic questioning is that typically there is more than one “correct” answer and more often, no clear answer at all!

Rules for conducting a seminar  1. Students are seated in a circle  2. The seminar leader may only ask questions.  3. All students must have read the selection  4. Answers given to the questions(s) are related to the text under study; no outside source is cited.

Leader Guidelines  1. Ask an opening question  2. Ask for clarification in a given response as needed  3. Redirect the question until a clear answer is given  4. Look for connections of the responses to larger issues.  5. Involve everyone

Guidelines (cont.)  6. Use wait time  7. Be an active listener  8. Objectively receive the participant’s answer  9. Do not insist on common agreement; seek diverging opinions on the answers  10. Determine the resolution of the question.

3 types of questions:  1. Fact - (ticket into the circle)  2. Interpretation – I think…  3. Evaluation-I believe…

Developing Good Socratic Seminar Questions:  The questions should deal with the important crucial elements of the work  The questions should relate to the work at hand  Clarity and simplicity of the question is important (KISS).  The questions should be interesting to the leader of the discussion.

How to Conduct a Seminar:  1. Read the selection  2. Read the selection again, and…  3. Evaluate the student’s readiness for the content  4. Consider school or community factors  5. Underline crucial words.  6. identify pivotal sentences

Conducting a seminar (con.t)  7. Make a list of the important  -points  -questions  Problems/issues  Concepts/themes  8. Compose a series of questions to be asked.  9. Rank the order of the questions

Steps (cont.)  10. Determine the time available for the seminar and prioritize the questions.  11. Prepare 5 good questions; plan to use 3, begin with the best question first!  Demonstration: Demonstration:

Final thoughts:  Hold the seminar on the same day of the week  Ask students to form a circle with their chairs and take out paper and a pencil.  Ask three questions of an obvious nature to see who has read the story or passage. If the questions are not answered correctly, put the students and their chairs outside the circle. These students must copy the story while the rest of the group continues with the discussion.

In Closing:  Remember these comments from Socrates:  “The notes of the teacher become the notes of the student without having gone through the minds of either one.”  “I cannot teach anybody, I can only make them think.”

And finally…  Socrates is admired for his willingness to explore an argument wherever it would lead as well as having the moral courage to follow its conclusion.  Teach students to think for themselves. This is the only classic method of teaching that was designed to create genuinely autonomous thinkers. Isn’t it the best way to prepare students for the world they will inherit?