Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical And Creative Thinking In Middle And High School

I'd read Michael Strong's "Habit of Thought" book, and was looking for more help in bringing socratic learning methods into my classes at my university. Despite coming from a high school english literature context, I found this book enormously helpful. I've been using the ideas in my graduate computer science class for over a month, with adaptations (e.g., using long research articles), and it has been very successful. The rubrics and forms included with the book are excellent as well. My students have become much better discussants and seem to be really enjoying the experience.

I read this book over the summer on a whim and really enjoyed Matt's writing, his suggestions, and his format for socratic seminars. I have been to training on socratic seminars, but this book helped me more than anything. He gives you little steps to take on your way to a full blown successful seminar. His ideas help get your kids asking questions, discussing, thinking, and writing at a higher level. My discussions have improved in class, and even the kids who usually don't participate have gotten involved in discussing and sharing their thoughts.