Grade 7: Using Socratic Seminar to Enhance Literacy Skills
English teacher Kelly Gaudet shares how students participated in their first Socratic Seminar to discuss Salvador Late or Early, a short story by Sandra Cisneros: "Socratic seminars echo Socrates’ belief in the power of asking questions. They emphasize inquiry over information, and discussion over debate. In preparation for a Socratic Seminar, scholars examine and annotate a text—one that contains natural ambiguities—and conduct an inquiry-based dialogue that inspires critical thinking.
English teacher Kelly Gaudet shares how students participated in their first Socratic Seminar to discuss Salvador Late or Early, a short story by Sandra Cisneros: "Socratic seminars echo Socrates’ belief in the power of asking questions. They emphasize inquiry over information, and discussion over debate. In preparation for a Socratic Seminar, scholars examine and annotate a text—one that contains natural ambiguities—and conduct an inquiry-based dialogue that inspires critical thinking.
"After setting 'ground rules,' I oversaw an inner circle of nine students, observed by an outer circle who noted speakers and their content in preparation for their imminent turn in the inner circle. With encouragement to speak to one another, not to me, students inquired about the correlation between color and emotions, and wondered if Salvador’s paternal role for his younger brothers precluded him from having a childhood of his own. To participate optimally, students listened closely to their peers’ comments, applied some critical thinking, and articulated their own thoughts and responses. The challenge for the second inner circle, therefore, was to dig deeper and extend inquiry beyond what had been previously pondered.
"Throughout the seminar, students were respectful and polite, even while disagreeing. Furthermore, they displayed a strong sense of how to 'share the floor,' and even invite more reticent participants to engage. At the end of the seminar, students reflected on the collective preparedness of the group, the originality of ideas, and provided suggestions for future seminars.
"I approached today’s seminar with high expectations, given how much experience we have already had with locating text evidence to support our thinking and interpretation. However, every class exceeded my expectations. Their attention to text, eagerness to glean even the most subtle detail to develop theories, and their natural respect for the process was extraordinary. Students who prefer a listening role in a larger class setting were often the most eager to speak in such a small group. The opportunity to shine and to push one another was appreciated by everyone. Suggestions for future seminars spanned ‘Please don’t change a thing’ to ‘I just wish we had had more time.’ If that is how they feel after our first seminar, I can only imagine how each student will flourish in future seminars."
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
