Beyond "My Opinion Versus Yours": Supporting Students in Socio-Scientific Argumentation

To what extent do Socratic seminar activities encourage engagement in Classical Civilisation lessons?

“…A Socratic seminar can take many forms, but at its core it comprises ‘a structured conversation that students facilitate through open-ended questioning’ (Vierstra, 2018, p. 1). The emphasis in this seminar is on learning through questioning – the name comes from Socrates' method of exploring philosophical ideas with his interlocutors through answering their questions with his own (Chowning, 2009). The term was pioneered by the work of Adler (1982) who developed an exercise of literary criticism based on the so-called Socratic method.…”

“…Educators can be hesitant at implementing exploratory activities such as these, disputing their relevance to both the curriculum and secondary school students (Polite and Adams, 1997). Even research with a positive outlook on such seminars acknowledges the potential pitfalls of facilitating them: ‘a conversation can quickly veer out of control … if the discussion is not structured appropriately’ (Chowning, 2009, p. 36).…”

“…Socratic seminars can offer a lot of scope for formatively assessing students' learning. Chowning (2009, p. 40) describes how a teacher can ‘focus on student preparation for the seminar, student reflections or writings following the seminar, or participation in the seminar itself’ to assess students. For this study, it is important to encourage student involvement in the process of assessment as Socratic seminars themselves are designed to promote students' agency in their own learning.…”

“…Moreover, another benefit identified in the research is the potential for encouraging social as well as academic skills through Socratic enquiry. Chowning distinguishes Socratic seminars from other types of class discussion on the basis that they ‘foster collaborative intellectual dialogue’ (2009, p. 38). Helterbran and Strahler note that both the ethical issues that may arise from Socratic discourses and the atmosphere that they engender in the classroom ‘can encourage and support the moral development of children’ (2013, p. 312).…”

“…Additionally, students reflecting on their own and others' thinking has the wider benefit of promoting understanding. As well as scaffolding children's learning as part of the enquiry, the educator has the responsibility to model respectful discussion and evaluation of others' ideas (Chowning, 2009). A successful seminar requires participants to be active listeners and civil communicators.…”