Socratic Seminar
Definition/Synopsis:
The goal of a Socratic seminar is for students to help one another understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in a specific text. Students are responsible for facilitating a discussion around ideas in the text rather than asserting opinions. Through a process of listening, making meaning, and finding common ground, students work toward shared understanding rather than trying to prove a particular argument. A Socratic seminar is not used for the purpose of debate, persuasion, or personal reflection, as the focus is on developing shared meaning of a text.
A Socratic Seminar is a scholarly discussion of an essential question in which student opinions are shared, proven, refuted, and refined through dialogue with other students. In classes of more than fifteen students, the fishbowl format for Socratic seminars should be used. In this format, the teacher or seminar leader facilitates the discussion. Only half the class, seated in an inner circle, participates in the discussion at one time. The other half of the class, seated in an outer circle, consists of the students who act as observers and coaches. Every student's participation is graded.
Research Articles:
Socratic Seminar Rationale and Procedures:
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/socratic-seminar
Guidelines for Socratic Seminar:
http://www.authenticeducation.org/documents/WhatSeminar04.pdf
AVID Socratic Seminar
http://pms.pasco.k12.fl.us/wp-content/uploads/pms/2014/08/Socratic-Seminar.pdf
Higher Order Comprehension: The Power of Socratic Seminar By Angela Bunyi http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2010/11/higher-order-comprehension-power-socratic-seminar
Socratic Seminars in the Middle http://www.middleweb.com/8989/socratic-seminars-in-middle-school/
Using Socratic Seminar for meaningful class discussions http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1333&context=lajm
Resources:
How to teach a Socratic Seminar
https://www.paideia.org/about-paideia/socratic-seminar/
Three rubrics for grading Socratic Seminar from Greece Central School District
http://www.greececsd.org/district.cfm?subpage=497.
Participation Rubric
https://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/stw/edutopia-kipp-criticalthinking-lessonplansrubric-rubric-socraticseminar.pdf
Socratic Seminar in Action- High School
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/bring-socratic-seminars-to-the-classroom
Questioning in Socratic Seminar - 4th grade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVjL6xWzWiQ
Texts:
Copeland, Matt. Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High
School. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2005. Print.
Hale, Michael S., and Elizabeth A. City. The Teacher's Guide to Leading Student-centered Discussions: Talking about
Texts in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2006. Print.
Wilberding, Erick. Teach like Socrates: Guiding Socratic Dialogues and Discussions in the Classroom. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
Print.
Zwiers, Jeff, and Marie Crawford. Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk That Fosters Critical Thinking and
Content Understandings. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2011. Print.
Technology:
Disclaimer: The nature of technology is that products are regularly being updated and changed. As a result, terms and conditions may change. To ensure that you will be in compliance for the age and requirements of your student body, please always review the terms of use, privacy policy, and communicate with parents according to the terms and conditions prior to beginning use.
Foundational Tools
Classroom management:
Collaboration & documentation apps:
Operational Mechanics
Research tools:
Alternate search tools:
Citations:
Definition/Synopsis:
The goal of a Socratic seminar is for students to help one another understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in a specific text. Students are responsible for facilitating a discussion around ideas in the text rather than asserting opinions. Through a process of listening, making meaning, and finding common ground, students work toward shared understanding rather than trying to prove a particular argument. A Socratic seminar is not used for the purpose of debate, persuasion, or personal reflection, as the focus is on developing shared meaning of a text.
A Socratic Seminar is a scholarly discussion of an essential question in which student opinions are shared, proven, refuted, and refined through dialogue with other students. In classes of more than fifteen students, the fishbowl format for Socratic seminars should be used. In this format, the teacher or seminar leader facilitates the discussion. Only half the class, seated in an inner circle, participates in the discussion at one time. The other half of the class, seated in an outer circle, consists of the students who act as observers and coaches. Every student's participation is graded.
Research Articles:
Socratic Seminar Rationale and Procedures:
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/socratic-seminar
Guidelines for Socratic Seminar:
http://www.authenticeducation.org/documents/WhatSeminar04.pdf
AVID Socratic Seminar
http://pms.pasco.k12.fl.us/wp-content/uploads/pms/2014/08/Socratic-Seminar.pdf
Higher Order Comprehension: The Power of Socratic Seminar By Angela Bunyi http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2010/11/higher-order-comprehension-power-socratic-seminar
Socratic Seminars in the Middle http://www.middleweb.com/8989/socratic-seminars-in-middle-school/
Using Socratic Seminar for meaningful class discussions http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1333&context=lajm
Resources:
How to teach a Socratic Seminar
https://www.paideia.org/about-paideia/socratic-seminar/
Three rubrics for grading Socratic Seminar from Greece Central School District
http://www.greececsd.org/district.cfm?subpage=497.
Participation Rubric
https://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/stw/edutopia-kipp-criticalthinking-lessonplansrubric-rubric-socraticseminar.pdf
Socratic Seminar in Action- High School
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/bring-socratic-seminars-to-the-classroom
Questioning in Socratic Seminar - 4th grade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVjL6xWzWiQ
Texts:
Copeland, Matt. Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High
School. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2005. Print.
Hale, Michael S., and Elizabeth A. City. The Teacher's Guide to Leading Student-centered Discussions: Talking about
Texts in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2006. Print.
Wilberding, Erick. Teach like Socrates: Guiding Socratic Dialogues and Discussions in the Classroom. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
Print.
Zwiers, Jeff, and Marie Crawford. Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk That Fosters Critical Thinking and
Content Understandings. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2011. Print.
Technology:
Disclaimer: The nature of technology is that products are regularly being updated and changed. As a result, terms and conditions may change. To ensure that you will be in compliance for the age and requirements of your student body, please always review the terms of use, privacy policy, and communicate with parents according to the terms and conditions prior to beginning use.
Foundational Tools
Classroom management:
- Google Classroom
- Distributing documents, links, and information to the entire class or separate groups, with easy, organized student turn-in process and teacher feedback and grade return.
- Blackboard
Collaboration & documentation apps:
- Google Docs
- This is similar to Microsoft Word; however, it is a living document that allows the owner to share it with others who can edit, comment, or view.
- Google Slides
- This is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint; however, it is a living document that allows the owner to share it with others who can edit, comment, or view.
- Google Sheets
- This is similar to Microsoft Excel; however, it is a living document that allows the owner to share it with others who can edit, comment, or view.
Operational Mechanics
Research tools:
Alternate search tools:
Citations:
(This is a great way for teachers to keep track of participation and students to track their own contributions... and those of others. This was created by Tamara Netzel and shared with the ACPS Honors Differentiation Class.)