Socratic Seminars
Empowering Students with the 21st
Century Skills of Thinking Critically and
Creatively
Original Powerpoint by Kathy Apps, Ed.D.
Adapted by Laurie Kohls CLAS Teacher
Santa Ana Unified School District
What are Socratic Seminars?
A Socratic seminar is an “exploratory
intellectual conversation centered on
a text.” Leslie Lambright, 1995
Open-ended questions are asked by the participants
who listen closely, comment on what others have to say,
think critically for themselves, and articulate their own
thoughts and their responses to the thoughts of others.
They learn to work cooperatively and to question
intelligently and civilly.
Israel, Elfie. “Examining Multiple Perspectives in Literature.” In Inquiry and the Literary Text: Constructing Discussions in the English
Classroom. James Holden and John S. Schmit, eds. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2002.
The Man Behind the Questions
• Greek philosopher (470-399 B.C.)
• Turned Greek attention toward questions of
ethics and virtue
• His questioning technique laid the
foundation for today’s science
• Spent much time in the Athens marketplace
holding conversations with townspeople
• Exposed ignorance and conceit
• Had many followers but was disliked by the
governing Athenians
• At 70, convicted of atheism, treason, and
corruption of the young
• Jury sentenced him to death
• Had the opportunity to escape from prison
but chose not to because he valued law so
much
• Fulfilled his sentence of death by drinking
hemlock instead of living in banishment
and shame.
Aligning with Common Core
State Standards
Socratic Circles are an excellent means of developing
ACADEMIC SKILLS through INQUIRY
•Critical thinking
– Students see that critical thought is a skill practiced by all members of the classroom .
– Students see that like writing a rough draft, thinking is a work in progress.
•Creativity
– Students are more creative when they are engaged in a group, listening to the thinking
of others, bouncing ideas off one another, sparking imagination.
•Critical Reading
– Students gain a deeper understanding of literature and a heightened interest in
reading and writing when they know they will have to engage and share with peers.
•Speaking
– Students develop a stronger voice due to the collaborative nature of S.C.s. Students
learn that all contributions (even tangential and erroneous ones) help the group
develop understanding of the text being discussed. Students are held accountable to
their peers and not to the teacher.
•Listening
– Students learn quickly to improve their learning skills because their peers monitor and
report on their listening during the feedback session. S.C.s teach students to be
patient and respectful in listening to multiple perspectives.
Benefits continued…
Socratic circles are an excellent means of developing
SOCIAL/COLLABORATIVE SKILLS:
3
•Team-building
– In the structured format students learn to voice their
opinions in a positive, respectful, and cooperative
manner.
•Conflict resolution
– The dynamics of the conversation teaches participants
to listen and accept multiple points of view, how to
deal with people, and how to handle times when not
everyone agrees.
•Community building
– Socratic circles build classroom community because it
breaks down stereotypes and cliques of students
when they are all trying to reach a common goal.
GETTING STARTED
Process Overview
• Select a text that is grade-level
appropriate.
• Read the text aloud in class.
• Students then read the text
silently, analyze, and take notes
Process Overview
• After completing the reading and preparing the
text, students practice writing higher-level
questions for the Socratic Seminar
Questions Should:
• Be Open-ended
• Raise issues presented in text
• Refer to the text
• Focus on specific sections of text for examination
• Expand/relate ideas generated during discussion
Examples of Higher-Level Questions
– In paragraph ____, what do you think the author
meant when he wrote. . ?
– What might be another title for this poem? Why?
– What depth and complexity tools can you apply
to this selection?
– Why do you feel that way? Can you provide
evidence?
– How does this selection apply to your life?
Participants should move away from factual closed
ended questions that don’t lead into deeper
understanding.
Process Overview
• Students are randomly divided into inner and
outer circles.
• The inner circle participates in the conversation.
• The outer circle observes the collaborative
effort.
Students can
switch groups
halfway through if
time allows
Process Overview
• Reflection can take place in the form of feedback,
evaluation and goal setting
Socratic Seminar
Video
21 minutes
The Rules/Norms:
• Be courteous. No put-downs or sarcasm.
• Allow each speaker enough time to begin
and finish his/her thoughts.
• Involve others in the discussion and ask
others to elaborate on their responses.
• Use your best active listening skills
through eye contact, nodding and
providing feedback.
The Facilitator Should…
Before:
•
•
•
•
Know the text well before you begin
Prepare questions to stimulate the dialogue (if needed)
Randomly select the students for the inner and outer circles
Organize the physical climate
During:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Review norms
Start the dialogue with a probing question
Keep the dialogue focused and intellectually responsible; encourage
participants to use the text to support their responses
Periodically summarize what has or has not been dealt with
Draw as many students as possible into the dialogue
Practice staying out of the dialogue
After:
•
•
Allow time for reflection and/or seminar debriefing of the inner and outer
circle findings
Assess performance using observations, feedback and evaluation forms
Critical Thinking: Basic Theory & Instructional Structures (1999)
“Socratic circles turn partial
classroom control, classroom
direction, and classroom
governance over to students by
creating a truly equitable
learning community, for the
weight and value of student
voices and teacher voices are
indistinguishable.”
Matt Copeland, Socratic Circles, 2005.
Works Cited
Foundation for Critical Thinking. Critical
Thinking: Basic Theory & Instructional
Structures. 1999.
Greece Central School District. “Socratic
Seminars.” www.greece.k12.ny.us.
Copeland, M., Socratic Circles: Fostering
Critical and Crative Thinking in Middle
Schools, Steinhouse, 2005.