Prepare participants for a Socratic seminar by asking them to not only design questions for the discussion, but to also observe an assigned partner during the seminar. A great way to encourage student-led discussions.

Additional Tags

Costa's levels of intellectual functioning, seminar preparation, english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• When introducing class members to the Socratic seminar format, have pairs practice using the provided scripts

Classroom Considerations

• Set aside time before the seminar to examine Costa's taxonomy so that all class members recognize the distinguishing features of each level
• Although not included in the resource, information about and PowerPoint presentations on Costa's Levels of Intellectual Functioning are readily available on the Internet

Pros

• Of particular value is the page of academic language scripts that model how to ask for clarification, to probe for higher-level thinking, to express an opinion, build on what others say, interrupt, and invite others in to the dialogue

Cons

• None