ACTIVITY - SOCRATIC SEMINAR

Modern slavery: the recruitment, movement, harboring or receiving of children, women or men through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means for the purpose of exploitation (Laurent, Salway, Such, 2017).

Step 1: Screen film clips and tell students they will be required to take notes during viewing. As students view clips from The Rescue List ask them to first make observations, to be as specific as possible about what they observe. After the initial screening, give students some time to write their observations in the form of questions. Remind them to be as specific as they can with the questions they develop as they will be what guide the activity. The questions should be of/about The Rescue List and about the themes and issues it brings up for them.

NOTE: If working with younger students, you may want to use writing prompts to scaffold students’ critical thinking skills (see sample provided on page seven).

SOCRATIC SEMINAR PREPARATION:
SUGGESTION: You might want to schedule Group A and Group B’s Socratic Seminars for separate class days to ensure that each group has ample time to engage.

REMINDER: Not all students have an easy time engaging in class-wide conversation. Rather than failing a student for not participating, consider offering an alternative assignment after the seminar for those who struggle with speaking in larger groups.

Step 1: Review with students that Socratic Seminars are question-driven discussions named after the philosopher Socrates who used questions to teach his students. In these discussions people don't talk over one another; they listen to each other's comments respectfully; they don't attack anyone's opinions and they agree to disagree. It is a model framework used for having difficult conversations.

Step 2: Split students into two groups. They will sit in concentric circles, with Group A sitting in the innermost circle, and Group B sitting in the outermost circle.

Step 3: Assign each person in Group B to a person in Group A. Tell students in Group B to sit directly behind their partners in Group A. Tell those in Group B that for the first round of discussion, it is their job to keep track of their partner’s comments, responses, and general approach to engaging in dialogue. Following this first discussion, those observing (Group B) will debrief and give constructive feedback about their partner’s participation.

Step 4: Pass out at least three strips of paper to each student in Group A and instruct them to write their names on each slip. When a student wants to make a comment, he or she must drop a slip of paper on the floor inside the circle. In order to get full credit for this activity, each student must use all of his/her/their slips. The goal is not to force participation, but to engage in a naturally-flowing, question-driven dialogue with their peers.

Step 5: Explain that you are a silent facilitator: students should not look to you for justification or a change of direction for the discussion. They are responsible for answering each of the questions, and they may not move on to a new question if the one at hand hasn't been thoroughly addressed. Remind them to refer specifically to the text, in this case, The Rescue List. Remind them that the goal is to deepen discussion and ask new questions.

Step 6: Pass out a list of open-ended questions that refer to the text of The Rescue List. Explain that only the people in Group A are allowed to speak during the discussion. Everyone in Group B must remain silent at this time. Some essential questions to considered are:

• How can learning about the past impact our present and future realities?
• What impact can personal accounts have on our understanding of an issue?
• What are some similarities between the Middle Passage and chattel slavery that took place in the United States and the modern-day enslavement of children taking place in Ghana? Discuss the physical and psychological damage done to children who are enslaved.
• Despite abolition, why does modern slavery persist? In what different forms does slavery exist today? (e.g. the school-to-prison pipeline).
• How does trauma incurred during childhood affect other developmental stages of one’s life?
• How have the love of money (greed) and the lack of money (poverty) caused humankind to commit egregious acts against its own race?
• Discuss friendship. In what ways can it be a source of healing?
• Is education a fundamental human right? Explain.
  

TIP: You might choose to offer a question to get the conversation started, or to assign a facilitator whose job it is to step in when the conversation needs extra support.

Step 7: Give the students a specific amount of time for the discussion, set a timer, and let them begin. Remind them that if they get stuck they can refer to the list of essential questions. Give them a 10-minute warning and a 5-minute warning.

Step 8: When the discussion is over, have students in Group B give constructive feedback to their Group A partners. Afterwards, you can share your overall feedback with your students in Group A.

Step 9: Repeat with Group B in the inner circle and Group A acting as observers in the outermost circle.