Socratic method

Last updated Aug 15, 2023

• Source: Sources/In Online Ed Content Is No Longer King - Cohorts Are - Essay
• Keywords: Cards/permanent notes
• Relevant Notes:
  • Cards/The State Change Method
  • Cards/Interactive processing
  • Cards/Critical thinking and skill development are not mutually exclusive

Instead of answering their question, say this,

“What do you think? I want to hear how you would fill in the blanks."

Socrates was the first teacher to famously use questions to stimulate critical thinking. Many times, the audience has thought about solutions to the problem you’re discussing, but they don’t feel confident with their own ideas so they look to you (the instructor) for guidance. The Socratic line of questioning helps you ==lead the student to the right answer==–and students ==remember the lesson much more deeply== this way.

Why don’t more people use the Socratic method? Because it ==takes a lot longer than just giving the answer.== You might wonder if it’s worth it. But if you stick at it and use self-restraint, you’ll start to see all kinds of places in your current lectures where you can give students a chance to chime in before you tell them the answer.