SOCRATIC DISCUSSION CIRCLES AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Andrew Sherman September, 2009
Enduring Understanding: Socratic Discussions Circles provide students with an opportunity to actively explore the use of language. Objectives: 1. Demonstrate understanding of Socratic Discussion Circles through their involvement in a guided discussion. 2. Participants evaluate use of technique as a tool for language development. 3. Participants analyze session experience for applicability to their professional situation.
Socrates: Classic Greek Pedagogy  
The technique comes from the ancient Greeks who entered into dialogues, a series of questions and answers, to develop individual perspectives and arrive at comprehensive insights on a topic. The discussion circle format is losely derived from this technique of conversations to assist in idea development, critical thinking, oral expression, and language use (i.e. interpretive reading, criticial reading, and vocabulary development).
Soctratic Seminars Discussions that provide students an oppotunity to construct and convey ideas, encourage listening and understanding, and to develop questions. Importance: Engages students in an active language development process related to their experiences.
Recent Brain Reserach  
Learning activities should encourage students to talk about information, listen to others talk about academic content and consider the motivation and emotions related to the learning material in order to build a more fundamental understanding of the information and to apply this understanding in other situations.
Why Socratic Discussion Circles? 1. Vocabulary Development 2. Importance of Conversations 3. Opportunity to Expand Language Use
Vocabulary Development Socratic Discussions provide a forum for demonstration of vocabulary knowledge (clarification, application, and exploration). Importance: Oral language abilities are particularly important for children´s reading comprehension.
Importance of Conversations Socratic Discussions provide students with activities that allow students to use langauge to convey ideas and to understand the ideas of others. Importance: In studies on language development ongoing conversations between a child and adult or between children on a given topic sustained over many exchanges results in enriching students linguistic abilities.
Opportunity to Expand Language Use Socratic Discussions move students from language routines and stretches the boundaries of oral language use. Importance: A variety of language interactions provides students with the ability to practice expressing themselves in order to acquire a greater depth of understanding language use and to refine language skills.
Activity: Socratic Discussion Circle  
1. Introduction of methodology, ground rules to establish positive group dynamic and training on participation takes some time.
Activity: Socratic Discussion Circle  
2. Students read a short common text (poem, essay, editorial, art reproduction, photograph etc.). Be certain to select appropriate text according to student reading level. Access to text is important!
Activity: Socratic Discussion Circle
3. Student or Teacher generated open-ended question about the reading or image begins the discussion. Teachers are participants not the source of a “correct” answer. Questions should motivate participants to reflect, define, speculate and evaluate the text or image.
Activity: Socratic Discussion Circle  
4. Discussion is democratic and all voices should be heard. If possible, place students in a circle. Allow each student to share an idea or question. Focus is on shared leadership. Dialogues are not debates but rather allow people to think together to undertsand the information better.
Activity: Socratic Discussion Circle 1. Reading of text. 2. Let´s move chairs into a circle format. 3. Oral reading of text. 4. Take a few minutes to write down a question or an idea. 5. Share question or idea. 6. Engage in discussion. 7. Exit Reflection
SOCRATIC DISCUSSION CIRCLES AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS SEMINAR E-MAIL: asherman@colegiomenor.edu.ec