Socratic Schemata

Stafford H. Byers received special training is Socratic Approach to teaching at Harvard Law School.

The Socratic Approach, teaching by asking questions,

creates and fosters an energetic, dynamic and

engaging learning environment. It causes shy and timid students to break out of their shell and become more self assured, confident and assertive. It forces

teachers to sharpen their skills and innovate, and at the same time enable students to be thoughtful, engaging, and involved in their own learning.

Professor Byers has served as faculty advisor to Texas Southern University’s, Thurgood Marshall Law Review. He has coached teachers in and spoken to

administrators about the effectiveness of the Socratic Method. Through the use of the Socratic Method, Stafford will provide an approach to teaching that focuses on the Webb’s Depth of Knowledge for questioning, and on the Common Core Learning Standards for writing opinion pieces and supporting a

point of view with reasons.

This consultation will also provide educators with structures and scaffolded activities for teaching students to write creatively and ground their work with text evidence.

Each Socratic Seminar will provide teachers with the following tools:

a) Socratic seminar protocols for classroom

teachers and students

b) Classroom Rubric for grading students as

they participate in discussions

c) Classroom Rubric for grading the writing

pieces of students

Each Socratic Seminar will address the following Common Core Learning

Standards:

College and Career Readiness Anchor

Standards for Writing

Write arguments to support claims in

an analysis of substantive topics or

texts, using valid reasoning and relevant

and sufficient evidence.

Produce clear and coherent writing in

which the development, organization,

and style are appropriate to task, purpose

and audience.

Gather relevant information from multiple

print and digital sources, assess

the credibility and accuracy of each

source, and integrate.

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization,

development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.