Hi. My name is Helen DeFina. I am a parent and a teacher. I chose to work with Middle School and High School students because I enjoy hearing what you have to say – I like working with students who have opinions. I am a teacher, but I happily admit that I also learn from my students. I want you to know that these are the best years of your life. I know that many of you don’t realize this because school is about competition on so many levels. Who is the smartest? Who is the most popular? Who will get high scores on tests? Who will get into the best college? There is a lot of pressure and stress on you, and I wish I could tell you not to worry about these things but I can’t. What I can do is give you some tools that will be very useful in school and in life.
THINK socratic seminars is an academic enhancement program. What does this mean? It’s academic assistance that will help you develop and/or improve your critical thinking skills, critical reading skills, verbal communication skills, listening skills, and your vocabulary. These are skills that should improve your grades in school and on tests. That’s great, but more importantly during the eight seminars, you will gain wisdom, understanding, and purpose. These are skills that should improve your life and they are the reason I created this program.
THINK socratic seminars is a four-week program that meets twice a week for 75 minutes. Each seminar has only ten students of the same grade level and one Leader (me!). The atmosphere is relaxed and social. Each dialogue is centered on a short reading that is relevant to your lives in today’s world — not some abstract reading that will put you to sleep. All ten students then participate in a dialogue on the subject of the reading. It is a dialogue – not a debate or a discussion. There are no winners or losers – no grades or assessments. Every person is on an even-playing field – no one is better than anyone else here. Everyone speaks and everyone listens. It is a respectful collaboration with your peers. I am the Leader of the seminars and I do not express an opinion. (Imagine that…a teacher who doesn’t express an opinion!) It’s true. The seminars are student centered. It’s all about you. My job is to make sure that the dialogue moves forward in a respectful, fun, and engaging way and that everyone speaks and listens.
I will ask open-ended questions – meaning there can be many right answers not just one. I have seen firsthand that many students do not express themselves in school because they fear getting answers wrong so they remain quiet. I’m not sure if you realize it, but this fear contributes to your lack of confidence and frustration. (For your information, there are so many misconceptions about learning. Many students believe that the more vocal students (the ones who always answer) are smarter than they are or that their opinions are more important. That is a fallacy. Many times teachers are impressed with answers from the quiet students.) It’s different in a THINK socratic seminar. You will be a V.I.P. during each seminar. You will engage in the dialogue as a speaker and a listener – this is active learning. You will not just sit there and listen. By actively sharing in the dialogue, you will develop and refine your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
During the seminars you will see that learning does not have to be passive and forgetful. You will have the opportunity to solve problems and make life connections. It can be fun when you participate in your own learning. You will develop skills during these seminars that you can use in college and in life after academics. I do not like being bored, so I promise that you will not be bored. I do not want to know anything about your grades. THINK socratic seminars is all about your participation in the here and the now. My hope is that during every seminar you will be motivated to participate and take ownership of the dialogue with your peers. I look forward to meeting you and hearing what you have to say!
Sincerely,
Helen DeFina
Creator & Director