What is a Socratic Seminar?

So you've heard about Socratic Seminars, or fishbowl discussions, and how great they are to improve students' critical thinking and communication skills, but you're not sure how to use this engaging class discussion format?
In this video, 7th-grade AVID students explain and demonstrate how to carry out a Socratic Seminar, a group discussion format that revolves around open-ended questions and encourages listening, critical thinking, and discussion (rather than debate) aimed at finding common ground.
⭐️ Here's a low-prep, structured lesson you can use to facilitate a Socratic seminar on any topic: www.teacherspa...
⭐️ This interactive Google Slides presentation aims to prepare students for a Socratic Seminar and covers: the purpose of a Socratic Seminar, what it is, how it works, rules, pre-seminar requirements, and a reflection/assessment tool/rubric.
More Background on Socratic Seminars:
Socrates believed that enabling students to think for themselves was more important than filling their heads with the “right answers.”
In a Socratic Seminar, participants seek a deeper understanding of complex ideas through rigorously thoughtful dialogue, rather than by memorizing bits of information.
Overview:
-A moderator prompts the use of dialogue .
-Participants share thoughts and collaborate to increase their understanding.
-Participants are less attached to their ideas and less reliant on persuasion for influencing opinions.
-Dialogue is a skill of collaboration that enables groups to create collective thinking.
Follow-up questions to ask after watching this video:
1. What did you notice about the discussion and the way students participated?
2. What are some benefits of using a Socratic Seminar in class?
3. When would it be a good idea to do a Socratic Seminar in class?
4. Watch the video on another discussion format Philosophical Chairs: • How to Use Philosophic... .
How is a Socratic Seminar different from Philosophical Chairs? What kinds of situations/learning contexts would be best for each discussion format? Which format do you like better? Why?
To see this class a year later in a Socratic Seminar, click here:
• A Demonstration of How...
Video thumbnail clip art credit: www.teacherspa...