THE SOCRATIC METHOD Presented By: Bill Rigney, Erik Repella, and Chris Umbrell EDUS 515: Instruction & Technology / Secondary Education Dr. Patricia Duncan October 22, 2008

History Socrates began questioning fellow philosophers in an attempt illuminate ideas and stimulate new thoughts Plato famously formalized the Socratic Elenctic style in Euthyphro and Ion

History The term Socratic Questioning is used to describe a kind of questioning in which an original question is responded to as though it were an answer.

Socratic Method – Current Usage The Socratic method is widely used in contemporary legal education by many law schools in the United States In a typical class setting, the professor asks a question and calls on a student who may or may not have volunteered an answer. The professor either then continues to ask the student questions or moves on to another student.

PRINCIPLES OF SOCRATIC QUESTIONING Respond to ALL answers further question. Develop his/her thinking in a fuller and deeper way Seek to understand the foundations for what is said or believed. Treat ALL assertions as a connecting point to further thoughts. Treat ALL thoughts as in need of development. Recognize that a thought can only exist fully in a network of connected thoughts. Stimulate students by your questions, to pursue those connections. Recognize that ALL questions presuppose prior question and ALL thinking presupposes prior thinking. Data Obtained From Union University

PROS: Questions for goals and purposes. Probes into the nature of the question, problem, or issue that is being discussed. Inquires into whether or not we have relevant data and information. Considers alternative interpretations of the data and information. Analyzes key concepts and ideas. Question assumptions being made. Asks students to trace out the implications and consequences of what they are saying. Considers alternative points of view. Highly disciplined process.

BENEFITS of SOCRATIC METHOD Keeps the discussion focused. It excites students curiosity and arouses their thinking, rather then stifling it. Keeps the discussion intellectually responsible. It makes teaching more interesting and exciting because you learn more from your students, or by what they make you think of , than what you knew before class. Stimulates the discussion with probing questions. It gives constant feedback which allows for student understanding or lack of understanding. Periodically summarizes what has and has not been dealt with and/or resolved.

BENEFITS OF SOCRATIC METHOD Cont. BENEFITS Cont.: Stimulates and challenges students. Questions are very specific, and as logically leading as possible. It forces the teacher to think about the logic of the topic, and how to make it most easily assimilated for the students. It emphasizes student understanding rather than teacher presentation; student intake, interpretation, and construction of the student, rather than teacher output. Encourages students to be prepared before class. It draws as many people as possible into the discussion. Students do not get bored or lose concentration if they are actively participating.

CONS of SOCRATIC METHOD Providing an environment of active learning for the students in large classes. It does not work for unrelated facts. It also does not work for explaining conventions, such as sounds of letters or the capitals of the United States because the capitals are more the result of historical accident than logical selection. Teacher must be comfortable in asking questions and thinking logically. If they are unable then the Socratic Method is very ineffective. Takes a lot of preparation and a lot of thought.

CASE STUDY CASE STUDY of SOCRATIC METHOD: 3rd Grade Class 22 students 19 students actively participated and absorbed the material. 3 students did not understand the material and were involved actively. Suburban Elementary Class 1 Teacher & 1 Researcher Conducted on a Friday Afternoon, late in May About 2 weeks left of school. Chosen because this time of year is seen as one of the most difficult times to entice and hold children’s attention and concentration about complex subject matter. R. Garlikov - The Socratic Method: Teaching by Asking Instead of by Telling

CASE STUDY Cont. OBJECTIVE: Using the Socratic Method Teach students binary arithmetic Arithmetic using only two numbers, 0 and 1. None of the students have ever been introduced to binary arithmetic before. Chose binary arithmetic because it is something very difficult for children when it is taught normally. Believes the Socratic Method would make the difficult subject easier to learn and it also captures the enthusiasm about the subject. R. Garlikov - The Socratic Method: Teaching by Asking Instead of by Telling

CASE STUDY Cont. RESULT: Students did not get bored or lose concentration, and most of the students actively participated. Almost all the children participated the whole time; often calling out in unison or one after another. Their answers were almost immediate and very good. Many of the students grasped the material being presented. Were able to actively participate during the questioning. The students enjoyed and were excited during their discovery and understanding of the material being presented to them R. Garlikov - The Socratic Method: Teaching by Asking Instead of by Telling

In Closing The method will be described as a means to challenge students and encourage the active and critical evaluation of their beliefs The Socratic method helps students recognize the limits of their knowledge and motivates them to learn ( Robinson 1971)