SOCRATIC SEMINARS

Socratic Seminars are the result of the work of Mortimer Adler, Director of the Institute for Philosophical Research in Chicago. Adler published The Paideia Proposal (1982) and Paideia Problems and Possibilities (1983) in which he argued that education should be rooted in three goals: the acquisition of knowledge, the development of intellectual skills, and the enlarged understanding of ideas and values. The first goal can be accomplished through textbooks and didactic teaching in the content areas. The second goal can be developed through coaching, exercises, and supervised practice. The third goal can be achieved through Socratic Questioning and Active Participation using books (not textbooks), other works of art, or involvement in artistic activities (Paideia Proposal 23). The seminar begins with a teacher's question but is entirely different from the Socratic questioning style which many teachers already employ.

Teaching by discussion imposes still other requirements. For older children, it calls for more than a fifty-minute class period. It calls for a room in which the participants in the discussion sit around a table instead of in rows. The teacher is one of the participants, not the principal performer standing up in front of the group.

The teacher's role in discussion is to keep it going along fruitful lines–by moderating, guiding, correcting, leading, and arguing like one more student! The teacher is first among equals. All must have the sense that they are participating as equals, as is the case in a genuine conversation. (Paideia Proposal 54)

The seminar is more than a common classroom discussion in that it is focused on a text–book, painting, poem, film clip, scientific hypothesis, etc. The Socratic Seminar is also a performance assessment, and as such, it begins with outcomes. Numerous critical thinking skills are addressed through the seminar method including analysis of text, synthesis of ideas, evaluation of concepts, and inferential reasoning. Of course, speaking and listening skills are developed as well. Socratic Seminars also include a written dimension. Students can write about the ideas presented or evaluate the quality of the seminar itself (participation, quality of comments, insights, new ideas). These activities can be used by all disciplines as teachers engage in discussing and evaluating concepts and texts in all content areas be they musical scores, paintings, mathematical theorems, or scientific experiments.

Three Kinds of Teaching and Learning

These three columns do not correspond to separate courses or disciplines, and one kind of teaching or learning is not confined to any one class.

What to Do

1. Choose a text. Good texts are ones that interest the students. Paragraphs and lines (or portions of a score or painting) need to be easily identified and referenced.
2. Design possible opening questions. Good opening questions:
   • arise from genuine interest or curiosity on the part of the teacher,
   • are open to interpretation (no right or wrong answer),
   • foster analysis and a greater understanding of the text,
   • are supportable by the text (answered by reference to the text),
   • are framed in such a way that they generate dialogue from the students.
3. Teach any background information necessary for a good understanding of the text. This prevents the need for the teacher to interrupt the discussion to clarify or provide additional information.
4. Have the students put their desks in circle so that they can see each other. Provide an empty desk for the "hot seat."
5. Choose an outer circle to critique, trouble-shoot, record main and dropped ideas, journal on what they heard, etc. Students who didn't do the necessary reading or randomly chosen students make up the outer circle. These students may sit in the "hot seat" if they want to participate.
6. 1. Start by explaining the Socratic Seminar to the students. Explain that the conversation is theirs, and that your question is a starting point which they can move away from as they pose ideas and questions that are more interesting to them as long as the new ideas and questions can be discussed in terms of the text.
   2. Tell the students to direct their comments to other students and explain to them that you will not comment on what they say, since this will cause them to talk to you rather than to each other. It may help if you look down or avoid eye contact until the discussion takes off on its own.
   3. Encourage the students to think before they talk, try to comment, or add on to what others have said. Listen to others.
7. Toss out the question.
   1. Students have learned to be passive, and this activity can be risky for some students, so it may take time for some groups to catch on. The conversation is likely to have stops and starts, but it is crucial that the teacher not step in and try to rescue the conversation. If the conversation goes dead, wait. Students will find the silence unbearable before the teacher does. Your silence also indicates your level of commitment to the activity.
   2. If students ask you a question, throw it out to the group or ask the questioner what his/her opinion is. Answer factual questions only if there is no way around it.
   3. Teacher Behavior
      • Keep students from having side conversations.
      • Ask students to cite support from the text of the conversation begins to wander.
      • Invite students to participate.
      • Keep conversations from becoming debate or debasement of others.
      • Ask students to question their assumptions.
      • Manipulate the amount of participation. For example, if only a few students are speaking, the teacher might say, "Everyone who has spoken so far, look at the clock, and don't jump in for five minutes." Or if one gender is dominating the conversation, ask for the other to speak for the next five minutes.
      • Use the outer circle to your advantage if the conversation is truly dying out prematurely. Ask the students sitting there to summarize or comment on what they have heard. Ask them to re-introduce the points they thought were especially good or prematurely dropped. This strategy can often reignite the conversation.
8. End the seminar when it feels done. With an experienced group, you might ask the students, or a student might suggest it. If things go really well, a student may suggest another poem, text, or section to discuss which correlates well with the original text.
9. The Critique Go around the circle and ask each student about the experience. What was good about it? What was not so good? What could be improved for the next time? Let the outer circle discuss the group dynamics, but be careful that they focus their comments on group rather than individual behaviors.

Extension Activities

Socratic Seminars are good preparation for individual explication or a comparison/contrast essay. Students can journal about the texts discussed.

DIALOGUE AND DEBATE

Dialogue is collaborative. Multiple sides work towards shared understanding.

Debate is appositional. Two opposing sides try to prove each other wrong.

In dialogue, one listens to understand, to make meaning, and to find common ground.

In debate, one listens to find flaws, to spot differences, and to counter arguments.

Dialogue enlarges and possibly changes a participant's view.

Debate affirms a participant's point of view.

Dialogue reveals assumptions for reevaluation.

Debate defends assumptions as truth.

Dialogue creates an open-minded attitude, an openness to being wrong and an openness to change.

Debate creates a close-minded attitude, a determination to be right.

In dialogue, one submits one's best thinking, expecting that the reflections of others will help improve it rather than threaten it.

In debate, one submits one's best thinking and defends it against a challenge to show that it is right.

In dialogue, one searches for the strengths in all positions.

In debate, one searches for the weaknesses in the other positions.

Dialogue respects all the other participants and seeks not to alienate or offend.

Debate rebuts contrary positions and may belittle or deprecate other participants.

Dialogue assumes that many people have pieces of answers and that cooperation can lead to workable solutions.

Debate assumes a single right answer that someone already has.

Dialogue remains open-ended.

Debate demands a conclusion.

from: Peter Winchell, Consultant. Socratic Seminars West.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING IN A SEMINAR

One goal of seminars is to understand the ideas and thoughts of others through asking questions and listening to answers. This means that seminar participants must practice how to agree and disagree. Participants must be able to disagree without being disagreeable. In order to do so, the participants can use the following suggested ways of responding as a way of framing their thoughts before they speak. Speaking and responding in a calm, collaborative manner is essential to good discussion and dialogue.

1. I agree with__________ because, but I want to add another reason why I think_________is true. (Give another reason.)____________________________________________________________
2. I disagree with__________because__________________________________________________
3. I'm not sure why___________said________________________________________________. Can you reword your comments to help me understand?
4. I understand your point,__________, but I want to add/disagree/give another side:_____________ ______________________________________________________________________________
5. This is what I think you are saying. ________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________Is that correct?

SEMINAR PLANNING FORM

SAMPLE SOCRATIC SEMINAR EXAMINING A PAINTING

[ON BOARD: "I see . . .," "I observe . . .," "I notice . . ."]

30 Minutes: Pre-Seminar

1. Point out phrases on the board and explain how they are to be used.
2. Distribute copies of the painting.
3. 2-3 minutes for silent observations. Suggest to students that they may want to list observations.
4. "Round Robin" observing using phrases on the board.
5. List observations on chart paper.

10 Minutes: Biography of the Painter

30 Minutes: Seminar

Opening Question: What would be a good title for this painting?

30 Minutes: Post-Seminar

Give actual title.

1. Distribute paper.
2. Write opinion: Is this title appropriate? Support your answer.

10 Minutes: Sharing of Written Responses

SEMINAR RATING CHART

For___________________________

Date__________________________

Positive Behaviors

___ 1. I came prepared for the seminar.
___ 2. I was courteous to the other students.
___ 3. I paused and thought before speaking.
___ 4. I listened to others tell their opinions.
___ 5. I kept an open mind for opinions different from my own.
___ 6. I acted as a positive role model for other students.
___ 7. I built on what was said just before I gave my opinion.
___ 8. I used fixed examples from the text to support statements.
___ 9. I felt comfortable speaking in the seminar.
___10. I gave my opinions clearly.

Negative Behaviors

• 
  ___11. I interrupted others.
  ___12. I acted silly.
  ___13. I did not look at the person who was speaking.
  ___14. I talked off the topic.
  ___15. I talked too much or not at all

.

SOCRATIC SEMINAR OBSERVATION FORM

Observer_________________________________Date__________________________________

Reading Item____________________________________________________________________

Opening Question_________________________________________________________________

Comments - Use these numbers for comments.

1. Needs to speak more.
2. Playful
3. Calls out, interrupts.
4. Plays with name card and other things.
5. Needs to listen more carefully- asks for repeated comments.
6. Has an excellent idea.
7. Asks good questions.
8. Outstanding participation- includes responding, asking questions, paraphrasing, and deferring.

Seminar Leader's  EVALUATION SHEET

Date______________ Name Group Reading Item

In the course of the seminar:

What was the most interesting question?

What was the most interesting idea to come from a participant?

What was the best thing you observed?

What was the most troubling thing you observed?

What do you think should be done differently in the next seminar?

SEMINAR PLANNING FORM

Title of Seminar________________________________________Date_________Level________

SEMINAR RUBRIC

Oral Presentation Criteria

1. Addresses the question using evidence from the text. Cites examples, passages, characters from the text to support answers. Comments show that the student has read the text, understood it, and is making connections between the text and ideas generated by the seminar.
2. Makes relevant comments during the seminar which show response to the previous speaker's ideas. Helps to enlarge understanding of the text and ideas generated in the seminar.
3. Takes the initiative in participating, does not have to be prompted.
4. May ask questions to clarify and deepen the discussion of ideas.

Other Presentation Criteria

1. Is on time for the seminar.
2. Shows attentiveness through body language: sitting up straight, looking at the speaker, giving the speaker the floor.
3. Does not belittle or criticize others' comments.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR SOCRATIC SEMINARS