![Class Discussion for ALL - Designing Socratic Seminars to Ensure That All Students Can Participate](https://img.oercommons.org/160x134/microsite-sws-prod/media/upload/materials/screenshots/materials-course-17934.png)
Socratic seminars are a democratic, student-centered, approach to class discussions. They can be used at any grade level with any subject area. In a Socratic Seminar, members meet in a circle and share their insights. Participants do not raise their hands or call on names. Because there’s no discussion leader, each member can comment or ask follow-up questions to one another. This approach can be empowering for participants because they own the conversation. Unlike a typical class discussion, the conversation moves fluidly back and forth rather than having to go through the teacher.
This article outlines several approaches to conducting a Socratic Seminar:
- The Giant Circle Approach
- The “Fish Bowl” Approach
- The Round Table Approach
- The Scattered Approach
- Multiple Seminars
- Online/Offline Seminars
The author also provides a sample of how to run a Socratic Seminar and tips for ensuring that all students can participate.
- Subject:
- Education
- Material Type:
- Activity/Lab
- Author:
- John Spencer
- Date Added:
- 09/28/2022