The Socratic method is a powerful teaching method best described as guiding students to the truth through asking questions. This method is suitable for many subject matters, including ethics, math, literature, as well as science, philosophy, and history.
The Socratic Teaching Method
In its purest form, not only are questions used to elicit curiosity, but they also push students too figure out the a logical, incremental, steps necessary for students to figure out a difficult problem on their own.
Ideally, the teacher will be able to continue to ask questions, even when students get stuck, and avoid explaining the answer. It is better to plan the questions ahead of time, or at least have a stock set of questions to use and fall back on, especially for teachers new at this using this method.
Sometimes teachers have to be humble enough to admit when they cannot think of the next question, and see if the students are able to figure it out. Rick Garlikov describes his experience of using the Socratic method when attempting to teach binary arithmetic in a third grade class. He found it highly successful, even though he had purposely attempted it in the afternoon when children are the most tired.
Homeschool Methods
The Socratic Teaching method is also suitable in the homeschooling environment. Classical homeschooling publishers are beginning to publish helpful resources so parents do not have to think of all the questions themselves. One example is a book entitled, Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Method for Literary Education by Adam and Missy Andrews [The Center for Literary Education, 2009].
In this book, the Andrews present specific questions, which they termed "the Socratic List," for homeschooling parents to use at every stage of learning in the Trivium.
Classical Educational Curriculum
For any teacher switching over to teaching a classical educational curriculum, it is necessary to begin mastering this method, especially at the junior and senior stages. The questions generally move from basic to more complex. Students not yet able to read difficult works can even master asking the basic questions of who? what where? why? how? Even young children can learn literary analysis, binary arithmetic, and problem solving using the scientific methodology.
As a method, it is best used once the students have mastered grammar and logic. It should especially be employed in the Dialectical stage of the Trivium. Thus, it is helpful to have a basic plan of how to form the lesson:
- Plan the main idea to be taught and the material to be used.
- Build in illogical or inaccurate conclusions and errors
- Be aware of common contradictions or unsupported conclusions.
- Consider planning the lesson by working backwards from the desired conclusions
- Write out the questions along each step, with the key questions to move the students from one point to the other
With practice, teachers will find this an engaging method to use to arouse students curiosity. After lunch sessions of literature or history will be imbibed with renewed energy as students begin to think for themselves and understand concepts at deeper levels.
Rachel Schaus - Rachel Schaus, contributing writer,Minnesota-based freelance writer who has written hundreds of articles relating to classical education, ...
