Socratic Seminars
Socratic seminars are based on the Greek Philosopher Socrates' who taught his followers by asking questions. Socratic seminars can transform students' learning experience from elementary school to high school and beyond. A Socratic seminar is a collaborative, intellectual dialogue facilitated with open-ended questions based on a text.
Socratic seminars are based on the Greek Philosopher Socrates' who taught his followers by asking questions. Socratic seminars can transform students' learning experience from elementary school to high school and beyond. A Socratic seminar is a collaborative, intellectual dialogue facilitated with open-ended questions based on a text.
5 part-process
- Students read and analyze the seminar text.
- Teacher gives guidelines for effective communication. Students set listening and speaking goals.
- During the seminar, the teacher's use of Socratic questioning creates more complex thinking and therefore more articulate self-expression.
- After the seminar, students asses their progress of meeting speaking and listening goals.
- A writing assignment gives students the chance to further explore the ideas discussed in the seminar.
Some general guidelines to remember when conducting a Socratic seminar:
- Students should be given the chance to think for themselves
- Some form of reflection (could be written) should be done afterwards
- Everyone should share
- Use each other's names
- Only one person speaks at a time
- There is no single right answer
- Explore inferences
- Text-based discussion
- Dual role of leader (participant and leader)
Here are some stem questions that can be displayed in the classroom for use from both the leader and students:
Agree / Disagree
- Has anyone else had a similar . . .?
- Who has a different . . .?
Clarification
- I'm not sure I understand . . .?
- Tell me more about . . .?
- Do you see gaps in my reasoning?
- Are you taking into account something different from what I have considered?
Support Questions
- Can you give us an example of . . .?
- Where in the story . . .?
- What would be a good reason for . . .?
- What is some evidence for . . .?
Cause and Effect
- Why do you think that happened?
- How could that have been prevented?
- Do you think that would happen that way again? Why?
- What are some reasons people . . .?
- How are __________ and _______ alike? Different?
- What is that similar to?
- Can you think of why this feels different than . . .?
- How does this (poem, book, incident, etc.) remind you of . . .?
- What are some of the reasons this wouldn't (would) be a good idea?
- Would anyone like to speak to the opposite side?
- Those are some reasons this would work; what reasons might it not work?
- How might she/he have felt . . .?
- What do you think he/she was thinking when . . .?
- He might not like that, but can you think of someone who would?
- _____________ has expressed a different opinion. Are there others?
- Do you have a different interpretation?
- Do you have different conclusions?
- How did you arrive at your view?
- If that was the goal, what do you think about . . (the action, reaction)?
- What were her/his choices of how to . . .?
- Why was she/he doing that? (Reply gives reason) What do you think of that approach?
- What better choices could he/she have made?
- What rules would we need to make sure . . .?
- Would that still happen if . . . ?
- What might have made the difference?
- Can you describe a situation that would . . .?
- Suppose ________________. Would that still be true? Why or why not?
- What are some things that you wonder about?
- What would you like to know about?
- Are there questions we should remember now?
Personal Experience
- What would you do in that situation?
- Has anything like that ever happened to you?
- In what way are you alike or different from . . .?
References
Paideia Active Learning (2015). How to Teach a Socratic Seminar. Retrieved from http://www.paideia.org/about-paideia/socratic-seminar/
Greece Central School District. Opening and Sustaining Questions. Retrieved from http://www.greececsd.org/academics.cfm?subpage=1559