He interrupts the students' discussion only when necessary. During the Socratic, he keeps track of who makes comments and what kind of comments he or she makes. The last ten minutes of class are reserved for a general discussion of how the Socratic went. This method gives students an incredible sense of ownership. Students say things and take the discussion directions that the teacher might never have thought of on his own.
Students also have a chance to improve their oral communication skills and leadership skills.
Often the texts the teacher picks are unusual or provocative in some way, which keeps students especially interested. During my time in this classroom, both the teacher and the students looked forward to Socratic seminar days. I think this is a teaching technique I could use in my classroom. My example of a bad teaching practice comes from my college experience. I had an English class to which I had been looking forward for many semesters.