Weekly small group discussions that teach young people how to think critically about the world.

Starting September 16th 2024
$10 per week (first 2 weeks free).

What is a Parlay Seminar?

It is a virtual "debate club" where teenagers participate in weekly Socratic discussions about the events and ideas shaping our world. In a Parlay Seminar, students learn to build arguments, consider alternative perspectives, and develop skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

How does it work?

Students are organized into Seminar Groups of 8 to 12 teenagers and one certified teacher. Each week, the group explores a new topic or current event. All learning takes place on Parlay - our proprietary and award winning discussion-based learning platform.

Here's what a typical week looks like...

Sunday - Wednesday: Students are invited to this week's "Written RoundTable" where they have to read an article, listen to a podcast, or watch a video. On their own time, they answer 1 - 3 critical discussion questions about the topic and submit their response.

After submitting, students read through each others' posts and question, challenge, or build on their ideas. This process ensures that the group captures a breadth of perspectives and builds a shared understanding prior to coming together for the seminar.

Thursday or Friday: The group meets virtually for a 1-hour "Verbal RoundTable" where the ideas presented during the preceding Written RoundTable are explored in greater detail. The instructor facilitates the discussion to keep the discussion on track and to ensure all perspectives are heard.

Saturday: Instructors assess and provide individual feedback to each student as they learn to build arguments, support their ideas with evidence, ask provoking questions, and challenge each other respectfully. Students get better at these skills and learn more about the world with each passing week.

What do parents and students say?

The main value of Parlay Seminars is the structure. At first I thought it might be artificial but once I saw the depth of dialogue, I knew it was really well done. My son has never had such deep conversations or a place to practice these skills.

My son was intrigued by the worldview of other people in the course. 'Your opinion isn’t the true arbiter of everything' is a really valuable idea that he got out of this class.

“The live aspect was the best. It let my child feel as if she was in the classroom and she enjoyed that the most. She learnt a lot in the class from how express her own opinions in the written form and collaborating with other students.”

Why are we doing this?

We strongly believe that free and informed discussion is the most important and fundamental tool we have to seek truth, improve our lives, and thwart totalitarianism in all its forms.

10 years ago we started Parlay. It's a discussion-based learning platform used by over 100K teachers and 1M students all over the world. Our goal then, as now, was to start a renaissance in "classical" education, and to do it in a way that leverages modern technology so it can be effective, fun, affordable, and scalable.

How can I join?

We're starting on September 16th 2024. The cost will be $10 per student per week, and your first two weeks are free.