How Socratic Seminars Can Empower Middle School Students

I began using Socratic seminar as an instructional strategy in my classroom over 20 years ago. The first one I facilitated with students explored an excerpt from Ray Bradbury’s iconic novel Fahrenheit 451. Last week, I held a seminar with my seventh-grade English language arts and social studies students where we discussed a Parents magazine article titled, “Kids Can’t Stop Shouting ‘Six Seven’—Here’s What It Really Means.” Like many of you, I’ve been experiencing “six-sevvvvvvven” mania among my students, and instead of banning the phrase like some of my colleagues, I decided to talk about it.

A Socratic seminar is a student-led discussion format used primarily in middle and high school classrooms where participants engage deeply with a text—ranging from literature to songs or artwork—prior to the seminar. In this format, students do not raise their hands; instead, they learn how to read nonverbal cues and sense when a peer is ready to speak, fostering a collaborative dialogue. Seminar emphasizes critical thinking and close analysis, allowing students to explore ideas collectively while minimizing teacher intervention, making it an effective strategy for developing student communication and analytical skills.

Given our current American political and social climate, providing adolescent students with a platform to use their voices in a constructive manner and to learn how to agree and disagree with their peers productively feels like essential learning.

I rely heavily on AVID materials to teach my students how to prepare for and participate in an effective Socratic seminar.

Key Principles of a Socratic Seminar

Here are the elements that are central to how I implement Socratic seminar in my classroom.

Open dialogue: Participants (adults and students alike) engage in a discussion without raising hands, promoting a natural flow of conversation. One of my seventh-grade students uses a wheelchair full-time and needs his one-on-one paraprofessional to raise his hand for him whenever he wants to speak in class. In his first Socratic seminar reflection, he shared that the open dialogue format of seminar, and the freedom to speak without needing a surrogate to raise his hand, was liberating and empowering.

Peer focus: Students direct their attention toward their peers rather than the teacher, fostering a sense of community and collaboration. This one takes a lot of practice! Most students are highly conditioned to look at the teacher or any adult in the room when speaking. My students will often begin the year in seminars looking at and speaking exclusively in my direction, but by the end of the year, they primarily speak to each other.

Building on ideas: Participants actively build on each other’s points, which creates a connected and cohesive discussion rather than isolated statements. This is a very important skill for middle school students to learn and practice. I’ve noticed my students using some of our Socratic seminar sentence stems to build on each other’s ideas in class—even when we aren’t engaged in a seminar. In my classroom, it’s common to hear students say things like, “I saw it in a slightly different way…” or “Noah made a good point—I’d like to build upon it by offering that…”

Questioning and critical thinking: Students ask open-ended questions that encourage deeper analysis and critical thinking, pushing each other to explore ideas thoroughly. My students create a variety of open-ended questions about whatever text we’re analyzing for the Socratic seminar. Some of the open-ended questions my students created as their “seminar prep” work leading up to our Six-Seven Seminar (as it came to be called) were as follows:

“Where did the saying ‘six-seven’ even come from, and why do we like saying it so much?”

“Is it bad for younger kids to say ‘six-seven’—especially if they don’t know what it means?”

“What does the hand motion have to do with the saying? Are they connected?”

Respectful disagreement: Participants are encouraged to disagree respectfully, which helps to deepen understanding and explore multiple perspectives. In my school district, we began the school year with a districtwide training on restorative circles. Many of the principles and elements of Socratic seminars mirror those of restorative circles.

Textual evidence: Discussions are grounded in textual evidence or specific materials to ensure that arguments are supported and relevant to the topic at hand. While the majority of my seminars focus on a written text, I’ve held seminars on pieces of art, speeches, lyrical songs, and music as well.

Reflection and summary: At the end of the seminar, participants reflect on the key points of the discussion and summarize insights to reinforce learning and understanding. I also have my students complete a written reflection as homework the evening after a Socratic seminar. Much of the valuable synthesis happens in the reflection after a seminar.

Socratic Seminars Facilitate Deep Learning and Interpersonal Connection

Socratic seminars create an environment where meaningful dialogue can thrive—enhancing critical thinking and collaborative learning. Additionally, this instructional strategy allows students to share their own personal points of view in a safe and structured environment.

The research is clear that students’ social and emotional well-being is directly influenced by how seen they feel at school. In fact, according to a recent research brief by Ed Research for Action, “Students feel more connected to school when teachers use explicit strategies to show that they care about them, know them as individuals, and are willing to respond to their distinct needs.” Socratic seminar is a modality that allows me, as the teacher, to individually connect on a personal level with each of my students.

Socratic seminars offer a different platform for middle school students: one that helps them express their thoughts and engage deeply with one another. Beyond fostering academic skills like critical thinking and effective communication, these seminars nurture essential social and emotional growth.

When there is a respectful space for dialogue, students learn to listen actively, articulate their ideas, and empathize with diverse perspectives. This holistic approach not only empowers their voices but also builds a strong sense of community and safety within my classroom. As educators, embracing Socratic seminars can lead to transformative discussions with our students, preparing them for future challenges with confidence and compassion.