What is the Socratic method and why is it important?
Developed by the Greek philosopher, Socrates, the Socratic Method is a dialogue between teacher and students, instigated by the continual probing questions of the teacher, in a concerted effort to explore the underlying beliefs that shape the students views and opinions.
The Socratic method of teaching encourages students to explore their thoughts and beliefs, also considering how these thoughts and beliefs may contribute to their assumptions about the topic at hand.
There are 3 main reasons the Socratic method is still used today. It helps develop critical thinking skills. It gets students ready to think quickly. It forces students to be prepared and attentive.
Though he didn't write a word, he made such an impact on Athenian society that others were motivated to write about him. Writing about Socrates centuries after his death, scholars have described Socrates as as the creator of moral philosophy and a founder of the whole enterprise of western philosophy.
Socratic questioning and Socratic circles are ways teachers can encourage students to view critical thinking as a lifelong, life-actualizing process. In my classes, students begin to see this type of thinking evolve within their own minds through our participation in Socratic circles.
- What do you mean by that?
- How do you know?
- Can you give me an example?
- What are the consequences of that?
- What is the counterargument?
- Give an initial definition or opinion.
- Ask a question that raises an exception to that definition or opinion.
- Give a better definition or opinion.
Any time you ask questions to get people to think differently about things, any time you participate in healthy, productive debate or problem solving, any time you examine principles and presuppositions and come to an answer for yourself, you channel the same principles Socrates championed all those years ago.
Socrates believed that no one does wrong voluntarily. Evil is the result of ignorance. If people knew what was the right thing to do they would do it. We always choose what we think is the best or good for us.
This supreme good, thought Socrates, is virtue. Virtue is defined as moral excellence, and an individual is considered virtuous if their character is made up of the moral qualities that are accepted as virtues. In Ancient Greece commonly accepted virtues included courage, temperance, prudence, and justice.
What did Socrates teach the most?
Socrates believed that the greatest thing to teach and learn about life's journey was wisdom, which he defined as knowing what you do not know. He believed that true wisdom comes from acknowledging one's ignorance and being open to learning and seeking knowledge.
The most concerning limitation of the Socratic method is the potential for educators to pose questions without purpose. As Rohrich highlighted, simply generating a list of questions is easy;24 however, Socratic questioning is targeted and directed with a beginning, middle, and end.
The art of Socratic questioning is intimately connected with critical thinking because the art of questioning is important to excellence of thought. Socrates argued for the necessity of probing individual knowledge, and acknowledging what one may not know or understand.
The Socratic Learning Method is a constructivist learning method with strong attention to the role of preconceptions in learning. It is useful in learning situations where one needs to evaluate a proposition contradictory to one's preconceptions, or when one is to generate one's own hypothesis given new information.
Socrates thought that a person must ask themselves the following questions before they say anything: “Am I sure that what I am going to say is true?”, “Is what I'm going to say a good thing?”, and “Do I really need to say it and is it useful?”
Socrates two favorite questions were. "What exactly do you mean by that?" and "What evidence do you have for your claim?" When Socrates asks "What do you mean by that?" it means that he is. trying to get a clear answer from someone that seems muddled.
- Asking questions centered around receiving information.
- Attentively listening and reflecting back what you've heard.
- Providing a summary of the information you've heard.
- Ideas and values: The text must introduce ideas and values that are complex and difficult to summarize. ...
- Complexity and challenge: The text must be rich in ideas and complexity and open to interpretation.
What would be an example? What do you think causes to happen...? Why…? What other information do we need?
Inquiry-based learning is a learning process that engages students by making real-world connections through exploration and high-level questioning.
What did Plato believe in?
Plato believed that reality is an imperfect reflection of a perfect ideal called the Forms. He demonstrates the effect of this dual reality and the need for education in his Allegory of the Cave. Like the dualism of reality, Plato also believed that humans are of a dual nature: body and mind.
Answer questions honestly.
The purpose of the Socratic method is to identify the contradictions and limitations in our own knowledge. For this reason, you need to be honest in your answers. Don't try to anticipate what you think the professor wants to hear.
So·crat·ic sə-ˈkra-tik. sō- : of or relating to Socrates, his followers, or his philosophical method of systematic doubt and questioning of another to elicit a clear expression of a truth supposed to be knowable by all rational beings.
For Socrates, philosophical reflection and analysis concerning the human good, as well as concerning human deficiencies, dictate a particular way of life. This way of life is, practically speaking, the best for a human being. It is a life in which the practice of philosophical discussion is itself the central activity.
Socrates saw the main task of his philosophy in the knowledge of himself and others. Therefore, the saying “know thyself” inscribed in the Delphic temple was his motto.
