USING SOCRATIC SEMINAR AT THE ENGLISH LESSON

Rysbekkyzy N., Bulekbaeva A.Zh.

Kazakhstan is on a way of active integration to the world community a special value is given to English language, the language of the international cooperation. President of the Republic of Kazakhstan pays a great attention to education and especially to vital importance for the acquisition of English language in his annual messages to the people of Kazakhstan. So with the spread and development of English around the world, English is used as a second language in our country too. In this regard our work is devoted how to form the students’ speaking skills. Speaking is one of the most important skills to be developed and enhanced as means of effective communication. For English language teachers the question of how to increase communicative competence was and tends to the most important one.

Speaking is a key to communication, certainly needed by everyone particularly by students. Nowadays Socratic seminar is used by English teachers.

In this article will be spoken some rules of Socratic seminar. The goal of a Socratic seminar is for students to help one another understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in a specific text. Students are responsible for facilitating a discussion around ideas in the text rather than asserting opinions. Through a process of listening, making meaning, and finding common ground students work toward shared understanding rather than trying to prove a particular argument. A Socratic seminar is not used for the purpose of debate, persuasion, or personal reflection, as the focus is on developing shared meaning of a text.

Socratic method of education, teachers engage students by asking questions that require generative answers. Ideally, the answers to questions are not a stopping point for thought but are instead a beginning to further analysis and research. Teachers can use the Socratic method in a variety of subject areas and across grade levels in order to challenge students to examine both contemporary and historical issues. In modeling the practice of Socrates, the teacher questions students in a manner that requires them to consider how they rationalize and respond about topics. The goal of the Socratic method is to help students process information and engage in deeper understanding of topics. Most importantly, Socratic teaching engages students in dialogue and discussion that is collaborative and open-minded as opposed to debate, which is often competitive and individualized.

First, teachers prepare authentic texts in advance. Teachers develop open-ended questions about texts and encourage students to use textual evidence to support their opinions and answers. In the Socratic seminar, the teacher uses questions to guide discussion around specific learning goals. It is imperative for teachers to “establish guidelines to help students understand their roles and responsibilities” in the Socratic discussion. The Socratic seminar is a 50-80 minute discussion in which 25 or fewer students react to a novel, poem, essay, document, or art reproduction. Students engaging in Socratic seminar generally sit in inner and outer circles and do not raise their hands to speak; instead, they make eye contact and observe body language in order to learn the cues for engaging in discussion. Socratic Seminar is a great way to coach students in vital 21st century skills—especially critical thinking and speaking and listening skills. Seminars are most effective when facilitators establish some rules for respectful dialogue and ask students to set goals.

There are several basic elements of a Seminar:
• Text
• Classroom Environment
• Questions

The teacher’s role in Socratic seminar

In the Socratic seminar, the teacher is responsible for guiding students to “a deeper and clarified consideration of the ideas of the text, a respect for varying points of view, and adherence to and respect for the seminar process”. The teacher also counts the number and type of comments made by students and models expected behaviors for listening, thinking and interacting within the dialogue. Teachers often participate in student-led seminars, and in case, the dialogue is charted by students who tally the types of contributions made by classmates.

Developing questions for Socratic seminars

There are several methods of developing questions for Socratic seminars; however, creating an opening question can determine the success of the seminar.

There are some steps of organizing Socratic seminar.

Selecting an appropriate text

Socratic seminars are based on close textual analysis so it is important to select a text that provides ample avenues for interpretation and discussion. If you choose a simple text where the meaning of it is fairly straightforward, there won’t be much for students to discuss. Also, the text should not be too long to read closely in the allotted amount of time.

Students prepare for the seminar

Before beginning the seminar, it is essential that students have time to prepare ideas. Students should annotate the text before the start of the class discussion. Contracting

Socratic seminars have rules that may not apply to other forms of discussion, so before beginning the seminar, it is important that everyone is aware of the norms. Below are typical rules used to structure a Socratic seminar. Of course, you can adapt these to fit the needs of your students:

1)      Talk to each other, not just to the discussion leader or teacher.

2)      Refer to evidence from the text to support your ideas.

3)      Ask questions if you do not understand what someone has said, or you can paraphrase what another student has said for clarification. (“I think you said this, is that right?”)

4)      You do not need to raise your hands to speak, but please pay attention to your “airtime” – how much you have spoken in relation to other students.

5)      Don’t interrupt.

6)      Don’t put down the ideas of another student. Without judging the student who you may disagree with, state your alternate interpretation or ask a follow-up question to help probe or clarify an idea.

7)      Common statements or questions used during a Socratic seminar include:

Before beginning the seminar it is also important to remind students that the purpose of the seminar is not to debate or prove a point, but to more deeply understand what the author was trying to express in the text.

A Socratic seminar often begins with the discussion leader, a student or the teacher, asking an open-ended question. A typical Socratic seminar opening prompt is: What do you think this text means? Silence is fine. It may take a few minutes for students to warm-up.  Sometimes teachers organize a Socratic seminar like a fishbowl, with some students participating in the discussion and the rest of the class having specific jobs as observers.  Socratic seminars should be given at least fifteen minutes and can often last thirty minutes or more.  As students become more familiar with Socratic seminars, they are able to discuss a text for longer periods of time without any teacher-intervention.

Reflection and to evaluate

After the Socratic seminar, give students the opportunity to evaluate the seminar in general and their own performance specifically. This can be an in-class or a homework assignment.

References

1. Chasniknikova O.B., Gibina Yu.I., Lisitsa A.B., Guselnikova E.V. “The use of new information technologies at schools”. Materials of the Regional Scientific and Practical Conference “English Language in the System “School - Higher Education”, Novosibirsk, June 20, 2003. 

2. Goh.C., Teaching speaking in the language classroom, Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, 2007

3. Shumin, K. (1997). Factors to consider: Developing adult EFL students’ speaking abilities. English Teaching Forum. 35(3), 8