Let The Students Do The Talking: The Power of Socratic Seminars

Our recent 5Essentials Survey results for the 2016-2017 school year led us with an astounding conclusion, student discussion is not always at the forefront of our classrooms. Student talk can be a powerful tool, and when done right leaves the teacher as a facilitator and not entertainer or holder of knowledge. We've gathered some resources for you to explain why you should turn over the microphone this school year.

The first resource is full of empirical research on why talk is important in the classroom. Click Here or the image below to read some excerpts!http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108035/chapters/Why-Talk-Is-Important-in-Classrooms.aspx

What I found most enthralling was the history of talk in the classroom. We all remember the stand and deliver days which only allowed one student to engage and test their knowledge at once. You'll notice the excerpts focus on why putting oracy first in the classroom builds our students reading and writing skills as well. 

Where To Start?

You may want to turn over the classroom but don't know were to start. Here are some ideas and resources to try out. Socratic Seminars are a great starting point. Like any other pedagogical method, it will take you and your students time to perfect this new methodology. Diving in is a first step! You can turn to your instructional coaches to help plan a Socratic lesson or come in and co-teach. You won't regret the results! There are many different ways to conduct a Socratic Seminar. Here are some resources and videos to get you started in your planning:

• Socratic Smackdown: Offers a fun approach to having students practice discussion strategies. Socratic Smackdown is a printable game designed to be played with up to forty students at a time.
• 
  
• How To Conduct A Socratic Seminar
•