Socratic Seminar Student Facilitator Guide
STUDENT FACILIATATOR: __________________________________
- Make sure group is on task and focused
- Encourage thoughtful responses
- Make sure the group is asking higher level thinking questions
- Discourage cross-talk and enforce the “rule of five”
- Encourage shy classmates to speak
- Remain Neutral: Keep Questions & Comments Value-Free! Participants make
judgments, connections; you remain neutral. (Don’t agree or disagree)
Troubleshooting the “What Ifs…”
What if students do not speak during seminar?
1. Allow up to a minute for thought time and repeat the question or rephrase it.
2. Try the “round robin” strategy by calling on students one by one around the circle to
solicit a response from “those who have not yet contributed.”
3. Tell students to reflect and write their responses down to a question, “This is really a
store about… (Theme).” Do a round robin to list all answers (themes). Then say, “Let’s
start with Bill’s. How is this story about greed?”
4. Try moving on to an alternate question.
5. After allowing for enough thinking time for the others to speak, start off by answering the
question and then calling on others to respond to your comments.
What if one student tries to dominate the seminar?
1. If several hands are raised, always call on those who have not spoken yet before those
who have.
2. Enforce the “Rule of 5.”
3. If time is running short, politely announce that you need to move on to the next question.
What if students go off on a line of reasoning that is faulty or inaccurate and start building
on it?
1. Hopefully if an inaccuracy is voiced, another student will correct it. Minor inaccuracies
that are not built on should be allowed to pass.
2. Redirect the thinking with a follow-up question like, “Is there anyone who takes issue
with this line of reasoning?”
3. Another follow-up question, to call for evidence in text where none exists, should also
short-circuit a faulty position. Examples:
“Are you saying that…?”
“Where in the text do you find support for that?”
“What do you mean by …?”
“Would someone take issue with…?” <Inaccurate statements or ideas>
“What is your point?”
*These questions require students to defend or clarify point of view/ opinion with proof.