Contributed by Patricia K. Ladd, Dana Middle School, Pt. Loma, CA.
To the Teacher:
"The unexamined life is not worth living."
-Socrates
The Socratic method of teaching is based on Socrates' theory that it is more important to enable students to think for themselves than to merely fill their heads with "right" answers. Therefore, he regularly engaged his pupils in dialogues by responding to their questions with questions, instead of answers. This process encourages divergent thinking rather than convergent.
Students are given opportunities to "examine" a common piece of text, whether it is in the form of a novel, poem, art print, or piece of music. After "reading" the common text "like a love letter", open-ended questions are posed.
Open-ended questions allow students to think critically, analyze multiple meanings in text, and express ideas with clarity and confidence. After all, a certain degree of emotional safety is felt by participants when they understand that this format is based on dialogue and not discussion/debate.
Dialogue is exploratory and involves the suspension of biases and prejudices. Discussion/debate is a transfer of information designed to win an argument and bring closure. Americans are great at discussion/debate. We do not dialogue well. However, once teachers and students learn to dialogue, they find that the ability to ask meaningful questions that stimulate thoughtful interchanges of ideas is more important than "the answer."
Participants in a Socratic Seminar respond to one another with respect by carefully listening instead of interrupting. Students are encouraged to "paraphrase" essential elements of another's ideas before responding, either in support of or in disagreement. Members of the dialogue look each other in the "eyes" and use each other names. This simple act of socialization reinforces appropriate behaviors and promotes team building.
The size of a participating group is extremely important to the overall success of a Socratic Seminar. Groups smaller than eight - ten may suffer from too few "points of view"; whereas, groups larger than 15 may become unmanageable and non-productive. Therefore, an "ideal" seminar size ranges from about eight to 15 participants.
"Classrooms don't come in this 'ideal' size", you yell! I know. I hope the following suggestions work towards your success in conducting seminars with groups as large as 35. Experiment with several techniques, adapt the format to your own individual needs, and "hang in there."
Divide your group into manageable parts. Ask an aide, volunteer, student teacher, para-professional or parent to work with students on a particular assignment while you conduct a seminar with a small group. Perhaps one-half of your class might visit the library while the other one-half is engaged in a seminar. After a designated period of time, you and the "other warm body" switch groups.
Divide your group in half and arrange them in an inner and outer circle. All participants have access to the "text"; however, only those in the inner circle are active participants (verbally). Those in the outer circle are "silent" participants. They may respond to the dialogue of the inner circle by taking notes and writing down thoughts and comments. Younger participants may be assigned to keep track of their inner circle "buddy" by tallying his/her comments. These activities help those in the outer circle to remain focused.
Mid-way through the seminar, those in the inner and outer circles change places.
Distribute an equal number of tokens (plastic poker chips, pennies, Cheerios, etc.) to each participant. Five tokens per person works well. Inform participants that they are to place one token aside for each comment they make. Essentially, members are paying for the privilege of contributing verbally to the dialogue. Once they have "spent their tokens", participants must remain as active listeners until the facilitator invites everyone to start again with five tokens.
Students tend to become more reflective once they realize their comments are worth a price. And, facilitators can visually see and make note of reticent participants. However, Socratic Seminars are not designed to force members to verbally contribute. Students will contribute when they are ready. Meanwhile, they are learning while engaged as active listeners. Therefore, please reassure participants that they do not have to "spend" all, or any, of their tokens.
Pre-activities
Pre-seminar voting activity:
Before engaging in a Socratic Seminar, you might generate an open-ended question that allows participants to cast a vote. This opportunity to "take a stand" serves the purpose of quickly "reeling in" students by asking them to focus on a question which is ironically more convergent than divergent. For example, when thinking of John H. Ritter's novels Choosing Up Sides and Over the Wall, participants could respond to the following:
1. Which character would you most enjoy as a friend?
2. Which character would you support as president of your student body?
3. Vote for the most honest character.
4. Elect a character to honor for showing the most growth throughout the story.
Following the seminar, allow participants to again cast a vote. Have participants compare their pre and post votes. Allow for "accountable talk." Frequently, students discover a shift in their own thinking as a result of engaging in the process of listening to multiple perspectives.
Post Activities:
Ritter's novels are both worthy of deep reflection. The Socratic Seminar format allows students to examine his use of symbols, images and recurring motifs in order to increase their overall comprehension of plot. The following open-ended questions should provide for rich dialogues in the classroom:
Choosing Up Sides:
Over the Wall:
Lesson Plans contributed by Patricia K. Ladd, Dana Middle School. © 2000. Permission granted for classroom use.
