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Lesson 9

We will participate in Socratic Seminars with another research team to prepare for the Section Diagnostic Socratic Seminar with the whole class.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I explain the authors’ claims about change agents?

  • Can I form and clearly communicate claims that represent valid, evidence-based analyses in preparation for a whole-class discussion?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “Agents of Change,” Phil Patton, American Heritage, 1994
    • “Introduction,” excerpt from The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc., 2000

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will review our groups’ norms for productive work.

Review your group’s norms.

Activity 2: Listen – Discuss

We will review the norms for a Socratic Seminar and prepare to have an effective seminar in our groups.

Read the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist for the next lesson. You might be wondering what a Socratic Seminar is.

A Socratic Seminar is a learner-led discussion, where you aim to gain a deeper and more robust understanding of the ideas and values in a text or across multiple texts.

There is no leader in a Socratic Seminar. Each learner's voice is equal, and there are no experts.

In a Socratic Seminar, different perspectives are critical. They help all participants see multiple sides of complex topics and expand everyone's understanding. During a seminar, it is important to pose questions that elicit discussion, not simple, right or wrong answers.

As such, it is critical that questions in a Socratic seminar are open-ended (they elicit multiple perspectives), thought-provoking (they challenge students to evaluate and synthesize their ideas), and are clear (they are easily understandable).

With the other research group you are paired with, create the norms for a Socratic Seminar, using the norms for your individual research groups as a basis.

Activity 3: Write

We will write open-ended questions in preparation for a Socratic Seminar.

Before starting the Socratic Seminar, consider the texts that you have read so far on your topic. Write two open-ended, thought-provoking questions about your topic. Review some examples of open-ended, thought-provoking questions below:

  1. What do you think about _____? What evidence from the text supports your belief?

  2. What is the relationship between _____ and _____?

  3. What do the texts say about _____? What about this perspective do you agree or disagree with?

  4. What significance is this to _____?

  5. If _____ is true, then _____?

Below are questions to avoid:

  • questions that are too vague (these invoke uncertainty in other group members)

  • questions that are too general (these do not ensure understanding)

  • yes-or-no questions (these do not elicit discussion)

These questions will help you focus on what needs to be said about your topic and what the other group might ask. While each research group has a different research pathway, you are all studying change agents and how they impact the world, so information you learn in the discussion will help you further develop the ideas you have been researching in a broader, more meaningful way.

Activity 4: Discuss

We will engage in a Socratic Seminar with another research team.

Begin the seminar by asking one of your open-ended questions to the group. Anyone can respond and start a discussion. Remember, this is a discussion, not a question-and-answer session.

Continue the discussion by asking other open-ended questions and responding to your peers’ questions. Remember to use textual evidence to support your responses and observations.

Activity 5: Write

We will reflect on how effective our groups’ seminars were.

Respond to the following questions:

  1. How did the seminar deepen your understanding of the topic of change agents?

  2. What new questions emerged for you during the seminar?

  3. What else do you need to investigate or research in order to succeed on the Culminating Task?

  4. How did you, specifically, contribute to the Socratic Seminar? Be specific.

Activity 6: Read

For homework, we will reread the first part of the introduction to Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, as well as the first section of Phil Patton’s “Agents Of Change” so we are prepared for the Section Diagnostic Socratic Seminar.

For homework, reread and annotate the first part of the introduction to Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point and Phil Patton’s "Agents of Change."

Review the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist. Write four open-ended questions, two about The Tipping Point and two about "Agents of Change."

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal that you would like to use in the next lesson’s Section Diagnostic Socratic Seminar.