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The Socratic Discussions: A Kinder, Gentler Way to Change Minds

Completed by 9 learners
Ages 13-18
Live One-Time Class
Advanced students expand their critical thinking skills to engage in Socratic discussion sparked by Arthur C. Brooks essay "A Kinder, Gentler Way to Change Minds" from The Atlantic. ESL friendly, CEFR level C1, C2 (Advanced). #academic
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(664 reviews)
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Live video meetings
Meets once
3-6 learners per class
55 min

What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours
Homework
1 hour per week. Students must read and annotate Arthur C. Brooks' essay A Kinder, Gentler Way to Change Minds and view Julia Dhar's TED Talk How to Disagree Productively. Links to both will be sent with welcome email.
Assessment
A short written report will be sent to families about their student's participation and experience in class.

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 11
Advanced Level
Kindly note:
This is an ESL friendly class, CEFR  level — C1, C2 (Advanced)
Please feel free to write me via Outschool email with questions.
***
In this one time course, we will engage in an energetic and spirited Socratic discussion sparked by Arthur C. Brooks' essay A Kinder, Gentler Way to Change Minds, published in The Atlantic, April 7, 2022. The question we will consider in our Socratic Discussion is:

 How can we work together to foster a less antagonistic and more collaborative society?

Arthur C. Brooks is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, the William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a professor of management practice at the Harvard Business School. He’s the host of the podcast series How to Build a Happy Life and the author of From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.

As Brooks notes in his essay, "Research shows that changing minds, especially changing beliefs that are tied strongly to people’s identity, is extremely difficult. As one scholar put it, this personal attachment to beliefs encourages 'competitive personal contests rather than collaborative searches for the truth.' And yet, finding a way to true communication is essential if collaboration and progress is to be made between people of differing beliefs and in society itself.  It's difficult to imagine a more pressing issue for discussion.

To support our discussion we will also consider Julia Dhar's seminal TED Talk, "How to Disagree Productively and Find Common Ground."

 A copy of the essay, A Kinder, Gentler Way to Change Minds  will be sent to students to read and consider prior to the start of class as well as considering as a YouTube link of Julia Dhar's short 16 minute TED Talk.  Students will consider and make notes on both the essay and the video prior to class to prepare for the discussion.

As in all our Socratic discussions, students will expand their critical thinking skills, hone their innate speaking abilities, question, think, communicate.  It’s essential that all in the group work together to promote respectful cooperative interaction as together we explore both the nuances and connections fostered by this deeply thoughtful essay and provocative question. 

This class, and all my classes, are limited to 6 students for maximum interaction and discussion. Every learner has a voice in the classroom.

No prior experience in  Socratic discussion is necessary for this class.

Learning Goals

Build critical thinking skills
Analyze a complex text
Enrich ongoing vocabulary with an objective of building towards the SAT and ACT word lists
Participate in lively group discussion to enhance speaking and verbal abilities
Bridge connections presented by the essay to past readings
Encourage respectful communications

Other Details

External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
A Gentler, Better Way to Change Minds by Arthur C. Brooks https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/04/arguing-with-someone-different-values/629495/ How to Disagree Productively and Find Common Ground by Julia Dhar TED Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/julia_dhar_how_to_disagree_productively_and_find_common_ground?language=en

Meet the teacher

Joined July, 2020
5.0
664reviews
Star Educator
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree from The University of Michigan, 1982 Honors in The History of Art, Does not Expire
Longtime teacher of literature for both middle and high school students. Founder and former coach of an award-winning Speech and Debate team that competed at local, state and national levels, long-time speech judge for local, regional, national speech events for NCFL and National Speech and Debate Association, former teacher of high school debate and rhetoric, art history, literature, and AP Language and Composition.  Socratic discussion has always formed one of the core teaching methods in all my classes. 

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