Socratic Seminar Presentation

I start off the presentation by telling the faculty from grades TK-8 from Our Lady of
Grace School that I am gong to be presenting a workshop on Socratic seminars in the
classroom. This presentation will be taking place on April 24, 2020 during a faculty
meeting.

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Socratic Seminar Presentation

Before we get started, I want to discuss the object and standards for today’s
workshop. Our main objective, the goal we are setting to accomplish is to learn about
Socratic seminar strategies and implement them in our classrooms to engage
students in critical thinking. Below, you will find other standards that this
presentation is also seeking to be aligned with. The standards are respectively:
NBPTS: 2.5 Teachers appreciate how knowledge in their subject is created, organized,
and linked to other disciples.
TLMS: 3.C. Facilitates Professional learning among colleagues.
TLMS: 2.A. Assists colleagues in accessing and using research in order to select
appropriate strategies to improve student learning.
CSTP 1.5: Promoting critical thinking through inquiry, problem solving, and reflection
CSTP 2.4: Creating a rigorous learning environment with high expectations and
appropriate support for all students

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When we think about our students engaging in thinking critically, we usually see that
in the questions they ask. Unfortunately, these are the kind of questions that I usually
receive in class and you may be seeing the same thing. We get questions such as
Can I go to the bathroom?
Can I go get water?
Can I go to the nurse?
Can I go after he comes back?
What time does this class end?
Is this going to be on the test?
Something else that is completely unrelated
It seems like students are not thinking at all about what is going on in class, and they
are trying to get out of your class as fast as possible. These are the questions we hate
and the questions that show up most often from our students.

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Now if we take a look at the questions we would like to see, I want you to imagine
yourself in a classroom where these are being asked:
When discussing a moral or ethical issue: “Why is that true? What makes that right
and just?”
When asking about a theme: “Could _____ also be the lesson that the author wants
to teach us because of _________?”
When learning a rule in grammar: “How does that follow when there is another
instance that breaks that rule?”
When having a debate in class: “If you claim that ________, wouldn’t you also need
to consider?”

These are the questions that we as teachers are eager to hear and engage in. They
may even be the reason we became teachers in the first place!!

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Socratic Seminar Presentation

Whether you believe it or not, these questions do get asked at some schools. For all
intents and purposes of this presentation, I am going to focus on Classical Schools. As
you can see from this chart taken from the Association of Christian Classical Schools,
classical schools are the highest achieving schools with students excelling in reading,
writing, and math skills. What leads to the success of these schools? The highest
achievers in school are usually correlated with higher engagement and interest in
schools, better learning experiences and display greater chances of success in
secondary and post-secondary schooling.

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So what exactly is the difference? These schools place a great emphasis on discussion
and inquiry by utilizing the Socratic seminar method of teaching and learning. They
also have a different curriculum.

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Socratic Seminar Presentation

So what exactly is a Socratic seminar which is a cornerstone at classical schools? A

Socratic seminar is a discussion that: Formal discussion
Based on a text
leader asks open-ended questions
students listen closely to the comments of others
thinking critically for themselves
articulate their own thoughts and their responses to the thoughts of others.

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Now, ask yourself… when you have a discussion in class, how often are these
questions answered “Yes”?
Are my discussions formal?
Are they based on a text?
Does you or the students ask open-ended questions that they care about?
Do students know how to comment on what other students contribute?
Can students actually articulate their thoughts?

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Socratic Seminar Presentation

So now that we have seen the potential benefits of Socratic Seminars, let’s go
through the “how” of the presentation.

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Socratic Seminar Presentation

This is going to be the main part of the presentation. So we know what the benefits
are, we know what they are, but how do we make the seminar work in our
classroom? To explain this, I gained information from a great website that I posted at
the bottom of this page.

Taken from middleweb.com:

irect four students to sit in the middle of the room, circled by the rest of the class.
Everyone in the class has read the same text (story, article, editorial, chapter…) or
undergone the same experience (such as a field trip or science lab). These four
students are responsible for discussing a given set of questions about the experience
for a given amount of time (I recommend 10 minutes). NOTE: They are the only ones
who speak; even you will not say a word once the discussion has begun.
The observers. At the same time, select four other students in the outside circle to
observe the four participants; the observers will complete a checklist and give
feedback on their designated participant’s performance.
The notetakers. Everyone else in the class takes guided notes on the discussion.
(NOTE: Sample questions for guided notes are included in the question files, Socratic
Seminar Questions on Persuasive Texts and Socratic Seminar Questions on Short

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Stories.)
4. After the discussion. Invite the observers to share a few positive comments, then
provide your own specific constructive feedback so that everyone in the room will
learn more about how to do well.
. Lather, rinse, repeat. Rotate the participants. Although you probably won’t have
time in one class period for every student to experience every different role, assure
them that eventually they will all have numerous chances to be a discussant in the
middle, be an observer, and take notes.

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Socratic Seminar Presentation

Here are tips that were also taken from the same source, but I feel like they are worth
mentioning in this presentation.

Taken from middleweb.com:

Make a big deal about how important Socratic Seminars are for the skills they
teach. College (and high school) students participate in seminars, and this practice—
both the discussions and the note-taking (a skill many older students struggle with)—
will help them in the future.

Don’t rush into the discussions without establishing your expectations for each
role. Explain the logistics fully and patiently. Take as much time as you need to clarify
terms on the rubric, observation checklist, and guided notes organizer. Describe what
a solid performance looks (and, of course, sounds) like, and be sure to emphasize that
this is a group DISCUSSION, not just four people delivering monologues. How they
respond to one another will affect their grade. Remind them to use effective
vocabulary and academic language (or “accountable talk” or “habits of discussion,” or
whatever you call it), and point to any helpful posters for reference. Also, stress the
importance of proper volume.

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► Customize the discussion questions and guided notes organizers as needed, but
the rubric and observation checklist can stay the same. It is generally best if different
rounds of students do not discuss exactly the same material (because the discussions
can become repetitious and boring), but if they must, they should address it from
different angles. For example, if you want five groups to discuss a novel or memoir,
give each group a different chapter or set of questions to tackle.
Make sure note-takers understand what good notes look like. Few of us emerge
from the womb knowing how to take notes. Show them models. Teach them
shortcuts and common abbreviations.
To ease students’ nerves the first time around, make the first time a “dry run” for
credit and feedback, not a major grade.While some students relish having an
audience, others would rather flee the country. To accustom them to this potentially
unsettling new ground, you might want to start with shorter sessions (say, six
minutes) and questions on familiar topics. For example, discuss how they feel about
various holidays or which movies they like the best.
Keep in mind that in order to conduct effective discussions about texts, students
must read and analyze texts effectively.

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• There are many ways to arrange desks during the seminar. One option other than
the “Fishbowl” discussion format, you may want to use a whole class circle as
shown here.
• It can work the same way, as long as students are actively participating and
space allows.

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So now, I want to know which you prefer. Let’s stop for a second and check-in: What
are the two ways we have learned to implement Socratic Seminars in the classroom?
Which way do you prefer?

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Thank you for listening. Let’s have a short dialogue about these questions.
You have seen two ways to structure Socratic Seminars in class. How can you work
into your classes?
What initial issues do you foresee when trying to first implement the seminar?

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We have reached the end of the presentation. Thank you for listening. Now that you
have seen how it works and thought about the different ways to structure the class, I
want us to share any experiences and ideas that you have where a Socratic Seminar
would be beneficial in your classroom with another member of the faculty.
Share out your ideas so that we can all benefit.

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Socratic Seminar Presentation

Thank you so much! This is the end of the presentation please take a moment to
complete the Google Form and respond with feedback about the presentation.
Consider These questions before you begin:
How likely are you to use a Socratic Seminar in your class?
What did you learn today that you did not already know?
How well was the information presented?
Would you like a follow-up presentation on Socratic Seminars for your
particular class/ subject?

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