James R Maxlow
james@maxlow.net
www.maxlow.net
AVID Socratic Seminars

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      Socratic Seminars can be wonderful experiences for both teachers and students in AVID classrooms (or any other classrooms, for that matter.) By combining critical thinking, oratory skills, and a sense of community and shared experience, these exercises provide classrooms with a depth and character that can only benefit both student achievement and student self-esteem in the long run.

      In AVID, Socratic Seminars merge terrifically into the Writing - Inquiry - Collaboration model, but new AVID teachers (or sometimes even AVID veterans!) may sometimes feel overwhelmed or lost with regards to how to implement a Socratic Seminar. Other teachers may understand Seminars quite well, but may find it difficult to find adequate source material for the discussions. It is my hope that these pages will serve as a resource for both of those interests. Below you will find details on implementing Socratic Seminars in your classroom, as well as source material and prompts that I have written to use in discussions. Feel free to use anything here with your own students! (And if you do use any, drop me a note at james@maxlow.net to let me know how it goes!)

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Socratic Seminar Overview
This page gives a general explanation of Socratic Seminars, as well as details of my personal implementation.
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A Different Light (Prompts)
Relevant Issues: Parent/Child Relationships, Empathy, Charity, Homelessness, Disillusionment
Choices (Prompts)
Relevant Issues: Dating, Teen Pregnancy, Peer Pressure, Role Models, Self-Determination, Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy
Fatherhood (Prompts)
Relevant Issues: Parent/Child Relationships, One Parent Homes, Abandonment, Poverty, Family
My Country (Prompts)
Relevant Issues: Patriotism, Isolationism, Empathy, Friendship, Media Influence, Problem Solving
Perception (Prompts)
Relevant Issues: Drugs, Prison, Legal System, Responsibility, Guilt, Innocence, Family, Choices
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Have any comments? Send them to james@maxlow.net
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