The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living

Socratic Seminars

"The unexamined life is not worth living." -Socrates

Socrates: A Short History

Socrates, an Athenian philosopher born in 469 BC, is known today thanks to the writings of his most famous pupil, Plato. Socrates neglected his own affairs choosing, instead, to spend his time organizing public gatherings to discuss virtue and justice. He is credited with formulating a method of discussion known as the Socratic dialectic. Encouraging participants to sit in a circle, Socrates would draw knowledge from the group by presenting a series of deeply philosophical questions. Socrates looked on the soul as the heart of consciousness and moral character and believed that each person needed to understand his/her own "true self." While Socrates was a gentle spirit, he made numerous enemies. His thoughtful critiques of the Athenian religious and political institutions were considered acts of heresy. He was eventually tried for corrupting the beliefs and values of Athenian youths. Following his conviction in 399 BC, he willingly drank the cup of hemlock that was given to him.

How did Socrates use the dialectic?

He would begin with a discussion of the obvious aspects of any problem. Socrates believed that through the process of dialogue, where all parties to the conversation were forced to clarify their ideas, the final outcome of the conversation would be a clear statement of what was meant. The technique appears simple but it is intensely rigorous. Socrates would find ignorance about a subject and try to draw out from the other person his fullest possible knowledge about it. His assumption was that by progressively correcting incomplete or inaccurate notions, one could coax the truth out of anyone. The basis for this assumption was an individual's capacity for recognizing lurking contradictions. If the human mind was incapable of knowing something, Socrates wanted to demonstrate that, too. Some dialogues, therefore, end inconclusively.

What is a Socratic seminar?

A Socratic Seminar (from the original Socratic dialectic) is a motivating form of scholarly discourse based on an "essential question." A seminar consists of four elements: 1. The text - Can come from any subject area. 2. The question - Reflects genuine curiosity and has no "right" answer. 3. The leader - Offers the initial question then plays a dual role as leader and participant. 4. The participants - Study the text in advance, listen actively, and share ideas using evidence from the text for support. Pre-Seminar Question Writing:

Before you come to a Socratic Seminar class, please read the assigned text (novel section, poem, essay, article, etc.) and write at least one question in each of the following categories:

WORLD CONNECTION QUESTION: Write a question connecting the text to the real world.

Example: If you were given only 24 hours to pack your most precious belongings in a back pack and to get ready to leave your home town, what might you pack? (After reading the first 30 pages of NIGHT).

CLOSE-ENDED QUESTION: Write a question about the text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the text. This question usually has a "correct" answer.

Example: What happened to Hester Prynne’s husband that she was left alone in Boston without family? (after the first 4 chapters of THE SCARLET LETTER).

OPEN-ENDED QUESTION: Write an insightful question about the text that will require proof and group discussion and "construction of logic" to discover or explore the answer to the question.

Example: Why did Gene hesitate to reveal the truth about the accident to Finny that first day in the infirmary? (after mid-point of A SEPARATE PEACE).

UNIVERSAL THEME/ CORE QUESTION: Write a question dealing with a theme(s) of the text that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the text.

Example: After reading John Gardner's GRENDEL, can you pick out its existential elements?

LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTION: Write a question dealing with HOW an author chose to compose a literary piece. How did the author manipulate point of view, characterization, poetic form, archetypal hero patterns, for example?

Example: In MAMA FLORA'S FAMILY, why is it important that the story is told through flashback?

Guidelines for Participants in a Socratic Seminar: 1. Refer to the text when needed during the discussion. A seminar is not a test of memory. You are not "learning a subject"; your goal is to understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in the text. 2. It's OK to "pass" when asked to contribute. 3. Do not participate if you are not prepared. A seminar should not be a bull session. 4. Do not stay confused; ask for clarification. 5. Stick to the point currently under discussion; make notes about ideas you want to come back to. 6. Don't raise hands; take turns speaking. 7. Listen carefully. 8. Speak up so that all can hear you. 9. Talk to each other, not just to the leader or teacher. 10. Discuss ideas rather than each other's opinions. 11. You are responsible for the seminar, even if you don't know it or admit it. What is the difference between dialogue and debate?

Dialogue is exploratory and involves the suspension of biases and prejudices. Discussion/debate is a transfer of information designed to win an argument and bring closure. Americans are great at discussion/debate. We do not dialogue well. However, once teachers and students learn to dialogue, they find that the ability to ask meaningful questions that stimulate thoughtful interchanges of ideas is more important than "the answer."

• Dialogue is collaborative: multiple sides work toward shared understanding. Debate is oppositional: two opposing sides try to prove each other wrong. • In dialogue, one listens to understand, to make meaning, and to find common ground. In debate, one listens to find flaws, to spot differences, and to counter arguments. • Dialogue enlarges and possibly changes a participant's point of view. Debate defends assumptions as truth. • Dialogue creates an open-minded attitude: an openness to being wrong and an openness to change. Debate creates a close-minded attitude, a determination to be right. • In dialogue, one submits one's best thinking, expecting that other people's reflections will help improve it rather than threaten it. In debate, one submits one's best thinking and defends it against challenge to show that it is right. • Dialogue calls for temporarily suspending one's beliefs. Debate calls for investing wholeheartedly in one's beliefs. • In dialogue, one searches for strengths in all positions. In debate, one searches for weaknesses in the other position. • Dialogue respects all the other participants and seeks not to alienate or offend. Debate rebuts contrary positions and may belittle or deprecate other participants. • Dialogue assumes that many people have pieces of answers and that cooperation can lead to a greater understanding. Debate assumes a single right answer that somebody already has. • Dialogue remains open-ended. Debate demands a conclusion.

Dialogue is characterized by: • suspending judgment • examining our own work without defensiveness • exposing our reasoning and looking for limits to it • communicating our underlying assumptions • exploring viewpoints more broadly and deeply • being open to disconfirming data • approaching someone who sees a problem differently not as an adversary, but as a colleague in common pursuit of better solution.

Participants in a Socratic Seminar respond to one another with respect by carefully listening instead of interrupting. Students are encouraged to "paraphrase" essential elements of another's ideas before responding, either in support of or in disagreement. Members of the dialogue look each other in the "eyes" and use each others’ names. This simple act of socialization reinforces appropriate behaviors and promotes team building. As each new person begins to speak, he or she should acknowledge having heard the speaker before by using a transitional phrase such as:  I agree with _____ because _____ but I want to add another reason why _____.  I disagree with _____ because _____.  I’m not sure why _____ said _____. Can you explain what you mean?  I understand your point, _____, but I want to add/disagree/give another side:_____.  This is what I think _____ is saying.

Sample questions that demonstrate constructive participation in Socratic Seminars:

Clarity: Could you elaborate further? Could you give me an example?

Accuracy: How can we determine if that is true? How can we verify your statements?

Precision: Could you be more specific? Could you provide more details?

Relevance: How does that relate to the issue? How does that align with the question?

Depth: What are some of the complexities of this question? What factors need to be considered?

Breadth: Do we need to consider another point of view? Do we need to look at this from a different perspective?

Logic: Does what you say follow from the evidence? Does all of this make sense?

Significance: Is this the central idea? Is this the most important issue to consider?

Expectations of Participants in a Socratic Seminar

When I am evaluating your Socratic Seminar participation, I ask the following questions about participants. Did they….

 Speak loudly and clearly?  Cite reasons and evidence for their statements?  Use the text to find support?  Listen to others respectfully?  Stick with the subject?  Talk to each other, not just to the leader?  Paraphrase accurately?  Ask for help to clear up confusion?  Support each other?  Avoid hostile exchanges?  Question others in a civil manner?  Seem prepared? Participant Rubric

A Level Participant  Participant offers enough solid analysis, without prompting, to move the conversation forward  Participant, through his or her comments, demonstrates a deep knowledge of the text and the question  Participant has come to the seminar prepared, with notes and a marked/annotated text  Participant, through his or her comments, shows that he or she is actively listening to other participants.  Participant offers clarification and/or follow-up that extends the conversation  Participant’s remarks often refer back to specific parts of the text.

B Level Participant  Participant offers solid analysis without prompting  Through comments, participant demonstrates a good knowledge of the text and the question  Participant has come to the seminar prepared, with notes and a marked/annotated text  Participant shows that he/she is actively listening to others and offers clarification and/or follow- up

C Level Participant  Participant offers some analysis, but needs prompting from the seminar leader  Through comments, participant demonstrates a general knowledge of the text and question  Participant is less prepared, with few notes and no marked/annotated text  Participant is actively listening to others, but does not offer clarification and/or follow-up to others’ comments  Participant relies more upon his or her opinion, and less on the text to drive her comments

D or F Level Participant o Participant offers little commentary o Participant comes to the seminar ill-prepared with little understanding of the text and question o Participant does not listen to others, offers no commentary to further the discussion o Participant distracts the group by interrupting other speakers or by offering off topic questions and comments. o Participant ignores the discussion and its participants