Socratic Seminars Amy Mulholland, M.Ed.

Socratic Seminars  Based on Socrates’ method of question  Promotes critical thinking  Can be used in differentiated instruction  Can be used to cross team – cross grade level

The Question – The Text  Explain topic and controversy  Multiple perspectives  Old knowledge in new light  Leads to discovery (NO RIGHT ANSWER)  Encourage interest  Provocative

Pre-Seminar – the day before  The students have the responsibility of coming prepared (informed, with questions)  Reader response  Free writing activities  Webbing  Personal or Group Research

Pre-seminar – participant guidelines  Refer to text  Ask for clarification  Stick to the point  Take turns speaking  Listen  Address the group  Discuss ideas rather than opinions

Pre-seminar – how to dialogue  Dialogue is Collaborative  Listen to understand  Enlarges and changes  Open-minded  Offers thinking for improvement  Seeks strength in all positions  Respectful  Open-ended  Debate is Oppositional  Listen to find flaw  Defends truth  Close-minded  Offer thinking and defends it  Seeks weakness in other positions  Demeaning  Conclusion

The day of the seminar  The teacher will offer initial questions…  Who? Where? When?  What is the issue? Micro/Macro  How? Why? Did this happen?  What is the outcome/ resolution  Evaluate the outcome

During-Seminar  Groups of kids  Talking chips  Talking chains  Monitor your neighbor  Inner and outer circles

Post-Seminar  Journal Writing  Self-assessment narrative  Follow up project (more research, newspaper editorials, etc.)  RAFTs

Your Turn  Read the article  What is liberty?  What are the different positions?  How do we balance issues of safety and civil rights?

References  _seminar.htm _seminar.htm  n//html/tutorialsocratic.html n//html/tutorialsocratic.html