A Modified Socratic Seminar in an EAP Class

Any thought-provoking novel, short story, or essay can be adapted for the Socratic seminar.This activity can be completed within 45 minutes to one hour with some homework preparation, depending on the size of the class.Larger classes can be divided into groups led by student facilitators rather than the instructor.Although I've used this at the college level, it can easily be adapted for secondary school and intensive English language programs from intermediate through advanced English language learners (ELLs).By conducting Socratic seminars, students are afforded the opportunity to explore their texts in depth and assist one another in comprehending the complexity of the themes, broader issues, values, and the significance and applicability of the novels to their lives as current and future officers.It is important to emphasize to students that this is not a debate, but rather one question leading to the next without a "right answer."Students need to listen to one another with respect and without interruption and articulate thoughtful responses in the form of clarifying questions and comments.In my classes, I believe the seminar has been successful as I do not introduce it until I have developed a rapport with the students and ensure they are quite comfortable with one another.