Tracey Catalfamo Portfolio Page

Portfolio Information

Learning Outcomes By the end of this course, users of this course should be able to facilitate and participate in a Socratic Discussion. They will be able to demonstrate an understanding of Socrates and his philosophical outlook on learning and be able to communicate his ideas when describing the purpose and context of using a Socratic Discussion as a tool in the ELA classroom.

Needs Assessment

1.Instructional problem:

In an ELA classroom it can be difficult to generate conversation about specific literary works or topics that students feel are “irrelevant” and not “the way the real world is”. It can be frustrating for an instructor to have well thought out discussion questions and have students not interested or unable to participate because they do not have time to think out an answer and respond in the timely manner the instructor desires that will continue the flow of the conversation. Finding creative tools and ideas to facilitate discussion that will be beneficial to the students’ understanding and application of literary works can be difficult.

2.The nature of what is to be learned:

Using a Socratic Discussion to facilitate conversation gives students time to formulate a well thought out answer to a specific discussion question. Interaction with peers and responding to their thoughts and ideas may help to make the text relevant to students and they may learn the value of the literary work and have a personal application and understanding of its importance, even when it does not necessarily depict the world in the way the student sees it. This tool promotes discussion, observation, evaluation, and self-reflection regarding communication. Besides simply facilitating a specific literary work, it is a tool that can be used to strengthen skills that will impact future student reading, writing, speaking, and analysis.

3.About the learners:

This workshop is intended for current and future teachers to use to lean about Socratic Discussions and how/why using this tool can be impactful and successful in the classroom. This course is geared toward using this tool in the ELA classroom, but the principles can be applied to any content classroom where an open-ended question can be asked about material in order to promote discussion, understanding, and collaboration of related ideas.

Performance Objectives

1.Users of this course will be able to create and facilitate a lesson that utilizes a Socratic Discussion in an ELA (or other content area) classroom.

2.Users of this course will understand the basic components and principles of a Socratic Discussion after seeing examples of this tool in use and participating in one.

3.Users of this course will evaluate the effectiveness of a Socratic Discussion and be able to demonstrate its use to engage students in class discussion, with long-term impacts on reading, writing, and speaking skills.

Task Analysis

Pre-Requisite Skills

In order to reach the outcomes and meet the performance objectives students must know/learn to:

•How to navigate online resources

•How to create a lesson plan

•Have knowledge of Common Core ELA standards

History of Socrates Socratesp-> Philosophical Methodology -> Theory of Socratic Discussion Socratic Discussion in Practice ->Socratic Discussion in Action -> Incorporation in the ELA classroom