Prepare teachers and students with awareness, vocabulary, and facilitation knowledge before implementing Socratic Circles¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Post-implementation debrief sessions in the RCS pilot yielded iteration learnings about preparation needs. The report states that "Teachers needed guided preparation for expanding their awareness of the historical and modern underpinnings of the racialized landscape of education," alongside practical knowledge of Socratic Circles, monitoring tensions, and effective discourse facilitation moves. It further finds that "Students needed preparation with topic area vocabulary and concepts, and practical knowledge about Socratic Circles," and that students needed variation in access points for participation and leadership. These learnings improved subsequent implementations.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Professional development addressing both theoretical and technical knowledge of racial equity and Socratic Circle facilitation
• Student-facing scaffolding materials building topic vocabulary and concepts

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• Implementing classroom teachers
• Middle school students participating in Socratic Circles

Target Learning Goals¶

• Facilitating healthy open dialogue on racial equity
• Participating and leading structured discourse at individual comfort levels

Related Strategies¶

• Prepare the Ground
• Socratic Seminars

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Johnson, A. M., & Lenderman, K. (2023). Socratic Circles: Building OER Tools for Racial Equity Classroom and Community Discourse. Digital Promise, Center for Inclusive Innovation. https://digitalpromise.org/inclusive-innovation. doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/200