Socratic Seminar

Try It

Give students advance notice that they’ll have the opportunity to debate each other, along with the topic/question under discussion (it could be student-generated, including during Curiosity Time). Set aside a block of time during a class period (the entire class period, or just 10-15 minutes) for student (as a class, or in small groups) discussion and debate.

Discuss It

In person or online, dive into these essential questions:

• How engaged were your students?
• Did any surprise you?
• Did they engage with each other in ways different from how they’d engage with you (the teacher)?
• How would you contrast the learning with a normal class period?

Explore It

Listen to the below podcast to hear teachers discussing how to bring Socratic Seminar into your classroom.