Socratics for the 21st Century:
Teaching Philosophy with Computer Conferencing and Multimedia Technology
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Project participants
Project Director:
Bruce Umbaugh
Webster University
Pilot Teachers:
Ken Knisely
H-B Woodlawn Alternative School
Jay Lamb
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Hugh Taft-Morales
The Edmund Burke School
Terri Williams
Nerinx Hall High School
Ana Coehlo
Saint Louis Community College
Alicia Juarrero
Prince George's Community College
Gerald Mozur
Lewis and Clark Community College
On-Line Philosophers:
Lawrence J. Hatab
Old Dominion University
Peter Ludlow
SUNY Stony Brook
Linda Paul
Wilkes University
Evaluator:
Ron Barnette
Valdosta State University
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Socratics for the 21st Century
is a three-year project proposed to the National Endowment for the Humanities Education Development and Demonstration, National Education Project grants program. The project aims to improve the teaching of philosophy through technological assistance and computer-mediated collaboration, and to aid the learning of philosophy by making it more vivid and interactive.
Three components constitute the core of the project:
- vivid illustrations of philosophical discourse, drawn from the award-winning television show, No Dogs or Philosophers Allowed, digitized and distributed free via the World Wide Web
- a computer-conferencing discussion forum to permit teachers and learners to continue discussion sparked in class, and for students to interact with other students, other faculty, and professional philosophers, also available via the Web, and
- a sequenced program allowing for pilot use of the materials, evaluation, and wide dissemination that continues beyond the expiration of the grant.
In the first year of the proposed project, the main technical components are assembled, the high school and college teachers participating in the project are trained, and they pilot use of the materials in their classes. In addition, several new episodes of No Dogs or Philosophers Allowed will be produced.
Year two (2001-2002) begins with an intensive summer workshop for further training and the exchange of ideas among participants. During the subsequent academic year, project materials will be used again in both secondary and post-secondary settings. In the third year, project results and products are disseminated and a summary evaluation occurs.
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Information on project components:
Several examples of video clips from No Dogs or Philosophers Allowed are available. The clips are in RealVideo format. To view a clip you will need the RealPlayer software.
To see Web-based, computer conferencing
such as proposed for Socratics for the 21st Century, try
One of the strengths
of the project is its model of increasing use over time coupled with ongoing evaluation and feedback. In the first year of the project, the interactive computer conferencing system and video modules will be used in courses at Webster University (by Umbaugh), Saint Louis Community College (Coehlo), Lewis and Clark Community College (Mozur), Prince George's Community College (Juarrero ) and four high schools (Nerinx Hall (Williams), Thomas Jefferson (Lamb), Burke (Taft-Morales), and H-B Woodlawn (Knisely)). During the first year, the project evaluator (Barnette) will undertake to review system logs and query students and teachers about their experience with the system, producing an interim report at the end of the first academic year of use. Feedback from the experience of all participants will be valuable in training participants at the 2002 workshop and adapting use of the two systems as needed.
Throughout the year, and into the succeeding years of the project, professional philosophers will be available to students in the public areas of the conferencing system and to the teachers in a separate, private conference for project participants. In addition to the college teachers of philosophy, other philosophers will act as "on-line philosophers" in the conferencing system. Linda Paul, Lawrence J. Hatab, and Peter Ludlow bring a wide range of expertise with them to the conferencing system.
In July of 2002, following the first year's use of the materials and following review of the Evaluator's interim report, participants will travel to Saint Louis for a workshop conducted at Webster University. All of the trainers have extensive backgrounds in teaching philosophy in a variety of settings, and all will have used the materials in their teaching during the first year of the project. Prior to the workshop, working in two local teams, project participants will develop lesson plans and other curricular materials to share. Training at the workshop will include reviewing various ways to use the technological tools, pedagogical strategies relevant to computer conferencing, techniques for teaching exegesis of philosophical texts and for leading philosophical discussion, and practice using the conferencing system and reviewing video modules.
Evaluation is meant to be an integral part of the structure of the project. By including the Evaluator from the first stage of grant activities, we hope both to familiarize him fully with the project and to be able to capitalize on formative evaluation throughout the project's life. In addition to activities already mentioned, the Evaluator will visit the majority of project sites during the first two years of the grant, as well as attend the summer training in 2002. The Evaluator will conduct a final, summative evaluation of the project in year three, attending in particular to the issues articulated on page 14 of the project proposal.
The methods and techniques of the Socratics for the 21st Century project are readily adaptable to other disciplines. In the third year of the project, dissemination of project accomplishments and products will be undertaken through conference presentations, the writing of journal articles (as for Teaching Philosophy) and placement of stories in Technological Horizons in Education Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, the American Philosophical Association Newsletter on Philosophy and Computers, and other publications. Announcements will be made in relevant electronic fora, including mailing lists such as AAHESGIT, PHILOSOP, and Red Rock Eater, networked virtual environments such as Diversity University and CollegeTown MOO, and on conferencing systems such as the WELL.
For more information about Socratics for the 21st Century, contact Bruce Umbaugh, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Webster University.