Socratic Method

A meaningful question is as good

as the right answer….

Actively engaging students in the

critical thinking process or ways
of thinkingDr. and ways
Noe Pablo of
Lozano
knowing…
Outline

 Socratic Method
 Definition
 Key Points
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 Using the Socratic Method
 General Guidelines
 Forming Questions
 “Techie” Classroom Settings
 What is the Socratic Method?
 General: Foundation of Western Pedagogical Tradition.
 A controlled debate used as a method of inquiry for the examination of
conceptual, philosophical, and moral ideas.

 Teaching: A shared dialogue between teacher and students,

where both are responsible for continuing the dialogue through
questioning
 Probing questions by Teachers lead the discussion
 Questions are asked, by an individual, by the other Students and by the
instructor to determine uncertainty, examine complexity and
understand difficulty;
 Teachers are equally participant and a guide or source of knowledge;
 Open-ended inquiry: lead with or without a lesson plan; the dialogue
of teacher/student leads to the new knowledge;
Socratic Questioning
 Fundamental part of the Method
 Objectives:
 Examine the student's thoughts:
 Use to demonstrate complexity, difficulty and uncertainty
 Learn what is known
 Learn what is not known
 Force evaluation of current beliefs
 Know facts, yet what do students thinks about these facts

 Strengthen Socratic ability

 Focus on what specific students thinks and avoid what the
World or others think;
 Encourage questioning self and others
 Teach how to construct deep, meaningful questions
 You do not need to know all the knowledge
Key Differences

 Lecturer
 Does not lecture
 Poses a question, but does not answer
 Fosters the analysis through Socratic Questions

 Students
 Must listen and actively engage
 Focus on the underlying principles
 Account for beliefs in class
 Ask questions of Lecturer and fellow students

 Environment of familiarity, yet “productive

discomfort” verses intimidation and panic
Key Differences

 Three Way Dialogue with equal status

 The Individual student contribution

 The other students’ perspectives

 The lecturer’s focus and emphasis

Effectiveness
 Advantages
 Fosters critical thought above memorization
 Enforces the beliefs of students as ideas are subject to
examination
 Teaches to question, understand, and extend
 Reveals the complexity of seemingly simple statements
 Focus students on articulating their values and on their ideas
holding up to scrutiny

 Disadvantages
 Difficult to apply in certain classroom settings
 Not as suited for imparting worldly facts and standard lecture
 Not optimal for imparting logical facts, theorems, and
knowledge generated by conventional lectures.
Method in Practice

 Participate in the dialogue

 Professor and student must be willing to accept new
ideas
 “I don't know” is an acceptable answer for anyone
 Remove deference to authority

 Silence is productive
 Be reasonable (10 seconds)
 Do not answer questions, rephrase instead
Environment for the Method

 Create the proper environment

 Learn the names of each person
 Short interventions, not speeches, when needed
 Small groups for larger classes

 Encouraging Thought
 Alternative positions are acceptable
 Follow-up on responses
 Emphasize active participation
Forming the Question

 Ask a single question

 “How are A and B the same, and why are they
different”? vs. “Why is A different from B?”

 Concise, clear questions

 Eliminate unnecessary words
 Easily understood, yet accurate language

 Ask appropriate kind of question

 Analysis
 Comparison
 Observation
In “Techie” Environments

 Application Classes
 Seminars for theoretical understanding
 Substitute for pure lecture may be undesirable
 Possibility: Schedule “Socratic Seminar” periods with
standard lecture

 Theoretical Classes
 Seminars can be used to advance the class
 Teaches required critical thought with the concepts
involved
 Possibility: Focus on extending concepts learned
In “Techie” Environments

 “The unexamined life is not worth living”

 Equally True: “The unexamined problem set is not

worth doing.”
 How many questions do you need to ask yourself
in order to optimize your learning for each class?
 Focus is on content and principals and not personal
narratives…