Socratic Seminar / Tutorial Review

Socratic Seminar

You are all welcome here.

AGENDA

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

● 1/24/23
● Socratic Seminar

Essential Question

How can Socratic Seminars help
build inquiry and conversation

about complex ideas?

Slide 12

Metacognition

Socrates believed that

enabling students to think

for themselves was more

important than filling

their heads with “right

answers.”

Slide 13

What Are
Socratic Seminars?

• A highly motivating

form of
intellectual and
scholarly
discourse.

• Usually range from

30 to 50 minutes
o

An effective
Socratic Seminar
creates dialogue
as opposed to
debate.

Slide 14

Four Elements

An effective seminar consists
of four interdependent
elements:

1.

the text being considered

2.

the questions raised

3.

the seminar leader

4.

the participants

Slide 15

Establish Seminar Principles

Elements of Socratic
Seminar

Slide 16

Socratic Seminar Steps

1. Select text
2. Establish seminar

principles

3. Select reading strategies
4. Scaffold student questions
5. Debrief and assess seminar
6. Teach seminar skills

Slide 20

Text Selection

Slide 21

The Text aka Resources

A seminar text can be drawn
from readings in literature,
history, science, math,
health, and philosophy or from
works of art or music.

Slide 22

How to mark
up the text.

Slide 23

Select Reading Strategy

Marking the Text

•

Number each paragraph of the text before
reading.

•

Read the text and do the following:
1.

Circle key terms, names of
people, names of places, or
dates

2.

Underline the author’s
assertions and main ideas

Slide 24

Connecting to the text..
Some questions might be…

1.

One point in the article that I
agree with is …

2.

One point in the article that I
disagree with is …

3.

One question that I would like to
discuss is …

Slide 25

The Question

• An opening question has no

right answer.

•

It reflects a genuine
curiosity on the part of the
leader.

Should human embryos be cloned in
order to save lives?

Slide 26

The Question

● An effective opening question

leads participants back to the
text as they speculate, evaluate,
define, and clarify the issues
involved.

o

Responses to the opening question generate new
questions

o

The line of inquiry evolves on the spot rather
than being predetermined by the leader

Slide 27

Guidelines for Questioning

Learning occurs based on thekinds of

questions asked

• Develop opening, guiding, and closing

questions before the seminar
–

Non-judgmental and derived from the
text

–

Questions that raise questions

• Avoid using YES/NO questions

Slide 28

Guidelines for Questioning

• Ask hypothetical questions
• Ask questions with no right or wrong

answers

• Continue to ask “why?”

– Probe the responses of the

participants with further questioning

• Allow yourself to both guide the

discussion and go with it as well

Slide 30

Seminar Skills

TODAY’S ESSENTIAL QUESTION -

How can tutorials support my current

and future academic success?

Tutorials - Continued

Before the Tutorial- Steps 1-3

STEP 1: Students IDENTIFY an INITIAL QUESTION as they engage in their
schoolwork.

STEP 2: Students complete the TUTORIAL REQUEST FORM (TRF) and
identify their POINT OF CONFUSION (POC), or where they get stuck in their
thinking.

STEP 3: Students DIVIDE INTO GROUPS with one tutor and PREPARE for
the tutorial.

Tutorial Request Form

How to Complete a Tutorial Request Form

Subject & Essential Question:
Complete the Subject Area and Essential Question.

Initial/Original Question & Source:
This can come from homework, lecture, quiz, test, or notes. Write down what the source is and
bring that source to class with you.

Academic Vocabulary & Definition:
Write down two vocabulary words related to your Initial Question, and add the definition in your
own words.

What You Know About Your Question:
This is anything that YOU DO KNOW about your question based on prior knowledge.

Tutorial Request Form

Critical Thinking about Initial Question:
You show your work and ideas on what you have TRIED SO FAR.
SHOW your work and try to SOLVE your work and ideas.

Identify General Process & Steps:
Explain what STEPS you followed to try to solve your problem.

Tutorial Question from Point of Confusion:
If you DID solve your initial/original question, then your question from your POC should be a
LEVEL 3 that extends to the same concept.

If you DID NOT solve your question, then your question from your POC should be focused on
exactly what part YOU GOT STUCK ON.

Tutorial Question Stems - Examples

1. How are ____ and ____ similar?
2. What is the difference between____ and ____?
3. How could ____ be used to ____?
4. What do you think would happen if ____ ?
5. How does ____ connect to what we’ve learned before?
6. What is a new example of ____?
7. What are the strengths and weaknesses of ____?
8. In your own words, what is ____?
9. Why is ____ important?
10. How would you explain ____?
11. What is another way to explain why ____?
12. How do you think ____?
13. How does ____ compare to ____?
14. How are____ and ____ different?
15. Imagine that____ ; how would you react?
16. What will happen to ____ if ____ ?
17. What speculation can we make about ____?
18. Considering ____ what conclusion can be made about ____?
19. How would you summarize ____ in your own words?
20. What are the real life applications of ____?
21. How can I apply the process for (simplifying/solving/factoring) problem I already know to the question
______________?

During the Tutorials - Steps 4-8

4. Student presenter gives a SIXTY SECOND SPEECH, ending with the question from the
Point of Confusion.

5. Students ENGAGE IN ACADEMIC CONVERSATION using collaborative inquiry.

6. Students CHECK THE PRESENTER’S UNDERSTANDING as they articulate generalized
steps.

7. Student presenters shares a 60 SECOND SYNTHESIS of their learning.

8. Students REPEAT STEPS 4-7 with as many presenters as time allows.

Academic Conversation - Three Steps (Not in Order)

Socratic Questioning: Higher-level questions are at the heart of the tutorial.
This inquiry process provides group members and the student presenter with
the opportunity to dive deeper.

Resources: Students use their resources during tutorial to investigate the
student presenter’s POC. Students use templates to support Socratic
questioning and application of academic thinking skills.

Note-Taking on the Board: It is a visual anchor to keep group members
engaged in the process and allow group members and the tutor to verify the
learning of the student presenter.

Costa’s Levels of Thinking Question Stems

After the Tutorial - Steps 9 - 10

9. Students SUMMARIZE AND REFLECT on their
learning and the Tutorial Process.

10. Students APPLY their SKILLS AND LEARNING in all
their classes.

Slide 31

Encouraging Critical Thinking

Participants seek deeper

understanding

of complex ideas and text through

rigorous, thoughtful dialogue

rather than by memorizing bits of

information.

Slide 32

Dialogue

1.

Students must risk making mistakes in

order to learn how to think critically

and work collaboratively.

2.

Instructors support this risk-taking

when they take their own risks in

learning how to improve themselves as

instructors.

Slide 33

● PREPARE FOR SOCRATIC

SEMINAR

Slide 36

Holding each other accountable

● Agree
● Challenge
● Clarify
● Connect

Slide 37

Accountable Talk - How to Agree with Language

★I agree with ___________
because…
★I want to add to/build upon what
______ said...
★I’m glad you said that because I
also think…
★I think _____ brings up a great
point because...

Slide 38

Accountable Talk - How to Disagree with Language

➔I want to respectfully disagree with
_____ because…
I heard you say ____, but I actually
think…
➔I have a different opinion…
➔What evidence do you have to
support that?
➔Have you considered that maybe…

Slide 39

Accountable Talk - How to Clarify with Language

➢I still have questions about…
➢Can you elaborate on that
idea?
➢I’m not sure what you mean...
➢Could you tell me more
about…?
➢I am confused about…

Slide 40

Accountable Talk - How to Connect with Language

❖What you said reminds me of…
❖I predict that…
❖One example of that is...
❖Based on the evidence, I think…
❖My evidence is...
❖In the text, it says…
❖I notice that...