Www.nwabr.org/education/pdfs/PRIMER/PrimerPieces/SocSem.pdf. Inside the Classroom Door… » Socratic Seminar Guide. Socratic Seminar Preparation Guide A Socratic seminar is one where we examine a text for a deeper understanding of the ideas rather than “right” answers. It requires knowledge of the text and using the text to support your thoughts. The questions are mostly open-ended—they invite discussion. When working as a member of a Socratic seminar, the goal is not to prove other people are wrong but to understand the ideas from more than one point of view. As we practiced in our listening skills unit, we look each other in the eye when listening and speaking, we use each other’s first names, and we acknowledge what others said before adding our opinions. You will probably notice many of the questions and skills in the Socratic seminar are similar to those we use in literature circles.
The seminar requires you to prepare in advance. . · Read the text completely, using sticky notes if it’s a textbook or annotating the text to highlight the most important or key passages. · Spoke loudly and clearly. Www.authenticeducation.org/documents/WhatSeminar04.pdf. Socratic Seminar Student Guidelines. "The unexamined life is not worth living. " -Socrates Guidelines for Participants in a Socratic Seminar 1. Refer to the text when needed during the discussion. A seminar is not a test of memory. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Expectations of Participants in a Socratic Seminar When I am evaluating your Socratic Seminar participation, I ask the following questions about participants. Speak loudly and clearly? What is the difference between dialogue and debate? Socratic Seminar: Participant Rubric. Hhh.k12.ny.us/uploaded/PDFs/DI_Pdfs/Day_1/hertberg.pdf. Socratic Seminar Guidelines: A Practical Guide.
Balancing Participation: In the first discussion of any group, three to five people will monopolize the conversation right away. This is natural but far from ideal. Ideally, the conversation is equally shared among all of the participants. Those who naturally dominate should be encouraged to listen first and speak later. Those who rarely speak should be encouraged to participate at least once. Try out some of the following ideas to help support this: Limit those who speak often to a certain number of questions and responses. Note that those who talk a lot will become frustrated when they reach their limit and can no longer speak.
The leader must resist the temptation to save the participants from the uncomfortable silences! The process takes time and lots of repetition, but the results are powerful.