Civil Discourse Through Socratic Seminars
Editor ’ s Note : In his opening letter to the community , Headmaster O ’ Halloran noted that civility is dependent upon “ respectful disagreement , a celebration of civil discourse and debate , and an openness to entertaining a thought without necessarily accepting it .” Below , three faculty members present one way that civility is fostered at Saint David ’ s — through the Socratic seminar structure and focus of the Upper School history program .
Grade Six - A Study of American Decision-Making
By Abby Malone
At its core , the sixth-grade history program is a study of American decision-making . Throughout the course , we strive to understand governmental choices , and civil reactions to these choices . As we learn best by “ doing ,” sixth graders assume the role of these historic decision makers by analyzing related primary and secondary sources , respectfully debating critical ideas in Socratic seminars , and tracking how their stance evolves as they research and learn from each other .
We take a deliberate step-by-step approach to forming opinions on these decisions in order to underscore the time and contemplation required to take a stand on an important issue . In turn , not only do sixth graders engage with and form opinions on critical historical events , but they learn the value of deliberation when making any big life decision .
We always begin our analysis of a historical decision in the same way : with a gut reaction . After learning a bit of background on the decision , the boys are asked , “ do you agree or disagree with this choice ?” We record these initial answers in various ways , from a quick “ thumbs up / thumbs down and look around ” to informal journal writing . These check-ins provide a low-stakes opportunity for boys to note their initial reactions and later on , track how their opinion evolves as they research , discuss , and continue to ponder these tough decisions .
Next , the boys gather information on the decision through research and analysis . When reading primary and secondary sources , boys are encouraged to not only note what the source says , but also what the source omits . We employ a skeptical eye when looking at these sources to learn how to spot biases . Even
The boys leave the seminars empowered ; they feel like school has taken on a new importance as we debate issues that informed many of the laws we still live by .
4 • Saint David ’ s Magazine