A Socratic seminar is a teaching strategy that involves a formal discussion based on a text, in which the leader asks open-ended questions. Within the context of the discussion, students listen closely to the comments of others, think critically for themselves, and articulate their own thoughts and their responses to the thoughts of others. The goal of a Socratic seminar is to foster critical thinking by examining inaccurate or incomplete beliefs and the assumptions behind them.

Here are some key features of a Socratic seminar:

• Students ask and answer questions while the teacher remains silent.
• Students sit in a circle facing each other.
• There is no need to raise hands or call on names; this is an open dialogue.
• Students refer to evidence from the text to support their ideas.
• Students ask questions if they do not understand what someone has said, or they can paraphrase what another student has said for clarification.

To conduct a Socratic seminar, it is important to select a text that provides ample avenues for interpretation and discussion. The text should not be too long to read closely in the allotted amount of time. Teachers can prepare students for the seminar by telling them ahead of time when they will be expected to participate and by distributing sticky notes for students to use to annotate the text as they read.

Criteria that can be used to evaluate a Socratic seminar activity include engagement, respect, meaning-making, and use of evidence. Socratic seminars can be assessed in a variety of ways, such as a summative assessment or a formative assessment.

Socratic seminars are a powerful strategy for helping students improve their critical thinking skills and engage in retrieval practice. They create a feeling of a college class and can be used at any grade level with any subject area.