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Socratic Seminars

Socratic Seminars. The Vision. Socrates believed that enabling students to think for themselves was more important than filling their heads with “ right answers. ”. What are Socratic Seminars?.

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Socratic Seminars

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  1. Socratic Seminars

  2. The Vision • Socrates believed that enabling students to think for themselves was more important than filling their heads with “right answers.”

  3. What are Socratic Seminars? • Highly motivating form of intellectual and scholarly discourse. • An effective Socratic Seminar creates dialogue as opposed to debate

  4. Debate Dialogue • Is oppositional • One listens to counter arguments. • Affirms participant's points of view. • Defends assumptions as truth • Creates a close-minded attitude • Is collaborative • One listens to find common ground • Enlarges points of view • Reveals assumptions for re-evaluation • Creates an open-minded attitude

  5. Debate Dialogue • Defends thinking to show that it is right. • Calls for investing in one's beliefs. • One searches for weaknesses • Rebuts contrary positions and may belittle others • Debate assumes a single right answer • Demands a conclusion • Expects other’s reflections will improve their own thinking • Temporarily suspending one's beliefs • Searches for strengths • Respects others and seeks not to alienate • Assumes that cooperation can lead to greater understanding • Remains open-ended

  6. The Participants • Share responsibility for the quality of the seminar. • Most effective when participants: • study the text closely in advance • listen actively

  7. The Participants • Most effective when participants: • sharetheir ideas and questions in response to others • search for evidence in the text to support their ideas

  8. Lesson Objectives • Content Objective:Students will distinguish between dialogue and debate and recognize and appreciate the diversity of their classmates’ opinions. • Language Objective: (1) Students will seek deeper understanding of the text and work to build a collaborative conversation about issues, values and ideas in the text. (2) Students will express individual opinions, ask thoughtful questions, cite reasons and evidence for statements made, and actively listen to and expand the ideas of others.

  9. Things to Do! • Make direct textual references • Summarize others’ views AND expand on those views • Ask thoughtful questions AND ask clarifying questions • Be respectful AND exhibit leadership!

  10. Let’s Not: • Interrupt or dominate the discussion • Repeat another person’s point with no additional commentary • Seek to entertain or appear prepared rather than participating authentically • “Zone out” or get distracted or off topic

  11. I Blame Facebook, Texting, Twitter, etc.! • Let’s avoid one-way conversations! • The goal behind speaking is to not only express your thoughts, but to encourage others to open up and share!

  12. Conducting a “Fishbowl” Divide the class into “Inner” and “Outer” circles

  13. Conducting a “Fishbowl” • Inner circle = active participants • Outer circle = students observe an active participants for: • New ideas – Positive comments • Question asked – Negative Behavior • Referred to text – Side conversations

  14. Preparation for Socratic Seminar 50 / 50 / 50 Write-up! *due Thursday! • 1st: 50 words minimum on “PBS Frontline: When Kids Get Life”website (specifically the Jacob Ind, Nathan Ybanez and Erik Jensen cases) - include both summary and commentary • 2nd: 50 words minimum on “Young Kids, Hard Times” video - include both summary and commentary • 3rd: 50 words minimum on “20/20 Out of the Woods” video AND “12 year-old Wisconsin girl stabbed 19 times” article. - include both summary and commentary

  15. Preparation for Socratic Seminar Finally AND Most Importantly: Create 2-3 interpretive discussion questions. These questions should be thought-provoking and challenging – yet, enjoyable to answer!!! Make sure your questions... (1) directly rooted in the all of the articles we read and videos we viewed (2) promote discussion, as it pertains to the debate on whether juveniles should/should not be tried as adults. We want questions that do not have a clear answer (3) lead to bigger ideas outside of the articles and films. Example: To what extent should the juvenile offender’s family background/upbringing be considered in determining whether they should be prosecuted as adults?

  16. Inspiration for your Questions!

  17. Guidelines for Questioning • Ask hypothetical questions • Ask questions with no right or wrong answers • Continue to ask “Why?” • Probe the responses of the participants with further questioning • Allow yourself to both guide the discussion but to go with it as well

  18. Guidelines for Questioning Learning occurs based on thekinds of questions asked • Develop opening, core, and closing questions before the seminar • Non-judgmental and derived from the text • Questions that raise questions • Avoid using YES/NO questions

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