Introduction to The Socratic Seminar Red Scarf Girl English 6

Who was Socrates? An Ancient Greek philosopher and teacher who valued the power of asking questions, engaging in inquiry, and discussing rather than debating. Teacher of other famous philosophers including Plato, who recorded many of Socrates’ teachings. The influence of this approach is most strongly felt today in the use of the scientific method through the step of hypothesis.

What is a Socratic Seminar? Socratic seminars are named for Socrates’ belief in the power of asking questions, prize inquiry over information and discussion over debate. The Socratic seminar is a discussion, based on a text, in which the leader asks open-ended questions. Within the context of the discussion: Students listen closely to the comments of others Think critically for themselves Articulate their own thoughts and their responses to the thoughts of others.  They learn to work cooperatively and to question intelligently and civilly. (89)

But Basically it is… Collaborative, intellectual dialogue facilitated with open-ended questions about a text. Student-centered learning as the goal Enhances critical thinking, reading, and LISTENING skills! Helps you develop and express your own ideas in a supportive, intellectual environment.

My Experience with Socratic Seminar First, my junior year in AP American English was entirely formatted as a Socratic Seminar. Sustained Dialogue Similar to Socratic Seminar, but instead based around issues of social justice International model also used on college campuses Conferences, training as a moderator of conflict resolution

How we will use The Socratic Seminar in our class This week, we will develop our own questions for the Socratic Seminar from our reading of the novel. Evaluative, Speculative, Interpretive, Factual, Background We will practice and participate in a seminar next week as a final performance evaluation for the Red Scarf Girl. We will establish student expectations and guidelines, which I will post in the room for your reference.

Socratic Seminar Questions Open-ended, Reflect genuine curiosity, and have no ‘one right answer’! Thought-provoking: To start, questions should spark numerous responses. Then, they should challenge students to evaluate and synthesize their ideas. Clear: Participants should be able to understand right away what the question is asking. This means phrasing questions carefully to keep them short and simple, even when the topic is complex.

Types of Questions: Interpretive Ask students to interpret the text. No single right answer exists, but arguments can be made to support different positions. Students need to make their points using passages from the text to answer these questions. Example questions: What do you think the author believes about the Cultural Revolution at the end of the novel? How do you feel the Cultural Revolution has affected the generation of youth in China?

Types of Questions: Evaluative Used at the very end of a seminar, to allow students to share their own positions and opinions. Answers to evaluative questions rely on student’s own experiences, not on the text itself. Students will not need to cite particular passages to answer these questions. Example questions ask for student opinions about the author’s position, or how the ideas in the text relate to their own lives. How does Ji-li’s experience in middle school differ from yours?

Types of Questions: Literal/Factual Answered directly from the text. The answers are contained within the text and are stated clearly. Sample literal questions might ask for an important text detail, fact, or quote. Example questions: Why does Ji-li decide not to change her last name in Chapter 15: Half City Jiangs?

Writing your Questions Each person will be assigned a specific chapter from the novel to draw questions from. You will have five questions in total: Two Interpretive Two Evaluative One Literal/Factual You may use the question starters on the board to write your own five questions using the guidelines. Remember your questions should be supported by the text. We will then trade these with a partner to give each other feedback.