Socratic Seminar Expectations Organization Adapted from HCPSS Mc

Socratic Seminar Expectations & Organization: Adapted from HCPSS & Mc. Kenna Wright, OMHS, paedia. org

What is a Socratic Seminar? ● “Within the context of the discussion, students listen closely to the comments of others, thinking critically for themselves, and articulate their own thoughts and their responses to the thoughts of others” (readwritethink. com). ● All seminars start with a good opening question and usually require pre-preparation ● Student-centered and evolve naturally based on conversation.

Use in College Writing Classes? Generates deeper understanding of readings Helps hold students accountable for reading in advance Applicable to rhetorical concepts Team building within the classroom; student buy-in Fair way to assess student participation Multi-use…. adapt to what works for your classroom

Organization ● Depending on class size, students are seated in two circles ● The inner circle will discuss the text and questions. ● The outer circle observes inner circle & participation ● A leader helps to guide discussion.

Types of Questions 1. Text Based 2. Thematic 3. Open-ended 4. Comparative Students can create all questions. However, for my first few seminars, I wrote the questions or pulled them from the textbook

Expectations for Participants Do ● Address everyone in the circle by name ● Speak clearly ● Refer to the text/questions ● Listen carefully Don’t ● Raise your hands ● Dominate the conversation ● Work on other things during the seminar ● Speak to the center of the circle or only the leader

The Leader The leader plays a dual role as leader and participant. The seminar leader: ● keeps the discussion focused on the text ● asks follow-up questions ● helps participants clarify their positions when arguments become confused ● encourages reluctant participants while restraining their more vocal peers. ★ The leader may start out as the instructor and then become fully student-led. ★ The leader must be a master of the materials. ★ The leader must be patient, allowing the conversation to move through tangents to reach interesting conclusions.

Dialogue VS. Debate

#Driveprogress Audi “Daughter” Commerical

Socratic Seminar in a High School English Classroom: Further complexity, further structure https: //www. teachingchannel. org/videos/usi ng-socratic-seminars-in-classroom