King Affonso Socratic Seminar Reflection

During the socratic seminar, I was able to develop my ideas and add depth to my thoughts about the early slave trade. Firstly, my opinions about the content of the letter haven’t changed as much as they’ve developed into a deeper understanding of the content. By this I mean that before the discussion I don’t think that the letter was as clear to me as it is now. Additionally, the seminar made clear to me the feelings conveyed through the letter from Affonso to King Jao. I thought that the debate of whether King Affonso agreed with slavery was interesting because of the words and tone Affonso uses to describe the merchants kidnapping his citizens. Without the varying opinions of the people in the socratic seminar I would not have been able to examine that …show more content…
In both groups a group of a few people seemed to dominate most of the conversation while one or two people didn’t speak at all. Overall, I thought that both groups did a good job at accepting more than one point of view and having a healthy debate. The variations are most likely due to different subject material, time limitations (the second group had a slightly short amount of time to discuss), and of course the people and ideas involved in the socratic seminar. Once I receive feedback, I’m sure that I’ll use it to improve my socratic seminar skills for the following discussions. As feedback to the group, I think that taking a break to allow others to speak is important, instead of going back and forth between just a few people. Even though most participants were able to say at least one thing, it was a little difficult to make sure you interjected before anyone began talking. Additionally, questions and opening up the discussion a bit can help stimulate participation from every person in the inner