This is the second Socratic Seminar that I have had the privilege of observing in Mr. Matus's class. If you are not familiar with Socratic Seminars, click here for some background information. It is evident that Mr. Matus spends a lot of time working out the details of this event and they are therefore huge successes.They offer students the perfect opportunity to not only learn more about current events, but to express their opinions on what they are learning about in a safe environment.
The topic for this Seminar was whether or not Muslims should be allowed to immigrate into the United States and this is how the lesson was laid out.
The topic for this Seminar was whether or not Muslims should be allowed to immigrate into the United States and this is how the lesson was laid out.
1. Mr. Matus used Nearpod to share 3 articles on the topic. After reading each article, the students were either polled on their opinions or were asked to answer a question on the article.
2. The first article was on immigration and why it was important to this country. The subject has come up in their Social Studies curriculum recently, so it was fresh on the minds of the students. The question that was asked after the article was, "Why is immigration important?" One student responded, "Immigrants made the United States."
2. The first article was on immigration and why it was important to this country. The subject has come up in their Social Studies curriculum recently, so it was fresh on the minds of the students. The question that was asked after the article was, "Why is immigration important?" One student responded, "Immigrants made the United States."
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3. After students completed their readings, Mr. Matus polled them on whether or not their readings had changed their minds.
4. Next, the students set aside their iPads and made a T-chart on which they listed reasons for and against the issue.
 5. Mr. Matus then explained the Socratic Seminar process and the class established the ground rules. A moderator was chosen for each circle and groups were defined using a random name generator. Mr. Matus explained the notes that the outer group would be taking and each of the outer group members was assigned an inner circle member to take notes on. The notes included the name of the student they were observing, whether that person was for or against the issue, and a brief comment. |  |
6. The discussion began and it was an amazing thing to watch. Students were polite and respectful of their peers's opinions. The moderators in both groups did an excellent job of guiding the conversations with their questions and encouraging all students to participate. Students were completely engaged and focused and the adult observers in the classroom were more than impressed. Mrs. Corbett summed it up nicely in this note that she left for the students.
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