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Charles Ames Fischer
a book bubble about
The Power of the Socratic Classroom
Education & Reference
Author Insight
Debriefing a Socratic Seminar
They say you don't really know something until you've reflected upon it. In my experience, there's a lot of truth to this. Even if it was only partly true, the debrief is a valuable step in the learning process. There are two main aspects to this: debriefing the seminar itself and then possibly extending the learning through additional activities. At the very least, students should engage in a debrief of the seminar itself, both from a personal standpoint and from the group's. One way to do this is by using a whip-around. Have each student say one positive and one "needs improvement" for the group, then use an exit ticket for more personalized feedback on how each student did on individual goals. One of my favorite questions to ask is some variation of: "What is one thing we need to do in order to function better as a team?"
Book Excerpt
The Power of the Socratic Classroom
THERE IS ALWAYS a need for a post-seminar debrief or extension simply because many seminars are never long enough to thoroughly explore complex ideas. Just think about philosophical ideas that have been discussed over the centuries with no sign of concluding any time soon. In addition, Socratic Seminars are very focused on a large number of skills, and those take years of practice to hone. Ball and Brewer write: “A post-seminar assignment enriches and extends the learning, and thus maximizes all the foregoing efforts of students and teachers … Teachers should use the post-seminar activity to increase learning and to satisfy curricular objectives.”
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