Today we are going to learn more about Socratic seminars, which are group discussions based on a text. The idea is that students exchange the main ideas and thoughts about the text so they help each other to understand it. The focus is not on sharing opinions and providing arguments but on listening closely other students’ comments. In this way, students learn from others, express their own thoughts, develop the critical-thinking skill and work cooperatively by means of a group conversation.
An interesting fact about this activity is that it is name is due to the Socrates’ belief in the power of asking questions, prize inquiry over information and discussion over debate.
Before implementing this activity in the classroom, there are few things that teachers need to know. First of all, this is a long-term activity since it requires everybody’s commitment. Therefore, at the beginning of the academic year, the teacher has to establish classroom procedures, routines, and expectations. Secondly, students need to be aware that they should show the utmost respect for each other and that there are some rules that they haveto follow.
Here you have some of them:
1. Select a suitable text 📖
It is important to choose a text that leaves room for interpretation and discussion. Furthermore, its length needs to be taken into account. Therefore, it must be a short text which provokes students’ reactions.
2. Give students time to prepare 🕐
Before the seminar, students need time to develop their ideas and prepare them so that they can do meaningful contributions to the conversation.
3. Make sure that students undertand the activity ✅
It is important that everyone is aware of the norms before beginning the seminar. It is also crucial to remind them that the objective is not to debate or prove their points but to deeply undertand the text and the author’s point of view.
4.The socratic seminar 📢
It often begins with an open-ended questions made by the teacher, who usually fills the role of discussion leader as students learn about seminars. Remind yourself that the value of the question lies in its explortation, not on the answer. The teacher only has to guide the seminar, so avoid correcting or redirecting.
5. Assessment 📋
Once the seminar has finished, give students time to evaluate the whole activity and their performance in particular. When it comes to the evaluation, take into account that the capacity for inquiring into text is more important than “getting it right” at a given point.
This would be the main guidelines for implementing a socratic seminar at class but in case you are interested and want further information on the topic you can click here. And if you want to see an example of a Socratic Seminar watch this video.
I hope this information has been useful for you!
See you soon in the next post! 😘
Posted by Claudia López.
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