Socratic Seminar
Notes
Socratic Seminar
Notes
…which means you
should take some.
Socratic Seminar
Notes
Yes, you.
You should take some notes.
Socratic Seminar
Notes
You’re going to have to
demonstrate your understanding
of these notes…so take some.
Socratic Seminar
Notes
OK here we go.
Who is Socrates?
Who is Socrates?
Socrates (470-399 BC)
was a Classical
Greek philosopher
who developed a
Theory of Knowledge.
Who is Socrates?
Socrates was convinced that the way to
attain reliable knowledge was through the
practice of disciplined conversation. He
called this method dialectic.
di-a-lec-tic (noun) means the art or
practice of examining opinions or ideas
logically, often by the method of
question and answer, so as to
determine their validity.
So what is the
Socratic Seminar?
The Socratic Seminar
Socrates believed that through the process
of dialectic, where all parties to the
conversation were forced to clarify their
ideas, the final outcome of the
conversation would be a clear statement
of what was meant. The technique goes
as follows: Socrates would feign ignorance
or propose a ridiculously wrong idea about
a subject and try to draw out from the
other person his fullest possible knowledge
about that subject.
The Socratic Seminar
The Socratic Seminar begins with
a question.
There is no right answer to this question,
however many people may have many
different opinions about the question, and
are free to share them. Answers may lead
to new questions but you should soon
return to the focused question.
So What Do I Do?
Participants:
Study text closely in advnace.
Listen actively.
Do not raise your hand, you simply
speak openly.
Do not speak at such a length that
others cannot speak as well.
So What Do I Do?
Participants:
Always REFER TO THE TEXT. You must
use the text to support your
comments. You cannot simply assert
things.
Do not stay confused. Ask for
clarification.
Speak up so all in the room can hear
you.
So What Do I Do?
Participants:
Do not participate if you are not prepared.
If you have not read the text you cannot
participate. This is a bull session.
Do not talk to the teacher talk to
everyone in the seminar.
Make notes about things you want to say
so you do not forget them or get off topic.