Socratic Seminars

Incorporate Socratic Seminars in Your Classroom

No matter what content area you teach, you probably rely on written text that your students are required to read. Many of us assign reading to students, followed by some combination of lecturing, quizzing, and asking questions to ensure that students understand the content. To improve comprehension and retention, consider returning to an effective teaching method that has withstood the test of time.

Most of us are familiar with the philosopher Socrates and his public gatherings focusing on virtue and justice. He developed the Socratic Method, which allowed him to draw knowledge from his followers. The philosophical questions he askedhelped people to understand their true selves.

You can use the Socratic Method in your own classroom as well. Research has shown time and again that students are most inclined to retain information when it appeals to their personal beliefs and an opportunity to better understand themselves. The Socratic Seminar, the teaching model featured in this issue, is based on this research.

Socratic Seminars are beneficial in the classroom, to the whole school environment, and as a means to develop caring and thinking citizens. The metacognitive nature of the Socratic Method encourages students to think about how to reason and how to connect their experiences to their learning.

TIPS: INCORPORATE SOCRATIC SEMINARS IN YOUR CLASSROOM

What is a Socratic Seminar? A Socratic Seminar is a four-part teaching model composed of four elements:

• The Text (related to subject area you teach)
• The Question (needs to reflect genuine curiosity and has no “right” answer)
• The Leader (offers the question then plays a dual role as leader and participant)
• The Participants (Study the text in advance, listen actively, and share ideas using evidence from the text for support.)

The Text

The text you choose should be full of ideas and should stimulate extended, thoughtful dialogue. It may or may not be the primary textbook you use for your class. It could be an article you (or your students) find, or a stimulating summary of a video or DVD you showed in class.

An effective text raises important questions in the participants’ minds. Per the Socratic Method, there may not be right or wrong answers to these questions. At the end of a successful Socratic Seminar, participants may leave with more questions than they initially had.

The Question

Per the Socratic Method, there may not be right or wrong answers to the questions in the participants’ minds. At the end of a successful Socratic Seminar, participants may leave with more questions than they initially had. The question you pose needs to be one that allows for multiple answers and varying perspectives, allows for discovery, encourages a deeper interest in the subject, and be framed in a way that provokes thought. The best way to involve students actively in the learning process is to appeal to their own experiences and interests. This technique engages students on an emotional level.

The question needs to be one that encourages students to evaluate their opinions and participate in a conversation about them. All follow-up questions in the seminar can be based on the students’ ideas and responses to the original question.

When students actively and cooperatively develop knowledge and understanding, there is a greater chance that they will retain the knowledge.

The Leader

As the leader, your role is to direct students toward a deeper understanding of the text and a respect and consideration for their classmates’ points of view.

You can help paraphrase and restate student ideas, and draw out answers from everyone. Use Confirmatory Paraphrases such as “What I hear you saying is…” or “So your view is…”. Additional resources are available on our website on effective questioning and use & benefits of open-ended questions

Let participants know what is expected: They can refer to the text when needed, they can “pass” if they are not ready to share, they need to stick to the point currently being discussed, speak clearly so all can hear, and talk to everyone (not just the leader).

The Participants

Participants are responsible for the quality of the Socratic Seminar. Seminars are effective and productive when participants study the text, listen actively to other participants, share their ideas and questions in response to the ideas and questions of others, and search for evidence in the text to support their ideas.

When participants are encouraged to think aloud and share their ideas, they tend to interact more and more. Active participants have opportunities to examine and share their ideas. Participants can learn to ask one another questions like: “How did you reach that conclusion?”, “What do you think?”, or “What are the gaps in my thinking?” Initially the leader may have to model questions like these. As you use Socratic Seminars, participants will follow your model and start asking the questions themselves.

http://csep.psyc.memphis.edu/mcnamara/pdf/projectdesc.pdf.
http://www.forpd.ucf.edu/content/lesson14/lesson14topic7.htm.

Source: The above tips are based on PLS's graduate course Differentiated Instruction for Today's Classroom™. For more information see "Related Graduate Course" to the right.

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