Socratic Seminars

 Highlights/ Key Takeaways

- Student lead discussion

- Focused on asking the question WHY? 

    This is a really great way to engage students and encourage them to participate in class discussion. I think that one of the biggest takeaways that Jaquez highlights about Socratic Seminars is making sure students understand how to start a conversation. I think that this tool will be useful in not only my art classroom, but in all classrooms. 

    One of the main questions I have is: How do I implement socratic seminars in an art-centered way? 

Benefits of Learning about Socratic Seminar:    

    I think that socratic seminar could be a really interesting tool for communication in my art classroom. This format also has a great system for communication, where there is room for students to listen. I like to think that in practice there is time  for students to prepare before-hand, so that when we are in discussion there is great opportunities for peer-to-peer learning through discussion.

Applying What I've Learned:

    Student lead discussion gives students agency in their learning and encourages them to share their thoughts, promoting metacognitive discussion. More student engagement through discussion means that students are making connections and listening to diverse perspectives, while we as teachers are not imparting our thoughts and connections onto students.

Implementing Socratic Seminar:

    In practice, I want to make sure that I am giving students agency in this process. This strategy allows students to really lead their own learning, and helps students to expand their frame of reference for specific concepts. 

    I would like to practice facilitating rather that leading class discussion, I think that the organization of socratic seminars could be beneficial to students in terms of giving and receiving information from their peers to make connections with their own thoughts.