Socratic Seminar and Kids of All Ages!

 Socratic Seminar is not just for older students.  If you try it with first-third graders, the procedure is a little different than with fifth or sixth graders, but the outcome is the same...critical thinking! 

Here are some things I've noticed with doing Socratic Seminar with younger students:

• They get their feelings hurt when someone disagrees with them. Focus on this skill of disagreeing appropriately a little more closely when preparing primary students for Socratic discussions.  Try to anticipate all the possibilities and feelings they might have. Honestly, this is true of all grade levels, but the older students understand faster because of their developmental ages. 
• They need reminders of the norms often.  I always go over the norms for every single Socratic Seminar in every single grade, but they may need more support in the primary grades.
• They may need more support with reading the book.  I would always recommend reading a book twice before discussing.  

Students create their own questions as they get older and more adept at Socratic Seminar

In general, there are some tips for making your Socratic Seminars better- no matter how old your students are:

• Always review the norms while anticipating all the possibilities of problems you can think of or issues from previous days. 
• Stay physically away from the group.  This is one of the MOST tragic pitfalls of teachers using Socratic Seminars.  You must stay out of the discussion as much as possible.  If a teacher has a hard time being "hands off", s/he should practice, ummmm, keeping his/her opinions and comments in check!  Sorry, but it's the truth. Sit away and try to stay quiet. Observe, listen, always, but guide only if you must.  There are, of course, obvious times when the adult in the room must intervene.  However, your time for guiding the group to answers you hope to hear should come after the Socratic Seminar when you can make clarifications and have students respond outside of Socratic Seminar. 
• Never force a student to participate.  Instead, when out of earshot of the class, encourage, quietly, gently.  
• Choose your questions carefully.  If your group is in the beginning stages of learning how to conduct Socratic Seminars, you could model and use your own questions. My products have good questions and book ideas to get you started (linked here and below.)  Use Bloom's or any worthy taxonomy you choose.  If your students are at the stage where they can write their own questions and discussion topics, take time to read them and choose the best ones.  I use sticky notes for them to write questions as they are reading, and they then turn them in to me, and I choose the most powerful ones. I often combine similar questions. 
• Be proactive in teaching students stems for disagreement.  Prepare them for the mindset of no right or wrong answers, and everybody's opinion matters.   
• Use a rubric for self evaluation and goal setting.  We set individual and class goals.  The norms offer a great starting place for setting all goals.  After they have mastered those, let them explore different goals for themselves. 
• Offer a written response opportunity after Socratic Seminar.  Have students use their own questions, questions that were used in the discussion, or any new questions they have for a written response in a journal or even a "Flip" or other online platform for reflections. This is a great opportunity to allow some students who are afraid to share or who didn't get to say what they wanted to say to have a voice. 
• Encourage, encourage, encourage.  Tell them what an awesome job they did. To quote my wise mother who taught for thirty years, "Nothing succeeds like success."  Let them know the successes you noticed, even if there is room for improvement. 

Below are products to get you started and products for those of you looking for great stories to use with your younger students.  

For younger kids- online book ideas with questions

If you are just getting started, try this product!

ICE BREAKERS!

     My students seldom mind doing work.  As GT students, they love to dig in and produce work they are passionate about.  Part of my job as a GT teacher is to instill a love for learning and teach them to work together as a team!  I had the privilege of attending the TAGT (Texas Association of the Gifted and Talented) conference in  December.  It was a fantastic conference!!  There, I encountered a couple of really fun games that require 15 minutes of class time and a million laughs and affirmations!  The first is called "Morphing."  As the class sits in a circle, teacher chooses an simple item such as a stapler.  I start the game with "this used to be a stapler, but now it's a...telegraph sending Morse Code."  I then pass the stapler to the next person who says "This used to be a telegraph machine...but now it's a ______." This goes all the way around the circle.  The kids absolutely love it!  

     The next game I learned is called "Four-Headed Professor."  We get four students to the front of the room and ask them questions like "Oh Wise Four-Headed Professor, can you explain the water cycle?"  The four students then proceed to be allowed to only speak one word at a time going in order and telling how the water cycle works (or whatever they are asked to explain).   They have to rely on the person ahead of them to determine what they say.  It  becomes hilarious and my students can't wait to be chosen.  Surprisingly, even the shy students want to play.  They only have to say one word, so how hard can it be?  It's all fun!  

     Our third, but not least favorite game is called "Drama Circle."  I buy these on TPT from Runde's Room.  She does a great job with these activities.  They are super easy.  Each student gets a card that has one thing for them to say or act out, and each card is dependent on the one before it.  Big laughs and engagement!!  For my older GT students, I have had them create their own drama circles and work together to make the all connect.  It is a great group project that requires collaboration, thinking, and creativity.  I had to tweak a few of them so that they are easy to follow, but kids can do this!  

    Group Juggle is our all-time favorite.  We start the year with this game.  We bring it back when we add new GT students to our classroom.   All of the students think of an alliterative name to go with their first name.  (I'm Laughing Lee, and I've been Loveable Lee!)   The linked website explains it exactly like we do it in my class.  I use small stuffed animals (and we discuss the difference between tossing and throwing the stuffies.)  

     The students in your room need breaks. They need reasons to look forward to your class, and while they most likely love the work you give them, they will also love a brain break and a giggle or two!  Do you ever wonder if school for kids is the same as professional developments can be for us?  EEEEK, I hope not.  Only you can fix that and help them think of your classroom as a place of fun, interesting work, and most importantly, a place where they feel welcome can be themselves!

TPT SALE!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teacher-Stuff-And-A-Little-Fluff

 

What is a Socratic Seminar?

Your next question may be, "can I do this with my elementary aged students?"   

A Socratic Seminar is a discussion method begun by, guess who?  Anyone? Bueller? :)

Socrates. Of course!

His method of creating learners who can think and articulate answers for themselves taught his students to discuss their ideas.  In elementary schools, where I have spent most of my teaching career,  I began to use the Socratic Seminar Method with third graders.  Since then, I've utilized Socratic Seminars for kids as young as first grade with great success.  One of the biggest buy-ins for students is understanding that what you are going to have them do is actually on a high school or college level.  They love to hear that.  

Success breeds success

Just determine you will try it out. Soon, you will have a group of students who can carry on an academic discussion, and all you had to do was find really good literature, choose the best topics/questions for discussion, and teach them the norms.  Success at this level is very rewarding for your students.  They know they are doing something amazing.  

Practice makes better. 

You will have to give them practice time to learn the norms and become fearless to express themselves.  This means you have to have a safe environment where nobody laughs at anybody because of their opinions or thoughts. You also have to teach elementary students how to accept and welcome answers different from their own and not become offended when someone disagrees.  You will need to teach polite sentence stems to begin a differing opinion.  Students will learn to use these and they may even spill over into other academic activities.  I have definitely noticed this happen in my classes.  

What to do

1. Find a couple of great story books that have strong themes (middle school students love story books...they just don't want to check them out from the library.  This gives them permission to read great stories.)  The books you choose are probably your favorite read-alouds anyway! These will be your "training books."  Novels can also be used, but short stories/books are best to start with. 

2. Write a few discussion topics.  Drag out the list of Bloom's Verbs that is probably in your files.  Find verbs from columns four or five that cause students to think critically.  You should pre-teach what the verbs mean. You should NEVER front-load ideas about the story prior to reading or conducting a Socratic Seminar.  Your topics/questions should not have a correct answer.  No literal questions allowed. 

3. Tell the students what you are going to do after the book.  Go over the norms.  Find some videos on YouTube of younger kids having Socratic Seminars.  

4. Read the story book. (Remember, no front-loading or pre-teaching outside of going over the norms and the few Bloom's Verbs.)  

5. Read the book again the next day if time allows.  

6. Conduct your first Socratic Seminar.  

This is not hard, friends.  It's not a secret, complicated method.  It just requires training and celebrating small successes.  We are at a place in my classroom where we set goals for our own personal participation and use rubrics to evaluate our participation.  My students write their own topics (I choose which ones we use), and they know how to use Bloom's Verbs (I tell them it's a list that only teachers had, and I'm SHARING it with them.  So coool.)

If you want support and some question stems to get you started, I do offer that in my TPT store.  Or, you can WING IT!  

I'm adding my Socratic Norms here for you to use:

TPT: Socratic Seminars for Younger Elementary Students

Let's Talk About GT-ness

What is your own definition of giftedness? Who comes to mind when you think of gifted individuals? Jot down your definition, then compare it to the information here or what you find online.  Why does a definition of giftedness matter? According to Jim Delisle, “The concept of giftedness is not limited to high intellectual ability.  It also comprises creativity, ability in specific academic areas, ability in visual or performing arts, social adeptness, and physical dexterity.” (Delisle, 17)  

The Texas state definition for gifted talented students states: 

“A gifted/talented student is a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who

• exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area;

• possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or

• excels in a specific academic field. (Texas Education Code §29.121)”

I would imagine many states have something similar. How do states other than your own define gifted and talented? Contrary to what many people (including many educators) think, being in GT services is not a privilege or some sort of “award”.  Gifted children are amazing, but in addition to that, giftedness presents an educational need.  Gifted services are not something that should be withheld as punishment or used as a reward for performance.  I have seen both parents and teachers want to withhold services because of bad grades or behavior. That is comparable to taking someone's glasses away as punishment. Students need services to meet their unique needs...all students need their education needs met. Even though in some circles it may be a status symbol to have a child labeled as gifted, it is not a social club. The other side of that coin is that parents and students should not feel inferior if a student is denied services. We need to spread the word, that GT services fit an educational need, and if that need isn't there, then services aren't what is best for that student. I’ve had many parents inquire as to how they “sign up” their student to be in GT classes. It's okay to ask that question, but we also need to educate parents in our schools about when GT services are necessary and not necessary. A need to educate a community about giftedness should be met with interaction and readily available information.

An educational need for gifted services should be decided though various data collection and assessment. Services should be based on that educational need for differentiated, unique instructional, social/emotional activities.  In our district, we focus on critical thinking, research, communication, and creativity in order to meet the needs of our gifted students. 

Some kids think it’s not cool at all to be gifted, and as a result, they try to mask their abilities. Research has proven that kids as young as kindergarten may begin to mask their abilities in order to fit in.  Teaching GT students about who they are as gifted individuals will give them tools to overcome any stigma they perceive about their own giftedness. We want them to feel confident in who they are and hone and strengthen their abilities. Most states require that gifted students be allowed to work with their intellectual peers because it benefits them both academically and socially, which is why they should be together with other GT students for at least part of their day.    

I’d like to think that our gifted students are having their needs met through the GT services offered in our district, and I hope your district offers services as well.  It makes me happy that finally many students are receiving attention, challenge, and are hopefully enjoying GT time with their gifted peers!

Jim Delisle says, “...students have a right to education designed for their level of ability.  With few exceptions, they cannot and do not find their way on their own.” (Delisle 25)

The purpose of our GT time at school is to meet those enrichment or intervention needs for our kids. One of the myths that exists is that gifted students will succeed in life no matter what.  We all have to work together as their advocates and support systems.  Just like other myths and stereotypes that exist about our gifted students, this one is one of the most prevalent in my experience.  While we do have many very successful GT students in our district, many will falter without encouragement, nurturing, and training in how to cope with their exceptionalities.  I am encouraged every day when I see kids’ joy and smiles as we meet together.  I always tell them that they don’t have to be best friends with all other GT kids...but a family supports one another, and that’s what I encourage them to do. 

What are you doing to meet the needs of your advanced and gifted learners? Your definition of giftedness matters. It matters because it affects how you teach your advanced learners and how you perceive them. Is your classroom one that is under extreme pressure to focus solely on RTI? I know classroom teachers are desperately trying play catch up after the shut downs and inconsistencies COVID has created in our education systems. The learning gaps have become canyons. Please, please don't leave your gifted learners out of the intervention and enrichment times. We cannot afford to lose them. There are so many amazing resources at our fingertips that do not require a great deal of preparation. I challenge you to find a couple of things (such as Socratic Seminar or Genius Hour, for examples) in this new year to challenge and enrich the gifted learners in your classroom and in your school.

                                                                                                

Delisle, J. R., Galbraith, J., & Espeland, P. (2002). When gifted kids don't have all the answers: How to meet their social and  emotional needs. Free Spirit Publishing.