New virtual student participant, SocraBot, helps K-12 students engage curiosity, build peer-to-peer understanding, and think more deeply - together
IPSWICH, Mass., May 5, 2025 (Newswire.com) - KnowAtom, a leading provider of hands-on, inquiry-driven core science curriculum for K-8, has announced the launch of SocraCircle+, a groundbreaking classroom discussion tool that uses artificial intelligence not to generate answers - but to cultivate deeper, more human conversations in real time.
At the center of SocraCircle+ is SocraBot, a virtual student participant who models curiosity, reflects on peer contributions, and helps students explore, agree, disagree, and extend their thinking in meaningful ways.
"In many of today's edtech tools, AI is used to help teachers or students do more of the same - create faster, polish more, or extract content through Q&A interfaces," said Francis Vigeant, CEO of KnowAtom. "But more of the same simply produces more of the same outcomes. SocraCircle+ asks a different question: How can AI help students become more authentic, connected, and curious humans in conversation with one another? That's where learning lives."
SocraCircle+ supports live, student-centered discussion across any K-12 subject - including science, ELA, social studies, SEL, and more. Teachers can launch a discussion in seconds. As students contribute, SocraBot responds naturally in real time, offering thoughtful follow-ups, modeling high-quality reasoning, and prompting students to consider ideas from new angles - just like a reflective peer would.
Unlike AI tools that replicate or automate teacher work, SocraCircle+ is designed to elevate student voice and reduce reliance on teacher-led prompts or curriculum scripting. It's built on KnowAtom's own research and long-standing classroom results: clients consistently rank among the top performers in state science assessments, thanks to a pedagogy rooted in decades of cognitive science, educational research, and practical implementation.
"At KnowAtom, we understand that learning is the result of interplay between culture, problems, questions, and ideas - and dialogue is the nexus where they meet," Vigeant said. "SocraCircle+ brings that dialogue to life at a deep level."
Built-in multilingual support allows students to participate in most native languages, with responses translated for the group, ensuring a voice for all students. SocraBot never provides links or external content, and student identities are anonymized within the platform to create a safe, focused environment.
SocraCircle+ is now available at no additional cost to KnowAtom's science curriculum customers. Educators can log in to their KnowAtom portal today to begin using the tool. For teachers who don't have access to KnowAtom's next generation science curriculum portal, free trials are available on KnowAtom's SocraCircle+ page.
For more information, visit www.knowatom.com or contact press@knowatom.com
