Implementation of “Migration Socratic Seminar ” (SoI-GR-599)

Authors: Margarita Dakoronia, Primary School Teacher & Chrysoula Georgakopoulou, ICT teacher

School/Organisation: 32nd Primary School of Piraeus-Greece

Introduction

The chosen learning scenario, Migration, Socratic seminar (LS-HR-01) by Ivana Stiglec, Europeana Ambassador for Croatia motivated us to work with a cohort of 22 students, and aged 12, engaged over two months for three hours per week (2 hours in main primary school subjects and 1 hour in ICT lab). We want to noticed that 3 of our students are autistic, 2 with AHDED, 2 immigrants from Georgia with Greek language difficulties, 1 Roma and 2 with learning difficulties.

The thematic focus will be on refugees and migrants, an issue of significant global importance. Through this project, students will explore the historical and contemporary aspects of migration, using various pedagogical methods like Project-Based Learning, Socratic Seminars, the 17 goals of sustainability, and the Six Hats of Design Thinking to develop their critical thinking, active citizenship, empathy, and collaboration skills.

The group consists of 22 students who will work collaboratively in various activities, using AI tools to support the creation of content, facilitate communication, and enhance their understanding of migration. For example, Diffit will assist in generating written content, Mizu will be used to create a chatbot that helps students navigate historical events related to migration-we shared the chatbot with link in our digital class-Google classroom, and Gamma will be used for designing presentations. Additionally, Canva will be employed to create the final product—a collaborative multimedia presentation that includes conversations with artworks that address themes of migration and refugee experiences.

In line with the Socratic Seminar, students will prepare for discussions by researching migration-related materials, interacting with multimedia resources such as the Europeana Migration Collection and stories of migration. The students will then participate in structured discussions, rotating between roles of speaker and observer, where they will engage in deep conversations around migration, contributing ideas and reflecting critically on the subject matter.

This scenario will provide students with the opportunity to not only learn about the migration experience from a historical and cultural perspective but also develop empathy, communication, and problem-solving skills that are essential for active citizenship in the modern world.

Stages of Implementation

The Migration Socratic Seminar learning scenario was originally designed for 16-18-year-old students to explore migration through critical discussions, peer collaboration, and self-reflection. Given my students’ younger age (11 years old) and diverse learning needs (including students with autism, ADHD, and non-native Greek speakers), I adapted the structure and complexity of the activities. To make the topic more age-appropriate and engaging, I incorporated:

  • Project-Based Learning provides hands-on experiences.
  • AI tools (Diffit, Mizu, Gamma, and Canva) to simplify complex texts and support multimodal learning.
  • The Six Thinking Hats method is used to develop different perspectives on migration.
  • Visual and interactive elements to help students connect personally to the theme.

Implementation Context

  • Subject: History, Social Studies, Languages, Art, Maths, ICT studies
  • Class Size: 22 students (including students with special needs and non-native speakers)
  • Age: 11 years old
  • Duration: 2 months (3 hours per week)
  • Final Product: Two documentary videos and multimedia presentations featuring student discussions on migration through artworks, diagrams, posters, and letters.

Outcomes and Reflections are also quite different. We wanted to increase our students’ empathy and digitalization, so we used the six-hat thinking method and AI tools. 

Adapting the Migration Socratic Seminar for 11-year-olds was a rewarding experience. By integrating AI tools, structured discussions, and creative reflections, the students were able to engage deeply with the topic despite their younger age. The final video presentation captured their learning journey and provided them with a meaningful way to express their thoughts on migration. This experience showed that even younger students can engage in critical discussions when given the right scaffolding and tools.

Creating and using the following resources—all the material produced in both Languages, in Greek for our students and in English for sharing, except the ones created by our students in the Greek language.

  • Texts: We worked on the topics of language, history, social studies, and primary school subjects, with the following texts using the Diffit AI tool. We provided these texts to our students in the Greek language, but we shared with you the English version, easily to use by everyone. (text 1, about wars; text 2, about the immigrants and the refugees; text 3, immigrants and refugees in Greece, and a little introduction about who Socrates was, text 4).
  • Chatbots-Mizou (made by the teachers): immigrant-refugee and human rights, wars 
  • Canvas-presentations (made by the teachers): Wars (English version), link 2 (Greek version), Human Rights-immigrants-refugees (English version), link 2 (Greek version)
  • Gamma presentations (made by the students): Immigrant-Refugee, Wars, Human Rights
  • Posters (made by the students): in Canvas
  • Diagrams (made by the students): in G Drive
  • Video (made by the teachers and the students): Wars, Discussing with Art
  • Video (made by the teachers and students): Wars- Street Art based on Banksy
  • Students’ letters: in G Drive and photos

Using resources from Europeana and other platforms

link8, link9, link10, link11

Brainstorming Session (45 minutes in the class and 30 minutes at home)

  • Start by discussing what students already know about migration, using questions like “What do we understand by migration?” and “Why do people migrate?” Set the stage for the upcoming project and connect to prior knowledge.  Introduce students to the theme of refugees and migrants. We are watching the following videos to define the difference between migrants and refugees from the UNHCRGREECE YouTube channel: VIDEO 1, VIDEO 2. 
  • We also discussed the causes of making people move with an especially reference to wars nowadays, noticing in all kinds of wars, for the ground, the oil, the water, and the religion.
  • We upload in the Google Classroom- our digital class- the documentary, Europeana Migration to watch it with their parents. I asked them, with the help of their parents, to create the genealogical tree of their family, referring to the places where they were born. The students presented their work in the class, and we realized in one way or another that all of us were refugees or migrants in the past.

Introduction to AI tools-1st week (45minutesx3 in the class)

  • We visited the Europeana platform and we introduced our students to what this platform is about, how we will use it in our project, and how important it is to be very careful about the licences of the content on it.
  • Briefly, we introduce Diffit, Mizou, Gamma, and Canva. Demonstrate their functionalities to show how these tools will assist in research, content creation, and the final product. We emphasized Mizou and Gamma, the ones that they used by the students (45 minutes in the class). I link these tools in the digital classroom- Google Classroom- so the students can use them at home.
  • In the ICT lab, getting in touch with the following tools: Wondershare Filmora, Gencraft,  Chatgpt, Runwaylm, Audacity, Excel, Canva

Project-Based Learning- 2nd- 4th week: Engage students in group work to create a multimedia project about refugees and migration, integrating their knowledge of history, culture, and personal experiences.

  • Forming Groups & Task Assignment (45 minutes x 2): Divide students into groups of 4-5. Each group will focus on different aspects of the project: historical migration stories, contemporary migration, refugee experiences, etc. (link 1, link 2, link3, link4, link5) They will use Mizu to create a chatbot that will guide them through their research, and Diffit will help generate relevant text for their research. They wrote letters to an immigrant participating in the 28th UNHCR Student Creative Contest for Refugees “Family Means Together” 2024-2025.
  • ICT lab (60 minutes): ●   Filmora : How to use Green Screen (Fast Tutorial), Creative use of Gencraft, Audacity – Noise Removal, Audacity, Audio Trimming, Create EASY VIDEOS with Canva, Creative use of chatgpt.  To teach these digital tools effectively, we adopt the flipped classroom approach. Students are first introduced to each tool through curated video tutorials and online resources they explore independently before the lab sessions. This allows them to become familiar with the basic functions and interfaces at their own pace. During the ICT lab sessions, we focus on solving problems and answering questions. 
  • Research and Content Creation (45 minutes x 2 per session): Students use Gamma to create presentations on their assigned topics. They will gather information using Europeana resources and additional online databases, then generate written content and multimedia for their presentations. Encourage them to collaborate and share insights with other groups. The students created their family tree so they understood that most of us are one way or another way refugees or immigrants.
  • ICT lab (45×2 minutes): “Refugees in Greece in Numbers & Data Visualization”, How to Make a Bar Graph in Excel, How to Create a Table in Excel (Spreadsheet Basics). Through the website “Refugees in Greece in Numbers”, students are invited to become familiar with reading tables and graphs, to understand the data presented, and to draw useful conclusions. Following the flipped classroom method, students watch interactive online tools and educational videos for Excel from their homes, through the online classroom. In the Computer Science laboratory, they use their knowledge to extract data from the website and create their own graphs and tables in Excel, presenting the information in a clear and creative way. The aim of the activity is to develop digital literacy, critical thinking and data visualization skills.
  • Reflection with Six Hats of Design Thinking (45×2 minutes): During one of the group sessions, use the Six Thinking Hats method. Each student will put on a different “hat” (i.e., assuming a different perspective: emotional, analytical, creative, critical, etc.) to reflect on their research and its implications for understanding migration. This will help them analyze the issue from multiple viewpoints and deepen their understanding.

Socratic Seminar 5th-6th week: We will approach the topic in a different way based on the Socratic Seminar technique. Encourage students to critically engage with the migration topic through structured discussions, practicing their speaking, listening, and critical thinking skills. (Recourses for the teachers about the Socratic seminars VIDEO 1, VIDEO 2)

  • Preparation for the Socratic Seminar (at home): Assign homework where students must read specific migration stories from the Europeana Migration Collection. They will prepare questions based on the readings. 
  • Socratic Seminar (45minutesx4): Divide the class into two circles: an inner circle of speakers and an outer circle of observers. The students in the inner circle will take turns discussing the migration topic, referencing the materials they’ve read and their research. Students in the outer circle will observe and provide feedback. Rotate roles after each round to ensure all students are active participants. The students will use the producing material for their presentations, the videos, the letters and the posters that they will create as their final products.
  • ICT lab:(45 minutesx2): “If I were a child in war…” Students are asked to imagine that they are children living in a war zone. They write a short text or draw a picture of how they imagine their daily life. – What do they see? What do they feel? What do they think is happening? A particularly moving moment was when two students — one from Ukraine and one from Syria — courageously shared their personal experiences of displacement, fear, and loss. Using ChatGPT as a creative writing tool, the students collaboratively generated a deeply emotional script focusing on emotional expression and realistic depiction of experiences from the perspective of a child living in war. Line by line, they shaped the story, choosing words that resonated with both personal truth and global relevance.

Final Product Creation 7th-8th week: Combine all research, reflections, and insights into a final presentation.

●       ICT lab (45 minutes): Recording Tools

✔ Familiarity with recording tools – Students used recording and audio editing software (Audacity).

✔ Recording their voices – Through many tests, they experimented with tone and expressiveness to convey the emotion of each role.

✔ Mixing & editing audio – Together we selected music and sound effects from Pixabay website  that enhanced the atmosphere of the podcast

●       ICT lab (45×2 minutes): Creating AI-inspired images inspired by Banksy (link1, link2, link3, link4).  Students explored the world of street art through the lens of Banksy, using his powerful visual language to express themes of social resistance and storytelling. Inspired by the anonymous yet globally influential figure, they delved into topics such as war, injustice, identity, and childhood — making connections between art, history, and contemporary issues. To visually express their narratives, students used AI tools such as Gencraft and ChatGPT to generate original images in Banksy’s style, transforming their reflections into impactful works of digital street art. Their process and creativity were also inspired by the Europeana collection on Banksy https://www.europeana.eu/sk/collections/person/63951-banksy, which offered valuable insight into his art, influence, and message.

●       ICT lab (45×2 minutes): Using Green Screen with Filmora- Final Video Editing
 They shoot a video with a green screen and edit it in Wondershare Filmora, placing themselves on top of images or videos they have created or selected. In Filmora, they combine audio, images, green screen, and transitions, completing the final production. They export the video in .mp4 format. 

  • Final Presentation Creation (3×45 minutes per session): Using Canva, students will design and assemble the final project, which may include: 
  • A presentation documentary summarizing their research and findings about wars. LINK in English and LINK in Greek
  • And about Human Rights, LINK in English, LINK in Greek
  • A video with our discussion with Art. LINK
  •  A video about war based on Banksy Street Art.LINK
  • Presentations that incorporate multimedia (images, text) to tell the story of migration. LINK
  • Visual representations (posters, infographics) to support the themes discussed. LINK
  • Presentation & Feedback (3×45 minutes)
  • Students present their final projects to the class. After each presentation, engage the class in a feedback session where they can ask questions, reflect on the findings, and offer suggestions for improvement.
  • Students present their work to the other students of our school (5th and 6th grade), they talked about the topic, and the two students from Georgia said why and how they came to Greece.

Outcomes

For Students:

  • Increased Empathy: Through storytelling and discussions, students developed a deeper understanding of migration challenges.
  • Enhanced Critical Thinking: The Socratic Seminar & Six Thinking Hats helped students analyse migration and the causes of the wars from multiple perspectives.
  • Digital & AI Literacy: Students became proficient in AI-assisted research and content creation.
  • Active Citizenship: Encouraged students to think about real-world solutions for migrants and refugees.
  • Learn to use Europeana’s platform
  • Practising to work and to make questions with Socratic seminars method

For us as Educators:

  • The adaptations helped make the topic accessible and engaging for younger students.
  • AI tools significantly improved comprehension by making content more age-appropriate.
  • Using the Socratic method at a younger age required more scaffolding, but the structured dialogue improved students’ speaking and listening skills.
  • The final multimedia presentation was a powerful reflection tool that showcased student learning.

Add headings (Heading 4 of the template) and subheadings (Heading 5 of the template) when needed to organize your text and highlight the main aspects of your story.

Annex

           Photos during the implementation of the Socratic seminar method

Photos of the students to do the presentations to other students in our school

                               Photos of their students’ artwork

                               Photos during their work in the ICT lab

  Photos from their posters

Photos from their letters to an immigrant in the frame of Student Competition 2024-UNHCR-Greece: “Family Means Together”

Produced material: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YUagMuPyxiDWylRhtLCJvEmWRVYQhDGY?usp=drive_link

Final outcome video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e8ZUGFqWn4VybFhg-hRi7wHWUt3Y2q4-/view?usp=drive_link

Final outcome-VIDEO Banksy- A war story through street art: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ro5rCUjRgGvugoYFkrmARbSqaFNhE4Dk/view?usp=drive_link

Do you want to discover more stories of implementation? Click here.

CC BY-SA 4.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Örebro County Museum.

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