Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School

by Matt Copeland

The benefits and importance of Socratic seminars are widely recognized, but little has been written on how to make them happen successfully in the classroom. In Socratic Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School , author Matt Copeland provides real-world examples and straightforward answers to frequent questions. He creates a coaching guide for both the teacher new to Socratic seminars and the experienced teacher seeking to optimize the benefits of this powerful strategy. Socratic Circles also shows teachers who are familiar with literature circles the many ways in which these two practices complement and extend each other. Effectively implemented, Socratic seminars enhance reading comprehension, listening and speaking skills, and build better classroom community and conflict resolution skills. By giving students ownership over the classroom discussion around texts, they become more independent and motivated learners. Ultimately, because there is a direct relationship between the level of participation and the richness of the experience, Socratic seminars teach students to take responsibility for the quality of their own learning. Filled with examples to help readers visualize the application of these concepts in practice, Socratic Circles includes transcripts of student dialogue and work samples of preparation and follow-up activities. The helpful appendices offer ready-to-copy handouts and examples, and suggested selections of text that connect to major literary works. As our classrooms and our schools grow increasingly focused on meeting high standards and differentiating instruction for a wide variety of student needs and learning styles, Socratic seminars offer an essential classroom tool for meeting these goals.Socratic Circles is a complete and practical guide to Socratic seminars for the busy classroom teacher.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, School, Professional Development

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once on a reflection form after a class discussion, one of my students wrote something to the effect of, "You know that these class discussions are never going to be what you want them to be". I took that to mean, "Your dream of having class discussions that are actually highly engaging, student centered and thought-provoking is just a fantasy." I felt sad that my student felt that way, and felt his frustration at participating in discussion that doesn't live up to its potential. Having rich and meaningful whole class dialogue that is rich and student centered has been a very elusive goal that I have been hammering away at for several years now. Usually conversations start and end quickly, students become a little agitated and bored (and then I do to) and the experience is lackluster at the very best. My desire is to help students generate discussion about a text amongst themselves, thinking and talking about the things that are important to them, but I end up taking the reigns and driving the discussion, because I have not been sure how to facilitate students to conduct this process amongst themselves.
This year, I began teaching juniors and seniors instead of freshmen and sophomores, and hoped that working with more wise and mature students would be the ticket to achieving a deeper level of discourse. But alas, the first discussion with my Seniors immediately fell flat. Many students came into the room with energy and questions about the text they had read, but when we got in a circle to talk, it was like the life had been sucked out of the room. I left feeling really dissapointed and demoralized. I knew that I wanted deeply to help students have better disucssions, but felt at a loss as to how to do so. So, I did what I always do when I want get better at something: I found a book about it. I got on Amazon and tried to find a book about facilitating discussion, and happened upon this book about Socratic Circles. In this book, Copeland gives a very thorough overview of the reasioning behind this technique and ways to implement and assess it in the classroom. I immediately implemented many of the ideas in the book to help students prepare for a quality discussion, and then hosted my first discussion using some of the framworks outlined in the book. The quality of the discussion was 110% better than what had been happeneing previously and students asked to continue with the discussion on the following day when the bell rang at the end of class. I am looking forward to fully implementing the socratic circles process in my classroom. I think it is going to dramatically improve the quality of discussion my students are having about difficult texts. After reading this book, I finally feel like I am getting somewhere with generating the type of lively and student-centered discussions I have been dreaming about and my students have been craving.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of the best teaching books I own. I had been doing Socratics for a while and was always disappointed that the format itself didn't automatically make students insightful. Copeland emphasizes far more thorough preparation and reflection than I had been doing in my classes. Before I even read this book, I was able to take the preparation and reflection forms he provides and use them for my first Socratic seminars of the school year, and they were by far the best I've ever had, including in my class of sophomores who had never participated in the activity before. If you are not 100% satisfied with the quality of discussion in your classroom, I highly recommend this book. It's just fantastic and super-useful.

[Peaches · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've used Socratic seminars for years before reading this, but I'm considering writing an article about them, so I turned to what had been said about them before.
Around the time that I began working at a public school, our district had fully consumed the Kool-Aid for Socratic seminars. From my memory, certain representative from my English department brought the information about them back from a state training, and my department was expected to use them. Obviously, if you've done one before, you probably know the benefits without reading this book, but Copeland articulates the benefits well and has useful examples for teachings starting out with them that I would have loved to see, even a rubric that makes me want to adapt my own.
I did have an issue with him not giving a lot of guidelines for how the questions should go. So many students before my class hated seminars because they had to come up with all the questions and they said the conversation was dull and didn't cover what they'd prepared for. Copeland also encourages teachers not to grade the seminar (even though he provides rubrics....), but grades ensure that students take them seriously.
I also noticed that while it is great he gives texts to pair with required ELA readings, many of them are dated now and not current with students.

[Matt Ely · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good summary of implementing Socratic circles at the secondary level. The focus is on practical concerns and real-world examples, taking much of the philosophy behind the method for granted. That's ultimately okay, as he makes extensive reference to more philosophically-oriented material on the subject. I particularly appreciated his discussion of how to fit the practice into the curriculum at large, as well as what should and (perhaps more importantly) should *not* be formally assessed.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my essential "bibles" of classroom instruction. I read it last year and it improved the discussions in my Honors classes significantly. Copeland presents many helpful tips on how to manage a Socratic Circle and how to develop opening questions for each circle. This is a must-read book for any English teacher.

[Macy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A great technique for the classroom, however the author goes on and on, repeating concepts. I got it the first time.

[Michael Loveless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Socratic Circles is a very practical book. Matt Copeland is a high school literature teacher who describes his use of Socratic Circles to promote high-level discussion in his classes. The book begins with a description of what Socratic circles are, how they work, and what their benefits are. Copeland has very practical information that would allow any teacher to start the practice. He explains when to use them, the types of sources that work best, the role the teacher plays, how to prepare and lead students in the inner and outer circles, and how to provide feedback that will lead to improvement. The book has numerous transcripts of discussions, which allow the reader to have an idea what a Socratic Circle might really sound like. The author included numerous forms he has used to facilitate a good experience and meaningful discussion. The book is well-designed to be a helpful instruction manual for anyone new to Socratic Circles.

[Daniel Barkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d probably have a much lower opinion of this book if I hadn’t already seen a colleague of mine use Socratic circles in his class. So much of the book feels like it is rambling on as a means of justifying its existence. Unfortunately, this rambling comes at the expense of some needed specificity. For instance, more examples of the types of questions that effectively launch a Socratic circle would have been helpful. In any case, your best bet is to skim through the book for the rare instances of specific detail that directly enable you to try Socratic circles in your class. Once you have a sense of how they work, the rest of the book feel’s unnecessary. That said, I’ve seen how great this idea can be so it’s worth giving it a shot.

[Natalee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in-depth introduction to using Socratic Circles in the classroom. Copeland demystifies the functions and mechanics that sustain great Socratic circles, both from teacher and student-facing perspectives. I appreciated the many examples of successful student dialogue, the appendix in the back with sample texts to pair with broader curriculum, and the print-outs for assessing/reflecting on Socratic seminars. An invaluable resource for sure.

[Matt Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful book that explains how to integrate Socratic dialogue into your classroom. It is clearly presented and includes examples of student dialogue, along with how the teacher inserted himself when necessary.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painful book.
Used the same information in every chapter.
Would not recommend at all.
You would be better off googling what Socratic Cicles are instead of buying this book.
You would be better off to ask Ai what Socratic Cicles are instead of buying this book.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Implementing a large amount of this into my teaching. If you have compunction toward Adler's third column, here is a great resource.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading to get some summer education in for myself in preparation of homeschooling next year...krb 7/12/21

I thought this would help me to use the socratic method with my children but it's not the right book for me. Geared for a larger number of students than I have. Had some good take away points. Ended up skimming some parts...krb 7/28/21

[Franky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers insight into the ideas of using Socratic circles and seminars in the classroom, where students take a more active role in discussion and critical thought. The layout and structure of the book is easy to follow and perfect for helping to answer those lingering questions teachers may have about Socratic circles. For instance, the opening chapter sheds some light on simply understanding the basics of the Socratic seminar, how they came to be and why a teacher might want to try one in his or her class. The subsequent chapters take the reader through many of the thought processes for these types of discussions: how to get students ready, how to choose engaging discussion questions, preparing a classroom for these discussions, a teacher's role in facilitating the inner and outer circles. This book is a quick read, a helpful resource, and may help a hesitant teacher take that bold step towards trying Socratic seminars in their classroom.

Very helpful and informative resource.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is something that I have never tried before. I've often had the sense when in classroom situations that some among us knew well how to move the conversation forward. I imagined that they may have had experience with Socratic Circles. After reading this book, I suspect that I was right. I want my students to experience this. I think it will help them no matter they do in life - there is a high probability that discussion will at some point be involved!

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I’m not taking master’s classes anymore—I decided to read a book about a new device I want to implement in my LA 10 classes: Socratic circles. This book was about how to do that and it provided a lot of examples, a lot of stories to back up the points and it surprised me that the writer was so young and yet could provide such definitive advice. I can’t wait to try this in my classroom this year!

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful text for developing Socratic dialogue in class rooms. Some of it is more relevant for (as the title indicates) middle and high school literature classes, but I found a lot here that can be adapted to my classes. Copeland's suggestions on pre- and post-discussion activities and assessment techniques also will be, I think(and hope), helpful. I also really liked the examples he provides of actual student dialogues.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the ideas in this book exciting and useful. That is why I gave it four stars. As a teacher I want to create dialogue and ecourage critical thinking with my students. Socratic Circles feel like a good way to do that.

I found the writing in this book long-winded, as though the author was trying too hard to prove his point. It was also very centered on an English classroom, so there were many parts I skimmed because I don't teach English.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this book to see what I can learn from it about discussion in my English classes. I'm not finished with the book yet, but it's already given me a lot to think about in terms of the questions I ask my students and how to get them to have a dialogue with each other about the text we're reading. More to come when I finish.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really nice companion piece to Pathways to the Common Core. Copland includes some very practical advice and also a few rubrics that will be helpful to those just starting to use this method and those who would like to improve how they use it. I agree, however, with the reviews that say parts of the text are repetitious. I was able to skim a lot and read it in a few hours.

[Richard Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete Process

Great book for beginner. You can skip 1st ch if you have made up your mind already to use the Socratic Method. I feel confident in process and using this for next years students after reading. Wish list: more on how to develop the questions that will achieve desired results.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

very repetitive with little substance given as to how the method can be applied to readings outside of the language arts curricula. I liked the forms at the end that can be used to evaluate the circles.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hopefully, I will use this successfully. It has the potential of being a great and well used professional texts with strategies that can be implemented in any class with any text and reap discussion.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been using Socratic circles for years but always felt they could be better in my classroom. This book gave me some missing pieces (outer circle feedback) and some tips (shorter passages). Hopefully, these changes will create more fruitful discussion.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Though I am no longer in a public school classroom, I am very intrigued by Socratic questions and seminars. I will be doing more research to learn how I can modify Socratic Circles to a homeschool setting.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly basic stuff, but some useful techniques and strategies. I especially like the partial transcripts & the one complete one.

***

Finding some new details and techniques that I missed the first time around. Now to figure out how to make it work in a virtual classroom...

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a convert to the Socratic method of teaching. This book is a practical manual for integrating the circles into a classroom.

[Christi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly a book to review -- I think the pedagogy is sound and will implement it though.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love using Socratic Circle instruction in the classroom. A great technique to bring students in to the discussion.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teachers should read this and try this strategy in the classroom. I'm so eager to get started!