Friday, February 27, 2015

Socratic Seminar discussion method

This teaching method is modeled after the one proposed and utilized by Socrates himself.  The methodology in practice involves questioning with depth and purpose, but not necessarily debate, concepts and logic or philosophical perspectives in subject study.  This is a methodology that thrives in many classrooms and invokes interest in learning because it is largely student-driven and student-centered.  This methodology is all inclusive in that it brings into action students' problem-solving skills and inquiry-based learning repertoire developed in their math and science learning, and the use of rhetoric and support for ideas, as well as knowledge of historical and social relevance, areas developed in their humanities learning experiences.  Of course, their participation and creative development of ideas as well as ability to interact and appreciate alternate viewpoints to their own are developed in all areas, including their fine arts and physical education courses.

Socratic seminars require some front loading on the part of the teacher.  Students should be given a text to read (article, poem, book, textbook selection) or view (film, short video clip, picture, painting, speech, etc.)   It is important that all students have been given the same text, for discussion purposes.  In the case of a reading text, it is helpful to number the paragraphs so students can easily refer to specific quotes or examples to support their ideas.   Also, consider the reading level of all students and choose one of a middle level text complexity to ensure that all students will be able to participate
Teachers should explain this method briefly, that is will require students to answer and pose questions to the class, that participation is vital to get the most from the learning experience, and that they should arrive with prepared ideas or notes for recollection purposes during the discussion.

I used this discussion method in my AP Lang course as a way to encourage participation.  To begin the unit, all students read Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" and answered five questions that probed their depth of understanding.  Then, students were assigned one of the five questions to focus on with another 3-4 students from class.  Together, they developed extension questions to propose to the rest of the class, and assigned logistics such as who would vocalize which question and what they might predict response times to be like.  Then, we set those questions aside for about a week, and continued to read and grow our knowledge about the many facets of the unit topic: education.  We ended the unit by having a Socratic seminar.  Students reviewed, added to, and finalized plans for questions and participation developed earlier in the unit.  Then, I proposed a change of venue from the classroom that seem to put them a bit more at ease.  We went to the media center and sat in a group facing each other on the couches and tables in the corner.  I began with a brief history of Socrates' method of questioning for learning purposes, and then outlined the parameters that all students were expected to speak at least once during each group's discussion.  Students in this class are not very talkative or voluntarily participatory, so I knew this would be a challenge for them.
The discussion lasted three days, and students were participatory for much of the time, although meaningful contributions were exhausted by day three.  We ended with a debriefing about how ideas related to other pieces from the education unit.

Overall, I feel this method was a success.  Without me to facilitate discussion, the conversations were dependent upon them listening to one another and responding accordingly to each others' ideas.  There is always value to building one's repertoire in leadership practice.  If I do this method with this class again, I will try to put a cap on the number of times students can respond, so no one student dominates discussion.  I will also look to tie the points for into quality of responses, rather than just the expectation to voice opinion or "participate," as some received credit for only subtle agreements, while others presented more complex thoughts that led to further discussion.