Socratic Seminar

What is a Socratic seminar?

A Socratic Seminar is a process in which students discuss ideas & express opinions. This is a much more effective way to teach critical thinking skills because students are given the opportunity to help each other understand & truly absorb the information and messages in a text rather than being quizzed or interrogated about it. The procedure includes selecting a text, preparing, contracting, having the Seminar & then reflecting.

Find examples of five guidelines for seminar participants and five expectations of participant.

For seminar participants, five guidelines are to be respectful, be quiet, prepare questions, evaluate a partner & to participate. Five expectations are the same!

How will you be assessed?

In a Socratic Seminar, you are assessed by a partner whom you will be listening closely to and evaluating. The typical evaluation includes three categories: analysis & reasoning, discussion skills & civility. You try your best in each area & are scored from 1-5 based upon success & effort.

In a fishbowl discussion, what is the role of the inward circle?

In a fishbowl discussion, the role of the inner circle is to have a discussion.

What is the role of the outer circle?

In a fishbowl discussion, the role of the outer circle is to listen & take notes.

Who was Socrates? Why do you think educators revere him?

Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher, one of the founders of Western study. I think educators revere him because his philosophy & ideas provide an amazing foundation for modern education. The Socratic strategy gives students critical thinking skills & presents them with questions rather than answers.

What is the difference between a Socratic seminar and a fishbowl?

The difference between a Socratic seminar and a fishbowl is that a socratic seminar includes everyone all at once, people can speak more than once & it is less structured; while a fishbowl everyone must sit in a circle, while the outside take notes & there are more talking & listening rules.

What is the difference between debate and dialogue?

The difference between debate and dialogue is that debate is a heated argument, one side usually trying to persuade the other and "win", showing that they are more correct. Dialogue is simply a discussion of ideas.

Explain the Purpose of the Socratic seminar.

The purpose of the Socratic seminar is not to compete, persuade or debate; it is rather to develop a deeper understanding & shared meaning of information.

Explain the three levels or three types of questions used within a seminar? Explain what each means.

The three levels or types of questions used within a seminar are opening, core & closing. Opening questions introduce the topic & cause students to begin contemplating it. They also make them identify information. Core questions cause the students to critically analyze the data & text. Closing questions involve having participants personally evaluate & conclude about values & ideas.

How should we prepare for a Socratic seminar?

We should prepare for a Socratic seminar by recording several opening questions to get the discussion started, a few general core questions to extend learning & of course the conclusion questions to bring the discussion to a close. Also, there must be a variety of participants & a respectful, quiet environment.

Closing Examples

What have you taken away from reading this meaningful text? / Do you believe that this character was necessary to be included in this novel? Why or why not? / To you, what does it mean to be an important part of a story? / What do these values mean to you in the real world, outside of the literature? / How do you prefer to read/write the start of a story or novel?

Core Examples

When you look at this sentence, does it accurately reflect the central message? / Is this character one of the central people in the story? If not, should they have been? / What characteristics or qualities does this character possess? / What are these values? Are some more necessary than others? / Could the author have introduced the book better? If so, how?

Opening Examples

Which passage in the text is most meaningful? / What impact did this chapter have on your overall opinion of the entire novel? / Which character stands out the most? Why? / What kind of values does this paragraph suggest are important to the narrator of the novel? / Does this sentence start out the book well? Why or why not?

https://sites.google.com/a/dcsdk12.org/etil

academycadre/fishbowl-socratic-seminar

https://www.facinghistory.org/for

educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategy/socratic-seminar

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/socratic

teaching/606