Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan

Michael Gilmore Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan

Context

Overview: This lesson is a Socratic Seminar that will aim to engage the students in active discussion. This lesson will engage students with two articles on the death penalty, one in favor of and one in opposition of capital punishment. The introduction of this lesson will include a whip around discussion in which students will briefly share the results of their homework assignment (create questions for the lesson). Next, students will engage in the bulk of the seminar. The seminar will be in a modified fishbowl discussion format. The students will be in one large circle and will be assigned either group 1 or group 2 depending on which article they are to discuss. One article argues in favor of the death penalty while the other argues against it. However, the two articles use morality as the primary means of constructing their argument. Students will not be examining the validity of the arguments so much as they will be attempting to examine the manner in which the issue of the death penalty is being portrayed in the media. For example, one of the arguments is listed as an opinion piece while the other is not; the students must move beyond their personal biases to deconstruct the agenda of each article and how it relates to the role of the media in reporting controversial issues. The instructor’s job will be to facilitate discussion and ask questions but will not dominate the class. Finally, students will undergo a debrief. This will involve debriefing questions to ascertain what students have taken away from this lesson.

Title: Socratic Seminar

Grade/Class: 11th and 12th Grade/ Law and Society

Length: One Class Period

Topic: The Death Penalty

Background: This lesson will come on the heels of a brief unit on the death penalty. Students have received a great deal of content knowledge regarding this topic in previous classes. Therefore, this lesson will aim to help students grapple with the concept of the death penalty in the media.

Rationale: This particular topic suits a Socratic Seminar for a number of reasons. First, the death penalty is a topic that the students in this course have a tremendous amount of familiarity with. Not only will this lesson come on the heels of a unit specifically devoted to the death penalty, but this class has also touched on the death in a number of other units. Second, the students have had very brief, impromptu discussions regarding the death penalty and it has been clear to me that this is a topic the students are very engaged with. I felt that the students wished these discussions would last longer but they were consistently cut short to move on to other topics. When given a planned period to discuss the death penalty, I am confident this level of passion will reappear and the students will become extremely engaged. Third, the death penalty is a very controversial topic that polarizes many people. This will give the students the opportunity to engage with a controversial topic in a respectful manner with their peers. Additionally, this lesson will allow students to engage in value-based discussion, which will improve their ability to work through difficult concepts and controversial ideas.

Instructional Model

-Socratic Seminar: The Socratic Seminar form of instruction is a form of discussion that allows the students to have a great deal of control over the class. The primary role of the instructor in this method is to serve as a facilitator; he will pose questions and ensure that the class remains on track but will do little in terms of divulging information. This form of instruction encourages students to develop well thought out beliefs and opinions and sharpens the communication skills necessary to vocalize these opinions. Additionally, this form of instruction requires students to engage in active listening with their fellow classmates. Additionally, this form of instruction contrasts with that of more competitive styles such as debates. The objective is not for students to refute the opinions of others but to engage in open-ended discussion regarding a particular topic. Sustained conversation is a crucial element of this form of instruction. Students should be encouraged to participate without raising their hand and insert their statements into the discussion as they would in a typical conversation.

-Why use a Socratic Seminar: A Socratic Seminar lesson is useful for a number of reasons. First, this form of instruction encourages students to achieve a deeper understanding of the content by allowing them to question, discuss, and synthesize ideas. Second, this form of instruction sharpens students’ communication skills by allowing them to practice vocalizing their opinions. Third, this form of instruction will allow students to practice organizing their thoughts. I am a firm believer that, in order to put one’s opinions into words, it requires a great deal of organized thought. Therefore, this lesson will hone in on a number of skills that will help students achieve both academically and intellectually.

-Class Context: The death penalty, or any controversial topic for that matter, may be a difficult one for students to grapple with. It would be very difficult to hold this discussion with a group of freshmen that have little to no experience with classroom discussion. However, this class is composed primarily of juniors and seniors who have held discussions on numerous occasions during this class on issues as controversial as drug policy and sexual assault and have done so respectfully and maturely. I have full confidence that this group of students will conduct themselves in an exemplary manner during this discussion. Objectives (Note: This is not an SOL-based class and so SOL objectives are not included.)

Academic Objectives:

-The student will demonstrate, through participation in discussion and exit ticket assignment, knowledge regarding the death penalty including statistics, arguments for and against, and familiarity with policy.

-The student will demonstrate, through participation in discussion and exit ticket assignment, an understanding of the Constitutional issues surrounding the death penalty by citing how the defenders and opponents of capital punishment use Constitutional Amendments to defend their argument.

-The student will be able to assess bias in the media regarding the death penalty by picking out biases in each of the provided articles.

Intellectual Objectives:

-The student will craft at least two discussion questions based on the seminar texts.

-The student will engage actively in the lesson, through orally contributing and/or through actively listening.

-The student will demonstrate communication skills in class/small group discussion by organizing their opinion and being respectful of the opinions of others.

NCSS Standards:

This lesson correlates with the following NCSS Standards: V. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions. d. Identify and analyze examples of tensions between expressions of individuality and efforts used to promote social conformity by groups and institutions

VI. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance. b. Explain the purpose of government and analyze how its powers are acquired, used, and justified. Assessment

Student learning will be evaluated on the following criteria:

-Responses during discussion: Is the student contributing thoughtful discussions to seminar questions? Is the student including relevant content regarding the topic? Are the students’ responses reflective of an understanding of media biases?

-Apparent engagement: Does the student appear engaged throughout the seminar? i.e. Active listening, note-taking, etc.

-Brief exit ticket: Students will respond to the exit ticket with one thing they did well during the seminar and one thing they hope to improve next time. This will allow the instructor to better understand improvements that should be made in the future.

-Crafted Questions: Did the students bring the required Entrance Ticket to class? Did the entrance ticket include thoughtful questions?

Content and Instructional Strategies

1. Before Class: A. Upon receiving the text, the students should be instructed to annotate each article, paying close attention to the issues, ideas, and values of the text. The students are familiar with annotating but the instructor may review important steps in annotating: highlighting main ideas, important information, making notes in the margins.

B. Students are expected to come to class having read the text thoroughly and having completed an entrance ticket. The ticket involves creating questions to the reading that may be useful in discussion.

C. Students should have been given the entrance ticket assignment during the previous class: See Resources

D. The students should also be asked to bring their copies of the text to class with them as part of the entrance ticket. Extra copies of the text should not be given out to the students. 2. Introduction:

A. Begin class by asking the students to quietly take their seats and get out both their entrance tickets and copies of the reading. The instructor should circulate throughout the room to ensure that each student has an entrance ticket. If any student has not brought his or her ticket to class, inform them that they will not be allowed to actively participate in the seminar but will be required to sit quietly and take diligent notes throughout the lesson.

B. Given my observations with this class, I am not confident that the students will thoroughly read the text prior to coming to class. For this reason, it will be beneficial to briefly review the text with the students by having them spend 10-15 minutes quietly reading the text before beginning activities. Even if they have read the text, this can serve as a refresher.

C. Briefly outline this activity for the students so that they will have a clear understanding of their expectations. Inform the students that this is a discussion-based activity. Encourage the class to volunteer any answer regardless of whether or not it is “right” and to ask questions at any time. It should be made clear to the students that they will not be graded on the accuracy of their responses but on how engaged they are with the seminar. (See Assessment for more information)

D. Inform the students of the following guidelines for participation: -Do not raise your hand when providing a response. -Do not interrupt fellow classmates. -Provide responses regardless of how “correct” you may feel they are. -Carefully take notes on the responses of your classmates.

E. Go over the “Dialogue and Debate” handout listed in resources with the students. Inform them that this activity is intended to be a dialogue.

F. At this point, the instructor should have the students arrange their desks into a large circle. Have the students count off as either 1 or 2. Group 1 will be assigned to be the Cuomo article experts while Group 2 will be assigned to be the Gibson article experts.

2. Whip-around

A. At this point, instruct students to share a question they created for their entrance tickets in the someone next to them. Members of Group 1 should share their Cuomo-related question while members of Group 2 should share their Gibson-related question. 3. Seminar

A. At this point, the instructor should begin the seminar portion of this lesson. The instructor should bear in mind at all times that this is a student-driven lesson. The instructor’s role is to pose questions, prevent the conversation from becoming de-railed, and encourage students to respond. Students should do at least 80% of the speaking during this lesson.

B. It is important that students be encouraged to participate orally even if it is not absolutely required. If it appears that a student is not engaged with the discussion, cold calling on a student who has not responded can be an effective method of moving the discussion along.

C. Throughout the seminar, the instructor should take diligent notes on student responses. Following the seminar, these can be used to summarize important points made by students.

D. The instructor will first begin conducting the Group 1 discussion while the other group pays close attention. Next, the instructor will conduct the Group 2 discussion while the other group pays close attention.

E. Throughout the discussions, it may be necessary to coax students into answering questions by implementing generic follow-up questions such as: -Does anyone else have something to share on this? -Where do you see that in the text? -Does anyone have a different opinion? -Can we hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet?

F. The following are a list of questions that may be used to administer this seminar:

Group One Discussion

1. What are some overall impressions of the Cuomo article?

2. How does Cuomo appear to be framing this article?

3. What values are apparent within this article?

4. Who do you think is the author’s intended audience?

5. Ask for volunteers from Group 1 to ask the class the question they have prepared for class. If no students volunteer, the instructor should call on 1-2 students to provide a question to the class.

Group Two Discussion

1. What are some overall impressions of the Gibson article? 2. How does Gibson appear to be framing this article?

3. What values are apparent within this article?

4. Who do you think is the author’s intended audience?

5. Ask for volunteers from Group 2 to ask the class the question they have prepared for class. If no students volunteer, the instructor should call on 1-2 students to provide a question to the class.

Whole-Class Discussion -Now that each group has discussed the articles separately, the instructor will pull the class back together and ask the following questions: 1. What sorts of values are shared between these articles? (What is similar about the arguments these authors are making?)

2. What are some of the takeaways you have received from comparing these two articles?

Exit Ticket A. To better understand the strengths and weaknesses of this seminar as well as help in evaluating student performance, ask the students to spend approximately 5 minutes responding to the following prompt for an exit ticket:

Briefly list: 1. One thing you did well during this seminar 2. One thing you could have done better during this seminar 3. One thing you liked about this seminar 4. One thing you did not like about this seminar

B. Collect the exit tickets and thank the students for their participation.

Resources

Because this lesson is based on discussion, it requires relatively few resources: -White board and markers -Handouts (Articles, Discussion Guide, Entrance Ticket) See next page Entrance Ticket Assignment

Name: 1. What are the main points of the Gibson article? 2. What are the main points of the Cuomo article?

3. Where in the Gibson article do you see clear examples of bias?

4. Where in the Cuomo article do you see clear examples of bias? 5. Briefly create two questions to be used for discussion regarding these articles and the death penalty. These questions should be open-ended, having neither a right or wrong answer. One question should be specific to the Gibson article while the other should be specific to the Cuomo article. Death penalty is dead wrong: It's time to outlaw capital punishment in America - completely By Mario M. Cuomo / SPECIAL TO THE DAILY NEWS Sunday, October 2, 2011, 4:00 AM

Ted S. Warren/AP In 2008, 46 people were sent to the execution chamber in the United States. 1. I have studied the death penalty for more than half my lifetime. I have debated it hundreds of times. I have heard all the arguments, analyzed all the evidence I could find, measured public opinion when it was opposed to the practice, when it was indifferent, and when it was passionately in favor. Always I have concluded the death penalty is wrong because it lowers us all; it is a surrender to the worst that is in us; it uses a power - the official power to kill by execution - that has never elevated a society, never brought back a life, never inspired anything but hate. 2. And it has killed many innocent people. 3. This is a serious moral problem for every U.S. governor who presides over executions - whether in Georgia, Texas or even, theoretically, New York. All states should do as the bold few have done and officially outlaw this form of punishment. 4. For 12 years as governor, I prevented the death penalty from becoming law in New York by my vetoes. But for all that time, there was a disconcertingly strong preference for the death penalty in the general public. 5. New York returned to the death penalty shortly after I was defeated by a Republican candidate; the state's highest court has effectively prevented the law from being applied - but New York continues to have the law on its books with no signs of a movement to remove it. 6. That law is a stain on our conscience. The 46 executions in the United States in 2008 were, I believe, an abomination. 7. People have a right to demand a civilized level of law and peace. They have a right to expect it, and when at times it appears to them that a murder has been particularly egregious, it is not surprising that the public anger is great and demands some psychic satisfaction. 8. I understand that. I have felt the anger myself, more than once. Like too many other citizens, I know what it is to be violated and even to have one's closest family violated through despicable criminal behavior. Even today, I tremble at the thought of how I might react to a killer who took the life of someone in my own family. I know that I might not be able to suppress my anger or put down a desire for revenge, but I also know this society should strive for something better than what it feels at its weakest moments. 9. There is absolutely no good reason to believe that using death as a punishment today is any better an answer now than it was in the past - when New York State had it, used it, regretted it and discarded it. 10. Experts throughout the nation have come out strongly against the death penalty after hundreds of years of lawyers' cumulative experiences and studies revealed that the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent. 11. Some of history's most notorious murders occurred in the face of existing death penalty statutes. 12. Psychiatrists will tell you there is reason to believe that some madmen - for example, Ted Bundy - may even be tempted to murder because of a perverse desire to challenge the ultimate penalty. 13. It is also unfairly applied. 14. Notwithstanding the executions of mass killers like Timothy McVeigh, capital punishment appears to threaten white drug dealers, white rapists and white killers less frequently than those of other races. Of the last 18 people in New York State to be executed (ending in 1963), 13 were black and one was Hispanic. That racial makeup seems an extraordinary improbability for a system operating with any kind of objectivity and consistency. 15. Because death penalty proponents have no other way to defend this policy, they cling unabashedly to the blunt simplicity of the ancient impulse that has always spurred the call for death: the desire for revenge. That was the bottom line of many debates on the floor of the state Senate and Assembly, to which I listened with great care during my tenure as governor. It came down to "an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth." 16. If we adopted this maxim, where would it end? "You kill my son; I kill yours." "You rape my daughter; I rape yours." "You mutilate my body; I mutilate yours." And we would pursue this course, despite the lack of any reason to believe it will protect us even if it is clear that occasionally the victim of our official barbarism will be innocent. 17. It is believed that at least 23 people were wrongfully executed in the United States during the twentieth century. Twenty-three innocent people killed by the official workings of the state, but it is not called murder. 18. According to the Innocence Project, 17 people have been proven innocent - exonerated by DNA testing - after serving time on Death Row. These people were convicted in 11 different states. They served a combined 209 years in prison. And government was prepared to end their lives. 19. Tragically, New York holds the record for the greatest number of innocents put to death over the years. According to some, New York leads all states with at least six (perhaps more) wrongful executions since 1905. 20. Yet proponents of the death penalty continue to assume that the criminal justice system will not make a mistake, or they simply don't care. As was shown by the recent Troy Davis execution in Georgia, where shaky witness testimony and a lack of physical evidence were considered insufficient to create "reasonable doubt," too many people seem unconcerned about the overly ambitious prosecutor, the sloppy detective, the incompetent defense counsel, the witness with an ax to grind, the judge who keeps courthouse conviction box scores. 21. But these imperfections - as well as the horrible and irreversible injustice they can produce - are inevitable. In this country, a defendant is convicted on proof beyond a reasonable doubt - not proof that can be known with absolute certainty. There's no such thing as absolute certainty in our law. 22. We need to continue to do the things that will control crime by making the apprehension and punishment of criminals more effective and more precise. We need adequate police and prisons and alternatives to incarceration. We should also have a tough, effective punishment for deliberate murder. There is a punishment that is much better than the death penalty: one that juries will not be reluctant to impose; one that is so menacing to a potential killer, that it could actually deter; one that does not require us to be infallible so as to avoid taking an innocent life; and one that does not require us to stoop to the level of the killers. 23. There is a penalty that is - for those who insist on measuring this question in terms of financial cost - millions of dollars less expensive than the death penalty: true life imprisonment, with no possibility of parole under any circumstances. 24. True life imprisonment is a more effective deterrent than capital punishment. To most inmates, the thought of living a whole lifetime behind bars only to die in a cell, is worse than the quick, final termination of the electric chair or lethal injection. 25. I've heard this sentiment personally at least three times in my life. The second time it came from a man on the way to his execution in Oklahoma. He was serving a life sentence for murder in New York at the same time that Oklahoma was eager to take him from New York so they could execute him for a murder he had committed in Oklahoma. I refused to release him so that he could be executed in Oklahoma, but then the governor who replaced me in 1995 was able to get New York to adopt the death penalty - and to prove New York really approved of death as a punishment, he released the inmate from prison and sent him to Oklahoma, where he was promptly executed. 26. On the night before he died, he left a note that was published in the New York Post that said, "Tell Governor Cuomo I would rather be executed than to serve life behind bars." 27. Because the death penalty was so popular during the time I served as governor, I was often asked why I spoke out so forcefully against it although the voters very much favored it. I tried to explain that I pushed this issue into the center of public dialogue because I believed the stakes went far beyond the death penalty itself. Capital punishment raises important questions about how, as a society, we view human beings. I believed as governor, and I still believe, that the practice and support for capital punishment is corrosive; that it is bad for a democratic citizenry and that it had to be objected to and so I did then, and I do now and will continue to for as long as it and I exist, because I believe we should be better than what we are in our weakest moments. 28. Cuomo was governor of New York.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/death-penalty-dead-wrong-time-outlaw-capital-punishment- america-completely-article-1.961087#ixzz2lbdG4Tnt Death Penalty Repeal: It's Necessary to Use Capital Punishment in a Free World By Kyle Gibson June 23, 2013 Policymic.com

1. Death Penalty Repeal: It's Necessary to Use Capital Punishment in a Free World Image Credit: ilawyerblog.com 2. This article is the first of a two-part series on PolicyMic examining the role of the death penalty in the modern world. 3. The United States has been home to some of the most heinous and inhuman crimes in the past year. Examples include the monstrous acts of the Boston bombers, kidnapper & rapist, deranged shooter, and mutilator. However, the U.S. judicial system has been reluctant to exercise one of its most just institutions against these criminals. The death penalty, or put more eloquently capital punishment, has come under attack in recent years not just by U.S. legislators but by the international community. The U.S. and Japan remain the last two of the most industrialized and free societies to support capital punishment. As the leader of the free world, the U.S. must retain and exercise its right to the death penalty. By doing so, justice will be served to its citizens, and crime will be prevented from those who go against the American principles of liberty and a pursuit of happiness. 4. Contrary to major media bias, most Americans support the use of capital punishment. The most recent polling example includes 70% of Americans wanting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev put to death if he is convicted of the Boston Marathon bombing. Similarly, polls also showed support for utilizing the death penalty in the cases of James Holmes and against recent kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro. 5. In such cases, support for the death penalty is no anomaly. Despite well-funded efforts by death-penalty abolitionists, support for this institution remains very high. Recently, longtime opponent Governor Martin O’Malley repealed capital punishment. This legislation followed a year after Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy signed his state's termination of its institution. 6. In both cases, it would be more accurate to say that the governors, or local politicians, and not the state have repealed capital punishment. The Washington Post reported in February that a majority of Marylanders opposed O’Malley. In Connecticut too, legislation rode against the tide of public opinion. Of course, very few Americans suggest every homicide should result in the death penalty. However, public opinion shows that a great majority of Americans want the reserved right for the state to use capital punishment, and to exercise this right in the most egregious and heinous acts of crime. 7. After touching upon actual public opinion, it is necessary to examine the rational arguments in support of capital punishment. First and foremost, the death penalty acts as the ultimate retribution for the victim and his or her family and friends. In many cases, capital punishment provides the only form of closure and a peace of mind as it disconnects the victim's peers from the murderer. The pain and difficulty of living with a lost loved one will still exist. Yet, a sorrowful family will not be forced to live with the fact that the convicted murderer still resides on Earth. It is important to keep in mind that justice is both penal in punishment as well as retributive to the victim. 8. In addition to being a retributive institution, capital punishment acts as a deterrence measure. Abolitionists disbelieve in the deterrence influence; however that is not to say that the influence does not exist nor can actually be seen due to our reluctance to use this judicial instrument. 9. All economists are in agreement that people respond to incentives. This highly consensual topic is applicable to the rule of law. Without capital punishment, there exists diminishing marginal returns in terms of yearly sentencing to imprisonment. There is no distinction in the deterrence effect of sentencing someone from 20 years or 30 years in prison. In such cases, criminals make this rational calculation, especially in financial Ponzi schemes, i.e. Bernie Madoff or Robert Allen Stanford. The crime will still likely happen even if the sentencing increases from 30 years to life imprisonment, or even to extreme sentences such as three consecutive life terms. However, if the death penalty is effectively used, deterrence becomes an influence. 10. The most commonly referred to study demonstrates a casually correlated indirect relationship between higher county execution rates and homicide rates. In the context of this study and the influence of incentives, Nobel Prize-winning economist Gary Becker stated "the evidence of a variety of types — not simply quantitative evidence — has been enough to convince me that capital punishment does deter and is worth using for the worst sort of offences." 11. Besides the arguments of retribution and deterrence, many claim that a rational alternative is life imprisonment. After all, once the criminal is detained he or she is no longer able to harm society. However, if the goal is to separate the criminal from society, capital punishment would provide a literally guaranteed rate of success. 12. Many thorough investigations have been done on the existence of prison gangs and their connection to continual crime. In 1983, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy conducted an examination of all state prison systems. The final report cited 33 agencies confirming the absolute presence of prison gangs. In recent years, it has been reported that prison gangs have been behind 50% or more of all murder crimes within state prisons. 13. Aside from prison homicides, criminal activity has been seen throughout history to extend outside of prison life. The Mafia and the Aryan Brotherhood of California are supposedly the largest drug trafficking organizations spreading throughout regions while operating within prison. 14. The above examples point to the fact that in many cases, there is no separation from imprisoned criminals and society. To further add to this point, prison homicides have increased in the past year from 39 to 55, or a 44% increase. Without capital punishment, imprisoned criminals are indirectly granted a license to kill, threatening prisoners as well as guards who protect civil society from lawlessness. 15. To conclude part one, I examined support of capital punishment not just for the United States but for the Free world. I began by shedding light on actual public support for the death penalty. I then examined the reasons for capital punishment in terms of retribution, deterrence, and separating the murderer from society. Thus, the importance of capital punishment is a just institution which promotes freedom while protecting civil society. Expect part two soon. Differentiation

This lesson incorporates differentiation in a number of ways that are designed to maximize student comprehension and learning. First, this lesson is intended to immediately follow a brief unit on the death penalty. During this unit, students will be exposed to a large amount of lecture, readings, and other material that may not be incredibly engaging. Although some students may excel at this sort of “hands-off” learning, others may be more likely to succeed when provided with opportunities to directly engage with the material. This Socratic Seminar will provide a crucial alternative to the previous lessons that week, appealing to students who may learn in a different way. Additionally, although this lesson requires participation, it allows students to participate in a number of ways. Through my experience with this class, I have noticed that the majority of the students are very vocal and jump at any chance to engage in classroom discussion; they will likely participate in a very vocal manner throughout the lesson. However, there are many students in this class who seem to learn best by observing and note taking. This has been taken into consideration in this lesson and students will be informed that engaging with the lesson can be accomplished through active listening and taking thorough notes. This lesson may also appeal to students who have a creative mindset and do not enjoy feeling boxed in by more passive activities such as lectures or readings. Discussion provides these students with an outlet for their creative expression. Students will be encouraged to provide ideas in discussion regardless of how far-out or unique they may seem as long as they are respectful.

Adaptations

When creating any lesson plan, it is important to consider the special needs of students in the class. Several of the students in this course have IEP’s that require the instructor’s attention. However, I believe that many of the students’ special needs will allow them to excel in this lesson. Several of the students in this class have difficulty remaining quiet during instruction and frequently are too energetic to keep to themselves. This lesson will allow them to participate orally to their hearts’ content as long as they remain respectful of the other students and the instructor. Additionally, several of the students in this class have low reading levels that often make it difficult for them to grapple with the more difficult readings in this course such as court cases and legal documents. However, I have chosen articles that present perspectives and information while remaining at a reasonable reading level that I am confident all the students in the class will be capable to understand. Of course, if it becomes apparent that a student is struggling with the text, it is the responsibility of the instructor to assist that student in any way possible. Additionally, a typical fishbowl discussion would require two circles, one on the inside and one on the outside. In this case, I do not feel comfortable having many students sitting in an outside circle because I do not feel they will be as likely to pay attention. Therefore students will remain together in the same larger circle. Reflection

Whenever an instructor chooses to administer a discussion, he or she is running several risks. The most commonly feared one being that students will not participate. Knowing the class this lesson will be administered to, I feel this is unlikely to occur. However, precautions should still be taken in the case that students are reluctant to participate. If students are reluctant to respond to a particular question, it may be because they do not understand the question. In this case, it may be beneficial for the instructor to reword the question for clarity. If students simply do not wish to participate, the instructor may choose to cold call students in order to ensure that they participate. I am somewhat concerned that many of the students in this class may not read the required texts prior to coming to class. For this reason, I am requiring an entrance ticket to serve as proof that the students have at least engaged with the material on some level. However, I also know that many students may be likely to quickly skim the texts at home and may not be fully prepared for discussion. For this reason, I am setting aside a short period of time to allow the students to quickly read over the documents once more before the discussion begins. A problem I fear is likely to arise in this class is that the discussion may become dominated by a handful of students while the others are unable to get a response in. In this instance, it may be necessary for the instructor to step in. The instructor may simply intervene by stating, “Why don’t we hear from some students who haven’t participated?” or “Does anyone else have anything to add?” It is important that the instructor get responses from other students without calling out or doing anything to alienate the student or students that are dominating the discussion. Another issue that I am concerned may arise in this class is that students may quickly get off track and take the discussion in a different direction than I intended. I encourage students to respond creatively and to a certain degree, I may encourage slight deviations from my intended plan. However, if students start to become too off-topic in their responses, it may be necessary to pull back the reigns a bit. This can be accomplished in a number of ways but perhaps most efficiently by moving on to the next question and refocusing students by letting them know that they are off-track. Finally, with the modified fishbowl lesson, I am worried that the lesson will become too convoluted with instructions and this will take away from the overall effectiveness of the lesson. However, this class frequently transitions between activities a few times each class and so I do not envision it becoming too much of a problem.