It’s February already and here is my first post of the month! Today’s spotlight is on Socratic Questioning. If you’re an educator or currently enrolled in a teaching program, it’s quite probable that you’re familiar with the teachings of Socrates.
For those who are novices, here is a quick history lesson! Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher who is most famous for his work on ethics. Today, we talk of the ‘Socratic method or Socratic questioning.’ One of the most interesting facts about Socrates is that he spread his ideas through his students instead of writing. One of his most famous students was Plato. Plato was able to spread Socrates’ ideas via discussions with others. Socrates played a pivotal role in advocating for questioning and fostering critical self-reflection.
What exactly is the Socratic Method?
In the current educational context, the focus is on the exchange of open and probing questions between educators and students, aiming to stimulate the development of critical thinking skills and the generation of ideas. Socrates, within his context, employed the questioning method to empower his students and fellow residing members of society in Athens, fostering autonomy in their thinking processes and enabling them to draw their own conclusions.
What can I do to include the Socratic Questioning method?
There isn’t a definitive rulebook, and I urge educators to embrace an exploratory approach when crafting activities.
I believe active learning is key to getting students involved in their development. I know that the majority of HE and FE courses have elements of this built into programmes so I want to talk about refining your activities. You don’t have to start from scratch.
Reflect on a session you conducted last week or even last year, especially if you plan to re-deliver it this year. Take note of what you believe was effective – was it the students’ engagement, the utilised resources, or perhaps the group dynamics? This is a personalised reflection, so jot down your insights. Similarly, consider aspects that could have been improved. If you were to adapt the activity, how might you do so? You could introduce prompt questions or encourage students to analyse relationships between group ideas or patterns. In the process of refining activities, I find the Socratic Method to be a valuable tool!
After completing your brief reflection, create resources that could aid in questioning. These might be question cards or even post-it notes for students to write their own questions.
Implement this idea in your next session and reassess. What did you notice in the students’ responses? How would you describe their level of curiosity and engagement?
How can using the Socratic method in my sessions influence future critical thinkers?
It encourages students to start recognising and developing their own thought processes. The framework of your sessions is key to allowing students to have a stepping stone towards independent thinking. It offers them the opportunity to refine their skills in questioning assumptions, analysing evidence, and presenting well-informed judgments through thoughtful evaluation.
Additionally, it promotes a mindset geared towards lifelong learning, emphasising understanding over rote memorisation for assessments. This ensures that when faced with challenging concepts or topics, students maintain a growth mindset.
Lastly, Socratic questioning guides students to explore the underlying “why” of a subject. This approach encourages them to delve into ethical and moral considerations. For example, if there was a discussion in a business module around pay equality, including probing questions to look at the issue beyond the surface could be a powerful lesson. This practice contributes to nurturing a socially aware mindset in our students.
Socratic questioning is an effective tool that fosters critical thinking by encouraging active involvement, independent thought, analytical skills, accurate communication, and a lifelong passion for learning. Integrating this method into education can contribute to the development of the next generation of thoughtful and capable individuals.
