Socratic Seminars and the Power Object

Looking for strategies to facilitate student led discussion in your classroom?  Socratic Seminars are a great way to encourage students to discuss controversial topics or primary/secondary sources. Mary Davenport, an educator, provides eight easy steps to help facilitate Socratic Seminars in your classroom. Check out her blog:

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/socratic-seminars-culture-student-led-discussion-mary-davenport

Use a Power Object to help organize group discussions. Power Objects are great tools to use in your classroom and include items such as small stuffed animals, squishy toys, or stress balls. Students pass the item around and may only speak if they have the item in their hand.