Using Socratic Seminar as a form of authentic assessment for student learning. Can be used as everything from an informal check in to a formal assessment.

1. Nicole Lusiani Elliott
Teacher, San Lorenzo High School
March 3, 2012

2. Introduction
 8th Grade Core
 U.S. History
 Economics
 Government
 AP Government
 Women‟s Studies
 Psychology

3. Goals for Today
Today‟s Participants will leave with:
 An understanding of the Socratic Seminar
method,
 Tools for how to teach students to develop
Socratic Seminar questions,
 Ideas for how to structure and facilitate a
Socratic Seminar,
 Methods for how to quickly and accurately
assess student learning.

4. Goals for Socratic Seminars
 Assess Mastery of Content
 Evaluate Understanding of Concepts
 Provide Opportunities for Students to
Practice Academic Language
 Teach Students how to Engage in
Civil Discourse

5. How does Using Seminar
Meet those Goals?
 Assess Mastery of  Literal Questions and
Content Answers
 Evaluate Understanding  Interpretive and Applied
of Concepts Questions and Answers
 Provide Opportunities  Teaching them the tools
for Students to Practice and providing them the
Academic Language time and structure to
practice
 Teach Students how to  Model and guide
Engage in Civil appropriate ways to
Discourse disagree and discuss
what can be challenging
topics

6. Seminar Basics:
Reasons and Ways
 Formal Assessment  Whole Class
 Informal Check In (“Do
they „get‟ it?”)  Small Groups
 Test or Essay Preparation
 Fishbowl within a Small
 Reinforcing Group
understanding of
particularly challenging
readings or political  Fishbowl within the
cartoons. Whole Class
Reasons to Use Seminars Ways to Structure Seminars

7. Seminar Basics:
Socratic Seminar Questions
 Literal Questions
 Fact-based questions with one correct answer.
 Interpretive Questions
 Opinion-based questions with several possible
answers based on interpretation
 Applied Questions
 Personal-based questions with several possible
answers based on individual experience and how
the situation may apply to them and/or people
today.

8. The Ideal Socratic Seminar
 Provides a structure for the students to work
within, guiding them but not confining them.
 Provides opportunities for all students to
participate, allowing them the opportunity to
shine in the areas of speaking and listening.
 Shows clearly who knows the material and who
does not.
 Provides an opportunity for greater
understanding for all students.
 Is simple for the teacher to grade.

9. Before the Seminar:
Know Your Intention
What’s Your Intention Set Up Accordingly
 Why am I doing this? Do I  Am I grading for content,
want an informal check communication skills, or
in, a formal assessment, both and why?
or to review for a test?
 Is this new to my students  Who should grade the
so my intention is to students and why?
introduce the skill? Or
have they done this  What size groups should
quite a lot and I want to
the students be in and
push them to the next
level? why?

10. Before Assigning the Seminar:
Prepare Yourself
 Have plenty of sample questions at
your disposal.
 Choose models that are appropriate;
ease them in, don‟t scare them off.
 Include a rubric with the instructions so
they know what to expect.

11. Assigning the Seminar:
Prepare Your Students
 Set Intention
 What is a Socratic Seminar and why are we doing it?
 Review Questions
 What are the three levels of questions, and what is the
point of each?
 Model Process
 Using a previous unit as an example, what are sample
questions of each type?

12. Model One: Text
Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): Ain't I A Woman? Delivered 1851 Women's Convention, Akron, Ohio
Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the
negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix
pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to
have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me
any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and
gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as
much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen
children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus
heard me! And ain't I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers,
"intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold
but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a
woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman!
Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these
women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to
do it, the men better let them.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/sojtruth-woman.asp

13. Model Two: Political Cartoon
http://www.yousaytoo.com/best-political-cartoon-about-health-care/89935

14. Before the Seminar:
Anticipation is Your Friend
 The Facts:
 You know your intention
 You know your students
 The Anticipation:
 What do they need?
 How should you set up the room and the groups to meet
those needs?
 Prepare Accordingly:
 Have heterogeneous groups set up before class starts.
 Have tables set up before class starts.
 Anticipate the possibility this will be a challenge for some.
 Anticipate the possibility this is an opportunity to
pontificate for some.

15. During the Seminar:
Assess on the Go
Don‟t try to
manage 36 papers
all at once.
Develop a +/-
system of some
kind and take
notes on the small
group lists as you
circulate.

16. After the Seminar:
Assess for a Score
 As soon as possible after the seminar, fill out a
rubric for each student.
 By day‟s end, you will have assessed your
students‟ learning in a meaningful way and
they will feel so proud of themselves for
holding their own in an academic
conversation.
 Considering how long it takes to grade essays
and how little depth of understanding is
shown in a multiple choice test, isn‟t this an
ideal way of assessing student learning?

17. Seminar Works
 “I often find that students come
away from seminar appreciating
(the content) on a whole new level,
or understanding some aspect that
they hadn‟t considered before. It
also helps them generate ideas for
writing - - in a way that feels more
meaningful than just brainstorming
on paper.”
 Beth Daly, Teacher

18. Seminar Works
 “I love how (seminar) develops
responsibility and civility; responsibility
because I ask students to write
questions prior to the discussion,
which they always do because the
seminars are so fun for them, and
civility, because it teaches them to
listen to one another actively and
extend/make connections to their
own ideas.”
 Cheryl Morris, Teacher

19. Seminar Works
 “I love seminar because I get to see
students interacting with each other
and a text in an academic way
without me butting in at all. I get to
check for understanding but also get
to hear some really interesting
conversations!”
 Vandana Makker, Teacher

20. Seminar Works
 “…everyone is responsible for
preparing for the conversation and it
is so well-structured that (they all feel
safe within the conversation). I love
that they are smart, thoughtful
young adults…and I get to grade
them on that.”
 Lisa Sorenson, Teacher

21. Seminar Works
 “Seminars are a totally awesome
experience because everyone
brings something different to the
table. They engage together (in
ways that are both academic and
personal).”
 Mark Schneider, Teacher and Librarian

22. Seminar Works
 “I want desperately to use Socratic
Seminar, but I just don‟t feel that I
have the training to make it work. I
so wish I could make it to Garden
Grove this weekend. Have a
wonderful trip!”
 Brian Williams (New) Teacher

24. Thank You
Evaluation
Index Card for E-Copies and
Updates
Name
Email
School