Socraticseminars

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Socrates

--Steven Paul Jobs

Socratic Seminars
An Instructional Unit for Pre-service Teachers

What does Socratic mean?
Socratic comes from the name

Socrates
Classical Greek philosopher who developed a
Theory of Knowledge.

http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ELA/SocraticSeminars/faqsaboutss.htm

What was Socrates' Theory of
Knowledge?
Socrates was convinced that the surest way
attain
reliable knowledge was through the practice of
disciplined

conversation
He called this method dialectic.


What does dialectic mean?
di-a-lec-tic (noun) means the art or practice of
examining opinions or ideas logically,
often by the method of

Question and Answer
so as to determine their validity.


How did Socrates use the
dialectic?
He would begin with a discussion of the obvious
aspects of any

problem
Socrates would feign ignorance about a subject
and try to draw out from the other person his
fullest possible knowledge about it.

The Vision
 Socrates believed that enabling
students to think for themselves was
more important than filling their heads
with“right answers.”

The Vision
Participants seek deeper understanding of
complex ideas through rigorously thoughtful
dialogue, rather than by memorizing bits of
information.

What is a Socratic Seminar?
A Socratic Seminar is a method used to understand
information by creating dialectic in class
regarding a

specific text
Participants seek deeper understanding of complex
ideas in text through rigorous thoughtful dialogue,
rather than by memorizing bits of information.


What are Socratic Seminars?
Highly motivating form of intellectual and
scholarly discourse.

What are Socratic Seminars?
 Usually range from 30-50 minutes
 An effective
Socratic Seminar
creates dialogue
as opposed to
debate.

Benefits include:
 Time to engage in in-depth discussions,
problem solving, and clarification of
ideas


Benefits include:
 Building a strong, collaborative work
culture


Benefits include:
 Enhanced knowledge and research
base


Benefits include:
 Increased success for all students


Benefits include:
 Teaching respect for diverse ideas,
people, and practices


Benefits include:
 Creating a positive learning environment
for all students


Overview and Review
 http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/socratic/index.html
http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/socratic/index.htm

Four Elements
 An effective seminar consists of four
interdependent elements:
1. the text being considered
2. the questions raised
3. the seminar leader, and
4. the participants

The Text:
Socratic Seminar texts are chosen for richness in
ideas, issues, values and their ability to stimulate
dialogue.
A good text raises important

questions
There are no right or wrong answers.
At the end of successful Socratic Seminars,
participants often leave with more questions than
they brought with them.

The Text
Socratic Seminar texts are chosen for their
richness in ideas, issues, and values, and their
ability to stimulate extended, thoughtful
dialogue.


The Text
A seminar text can be drawn from readings in
literature, history, science, math, health, and
philosophy or from works of art or music.


The Question:
A Socratic Seminar opens with a
Question
posed by the leader or solicited from participants
as they acquire more experience in seminars.
Responses to the opening question generate new
questions from the leader and participants,
leading to new responses.


The Question
 An opening question has no right answer
 It reflects a genuine curiosity on the part

of the leader.

Does the factory model of
education cause the
oppression and failure of
many non-mainstream
cultures?

The Question
 An effective opening question leads
participants back to the text as they speculate,
evaluate, define, and clarify the issues
involved.
 Responses to the opening question generate new
questions
 The line of inquiry evolves on the spot rather than
being predetermined by the leader.

Starting Dialogue
 Asking questions is the key!
 A leader prompts the use of dialogue
 Participants learn to be less attached to their
ideas and less reliant on persuasion for
influencing opinions.
 Dialogue is a skill of collaboration that
enables groups to create collective thinking.

Discussion & Dialogue
 Discussion in the dictionary is "a close
examination of a subject with interchange
of opinions, sometimes using argument, in
an effort to reach an agreement.

The Leader:
In a Socratic Seminar, the leader plays a dual role as

Leader and Participant
Keeps the discussion focused on the text by
 asking follow-up questions
 helping clarify positions when arguments become
confused
 involving reluctant participants

The Leader:
As a seminar participant, the leader actively engages
in the group's exploration of the

text
To do this effectively, the leader must know the text
well enough to anticipate varied interpretations and
recognize important possibilities

The Participants
In a Socratic Seminar, participants carry the burden
of responsibility for the quality of the seminar.
There are three ways to do this:

Studying
Participating
Sharing

Expectations of Participants
Did I…..
 Speak loudly and clearly?

 Cite reasons and evidence for my statements?

 Use the text to find support?

 Listen to others respectfully?

 Stick with the subject?

 Talk to others, not just to the leader?

 Paraphrase accurately?

 Avoid inappropriate language?

 Ask questions to clear up confusion?

 Support others?

 Avoid hostile exchanges?

 Question others in a civil manner?

 Seem prepared?

The Process - Pre-Seminar
 http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/socratic/process2.h

The Process - During the
Seminar

QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

The Process - Post Seminar

Seminar Planning Form
 http://www.journeytoexcellence.org/practice/i
nstruction/theories/miscideas/socratic/form.pht
ml

Self Rating Form
nstruction/theories/miscideas/socratic/chart.pht
ml

Observation Form
nstruction/theories/miscideas/socratic/observat
ion.phtml

Facility Evaluation Form
nstruction/theories/miscideas/socratic/facilitato
r.phtml

Assessment Rubric
nstruction/theories/miscideas/socratic/facilitato
r.phtml
Other Sample Assessments
http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/socratic/assessm
ent.html

References

 http://cfbstaff.cfbisd.edu/juliank/AVID/Socrati
c%20Seminar%20Notes.htm

Socratic Seminar -
Factory Model of Education as
Discussed by Pre-Service
Teachers

The Text
Education Schooling, Learning
http://www.polyarchy.org/education.html

Competing Models of Education
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0226-25.htm

Remodel Schools into Knowledge Factories
http://www.pbs.org/merrow/news/usa_today4.html

Models of Pedagogy
http://www.riccistreet.net/port80/boardwalk/highered/m
odels.htm

The Questions
 Does the factory model of education provide
students with the skills needed to increase their
chance of survival in the United States
society?
 Does the factory model of education cause the
oppression and failure of many non-
mainstream cultures?

Student Reactions
Like many, this Socratic seminar was my
first and I found it to be enjoyable. I feel
that it is beneficial because every voice in
the group is heard. I believe that teaching is
a profession in which the professionals
need to talk more and be more open about
their careers and their practices.

Student Reactions
One of only drawbacks to the seminar is a time
restraint. It is hard to really delve deep into the
questions when everyone needs to talk and there
are only 60 minutes to talk. Much time is needed
to talk about these problems but I feel it is very
important for us to begin now, while in training,
so that hopefully in the future we will continue
the practice at our school sites.

Student Reactions
Exchanging ideas in such an environment allows
for both a broad, and a deep, understanding of a
text, and for the ideas that the text elicits. Also,
gratification from a community-based,
respectfully conducted, shared experience holds
benefits for all. The drawbacks enter when any
of the criteria are not met. That is, when any
component (leader, participant, question, text)
does not meet its responsibility, the quality of
the seminar "can be" sacrificed.

Student Reactions
I felt really nervous going into the seminar with it being
my first stab. I felt like I was prepared being that I read
and re-read the literature, made notes and created
questions, but then when we all sat down in a circle, my
brain flew the coop. A thought would come to mind
and then I'd flip through the readings trying to find the
source for the thought, and then I'd feel like the
conversation had moved on. But, I did like the structure
and felt our group worked at being respectful and being
supportive of what our fellow classmates had
contributed to the conversation.

Student Reactions
Well, for this being my first Socratic seminar ever, I was
a bit blown away by the whole process. In general, I like
to think before I speak- al least in the educational world,
and I found it very hard to listen to what other's were
saying while trying to find the quote or piece to back up
my comment. However, I did find the conversation to
move nicely and we really did come up with new
questions and answers to the topics. I was afraid this
was going to turn into a messy debate over personal
opinions- we stuck to the directions nicely.

Student Reactions
The ability to search out relevant quotes and formulate
your own thoughts while simultaneously listening
deeply to others' comments is a pretty specialized skill
and one that I think develops the more you use the
Socratic seminar model. I think we did amazingly well
for a first-try. A Socratic seminar is very much a
process - it does not fit neatly into a small period of
time, The great thing about learning it well, though, is
that it is very empowering to know that you have just as
much control over the conversation as anyone else . . .

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