Socratic Circle and its Origin

The Socratic Circle was originally created by Socrates. So, what is a Socratic Circle? Well, a Socratic Circle is comprised of two main portions: The Inner Circle and the Outer Circle.

Outer Circle:
The Outer Circle does not talk but takes notes on what the people in the inner circle say. A person in the Outer Circle also takes note of a specific person. The Outer Circle takes notes on the main ideas and points and comment on the discussion at the same time.

Inner Circle:
The Inner Circle does the main discussion. This may sound simple but it is not. The Inner Circle will have to cite texts and documents to support what they are saying. In addition, they have to listen to what the other speakers have to say as well as structure their arguments around what others have to say. They also question and respond to others' theories. They do this by asking Socratic Questions.

Socratic Questions:
There are 6 common types of Socratic Questions:

• Questions of Clarification
• Questions that Probe Assumptions
• Questions that Probe Accuracy in Thinking
• Questions that Probe Relavance in Thinking
• Questions that Probe Depth of Thinking
• Questions about the Questions

Using these types of questions, a person can effectively ask and answer questions with questions.

1I1 Blog Policy

Okay, this first is all about the blog policy my class has:

1. First and foremost, no spamming other blogs. This is very important as it gets very irritating when other people spam your blog with negative comments. You could block comments, but isn't it better to listen to other people's opinions?


2. Secondly, no flaming. this is almost as important as the first point as flaming is a serious thing. You could be fined or jailed for flaming! So remember, NO FLAMING!!!


3. Thirdly, no undesirable content. This is the part where most people don't get it. Most people post stuff which they think is appropriate. However, the content is usually not appropriate.


4. Fourth, no hacking. This is the most important point. Don't hack other people's accounts. How would you like it if someone hacked into your account and posted... stuff on your blog that you didn't want to be posted?


5. Fifth, no cyber bullying. This is pretty obvious so I won't go into details.


6. Last but not least, no indecent language. Please do not insult others by using offensive language and vulgarities.