English II teachers have put the learning into the hands of their own students by introducing Socratic Seminars into the curriculum.

“I use Socratic Seminars as a way to get students to bounce around questions and ideas while also giving them a chance to back up their understanding with evidence,” English II teacher Katherine Allen said. “Since high school students are naturally social processors of information, it gives them the ability to see what their peers have concluded about the topics and if they had different opinions they can further explore.”

Through Socratic Seminars, students improve their skill of listening to one another, finding symbolism, and discussing common ground through talking.

“I like them because it is interesting to hear what people have to say,” sophomore Camryn Enloe said. “I think it’s better to do a whole class discussion rather than in groups in order to hear everyone’s opinion.”

Things are a little different for Allen now that she gets to let students take the lead.

“Honestly, sitting back and watching my students come to conclusions and realize connections they didn’t on their own is my favorite part of the Socratic Seminar,” Allen said. “I love seeing how kids process information and the epiphanies that occur when students finally get something they didn’t before.”

With students taking the lead, it gives them the chance to learn from each other and ultimately discover new ideas.“I like that students are taking the lead,” sophomore Celia Abdallah said. “Sometimes students learn better from other students so it’s a good way to reinforce what we’re learning.”