Socratic Discussion

Socratic discussions allow students to participate in a whole group discussion using predetermined rules and a teacher assigned text. 

Steps for a Socratic Discussion: 
1. Choose the text
The text must be appropriate for the level of the students and have enough depth to allow for adequate discussion. You may want to have a set of contrasting views, a text with layered or ambiguous meaning, or an article addressing an ongoing issue within the field of study. Recently, I had my AP Language students participate in Socratic discussion of their summer reading book Brave New World. They did the reading outside of class, so we had not had a chance to discuss the story together and there were many issues in the story that we will be referencing throughout the course. 

2. Prepare students
Preparing for a discussion is different from being able to answer basic questions. Students will need to refer back to the text, so it will be important for them to annotate or take notes on what they are reading. You may want to provide them with sticky notes or a note-taking sheet. My students annotated the entire text as part of their summer assignment. I returned the books to them for the purpose of refreshing their memories. For other discussions, I have had students use graphic organizers to take notes. 

3. Prepare the questions
Questions should be fairly open ended. Some questions should ask students to relate the topic to their own lives, to the real-world, to the subject, and to other readings or topics. Some research suggests that it is best to start and end the discussion with questions that relate to the student's life. I also like to give my students the questions the day before the discussion and their notes are their ticket to the circle. 

4. Establish expectations
This type of discussion is student-centered. They need to understand that they are the leaders, but they also have to understand how to communicate appropriately. The Socratic discussion is not a debate, but a way for all students to be able to hear and share thoughts and observations. The class needs a good climate, and the teacher may even want to have a class discussion to allow them to establish their discussion rules. You should also discuss how often they will need to speak and how they will be graded.  For the purposes of my class discussion, we discussed showing respect to others and I explained the signalling system that we would be using. I gave each student a card with a yellow side, meaning the comment was related to the previous comment, and a white side, meaning they were adding a new idea or interpretation. The student speaking chose the next speaker.  I had a checklist that I completed during the discussion and a rubric for each student that would determine their score to be completed after the discussion. 

5. Establish the teacher's role
The teacher's role can be as small as you think the students can handle. Some teachers depending on the maturity level of the students may need to act as the moderator to judge when to move on to the next topic and guide students back to the text or topic. It is best to try to remove yourself completely and rely on other students to help guide the conversation. The pre-written questions can serve as an outline for the discussion its self. For my AP class discussion, I was primarily a moderator. I stated the question, then sat back and listened. When the students seemed stuck, I would pose additional questions to get the ball rolling again. 

6. Assess effectiveness
At the end, it is a good practice to have the students reflect on what they have heard and said. The teacher should also give feedback. This reflective activity will help review and solidify any learning that took place during the discussion and allow students to process the information. My AP students journaled about the topics from their discussion and we did a "de-briefing" discussion about ideas to take away from the discussion. They also received their rubric with feedback. 


Take Away: 
Socratic discussion is one way to build the level of inquiry and student-centered learning in your classroom. There are a lot of steps that go into the discussion and it takes several class periods and activities to lead up to discussion day. It is worth all of the effort when students embrace the process and take charge of their own learning.  Socratic seminars stress the value of inquiry and foster social learning. If done correctly, it is a very student-centered activity.