Socratic Seminars

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Socratic Seminars

• Amy Mulholland, M.Ed.
• admulholland_at_gmail.com

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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

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The Question The Text

• Explain topic and controversy
• Multiple perspectives
• Old knowledge in new light
• Leads to discovery (NO RIGHT ANSWER)
• Encourage interest
• Provocative

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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

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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

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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

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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

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During-Seminar

• Groups of 10-13 kids
• Talking chips
• Talking chains
• Monitor your neighbor
• Inner and outer circles

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Post-Seminar

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

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Your Turn

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

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References

• http//www.studyguide.org/socratic_seminar.htm
• http//www.ncsu.edu/literacyjunction//html/tutoria
  lsocratic.html