OPINION: Socrates v. Students?: AHS Speaks On Socratic Seminars

• January 13, 2023

By Carissa Dessin
STAFF WRITER

The Socratic seminar. The place where students share ideas, ask questions, and get clarification on a piece of literature. A place that some students love and some hate.

Socratic seminars can be terrifying to an anxious or unprepared student. Heads snapping towards you once you open your mouth, the anxiety of a teacher asking you to speak up so the whole class can hear, the silence that fills the room after you speak as if nobody understood the words that left your mouth. 

“It’s an essential technique for the English classroom,” English teacher Brian Shea said. 

Shea’s reason for doing Socratics is simple: “The reason, really, is so it’s not just me talking all the time.”

Sophomore Lucy MacLean is not a fan of Socratics, but she “would rather do a Socratic seminar than write an essay.”

Socratics have fewer criteria than an essay would, since students are mostly graded on participation. Essays may have an abundance of requirements, such as an outline, a certain number of paragraphs and pages, font size, heading, and more. These things can cause students to lose sight in what they are doing, which is showing understanding of a piece of text. Socratics don’t seem to need that much preparation besides bringing in questions or discussion points, which could lead to more analytical thinking from students.

“[They] can cause stress and nerves for students who are less comfortable speaking in large groups,” said sophomore Piper Gorsuch, who empathized with the students who disliked or felt uncomfortable during Socratics. “For some students, the benefits might not outweigh the stress.”

Gorsuch herself has mixed feelings on the matter. The idea of Socratics and the preparation stresses her out, but her previous experiences have been nothing short of enjoyable. She is able to relate in some way to those quieter students, saying, “When I don’t know as many of the people, I feel less comfortable speaking up.”

It just so happens that a lot of students don’t have a strong positive or negative-opinion. Many have mixed feelings about them, like sophomore Chloe Gibson. “It’s nerve-wracking and scary having to jump into a discussion,” she said. “But it’s nice to hear classmates’ opinions.” 

This is true, hearing a classmates’ opinion is a nice refresher from always hearing a teachers’, but some students may take things too far. There are some students that tend to dominate the conversation and speak over quieter classmates that just want to get their participation points. This could damper the mood of any student and discourage them from speaking. But it mostly encourages students and causes them to be more assertive which is a quality that is very crucial in life and adulthood. 

“Whether or not they like them is not the point,” Shea said bluntly. “It’s more teaching them that skill so they can be successful in other areas.” 

He pictured a scenario where the student was at a table with their future employer and colleagues, having to brainstorm and share ideas. The employer expects them to be able to contribute to the discussion and be comfortable speaking in the conversation. 

“I want you to feel like you’re prepared to engage in that discussion because that’s a career,” Shea started. “You’re not just talking about a book in class, you are engaging in a sharing of ideas and questions. If you don’t speak up, you’re not going to be noticed and you’re not going to get that promotion or you’re not going to get that raise or you’re not going to get that job.”

Sophomore Bailey Heckman agreed, “[They] help you learn how to have a real important discussion that will benefit you later in life.” 

For the students that truly hate Socratic seminars, is there an alternative? Is there a way to share your opinion without all the preparation and stress?

There just may be.

They’re called dialogic conversations. They are an exercise used in history teacher Mary Robb’s classes where students discuss topics based on personal experiences rather than a piece of literature or a character.

The group gets a prompt and the students get five minutes to think and write about their answer. Then, each student gets two minutes to share their experience with that topic. “There is an option to pass if students are not comfortable with sharing. A student who chooses to pass would hand in a written response,” Robb said, providing an alternative that might calm the nerves of anybody who was worried about sharing out loud. 

Instead of the student speaking on a book that they may not understand or relate to, they are speaking from personal encounters. This provides a less stressful time for students and an overall good experience for students to share their feelings and experiences where they wouldn’t normally be able to. 

But what brings ease to one student might bring stress to another. Some students might be too scared to share personal information with others, and while they do have the option of a pass, it still creates an all-eyes-on-them moment. Then again, it will be difficult for them to open up and speak about their experiences later in life if they don’t start early.

Now, comparing Socratic seminars and dialogic conversations wouldn’t be fair. They are two completely different activities that require a different side from the students. Dialogics ask a student to pull from their own brain and their own experience and Socratics ask them to analyze a piece of literature and show understanding through asking questions, answering questions, and providing backup with quotes.

Though the two exercises are very different, both require the bravery from students to put themselves on center stage and speak their mind.

While Socratics are stressful and require a lot of preparation, they are important. They help prepare students for the real world and teach a lot of the essential skills they need to succeed. Shea brings up a good point; it’s not whether they like it or not, it’s a matter of if it is necessary to succeed.