Unit 3: How can I use the Socratic Method in my classroom?

Return to: ETAP 623 Spring 2020 (Zhang) | Jonah Schumacher | Fostering Critical Thinking Skills using the Socratic Method | Unit 2: The Socratic Method: Step-by-Step

Unit Objectives

In this unit, learners will:

• Synthesize previous units’ information with pedagogy in mind.

• Experiment with developing plans to use the Socratic Method in the classroom.

Mini-Lecture

While the Socratic Method remains a simple and inexpensive mode way to get students thinking outside of the box, there are some suggestions one ought to consider to ensure that it is used well.
Fostering a classroom environment that encourages students to make attempts, without fear of ridicule if they are wrong, is essential.

Take the following list for example, which has been laid out well for educators.

1. Set down conversational guidelines:

Learn student names and have the students learn each other's names.

Explain that participation requires listening and active engagement and that it is not enough to just insert a single comment in class and then be silent for the rest of the day.

Emphasize that students should focus their comments on concepts or principles, not first-person narratives.

2. Ask questions and be comfortable with silence. Silence is productive. Be willing to wait for students to respond. There is no need to fill a conversational void; silence creates a kind of helpful tension. Use the "ten-second wait" rule before you attempt to re-phrase your questions!

3. Find ways to produce "productive discomfort." Cold-calling works, but temper it with small group work so students can talk to their neighbor.

4. Above all else, use follow-up questions! Get students to account for themselves, not just to regurgitate readings and lectures.

5. Always be open to learning something new. Don't be a sage on the stage, or a guide on the side. Be willing to say, "I don't know the answer to that question."

6. Welcome the "crazy idea" that offers a new perspective on the topic, but discourage those ideas which are not serious.

7. Brevity and short interventions from the professor are most welcome. No speeches or long lectures.

8. Discourage obsequious deference to authority and status. Break this down if at all possible. Students are often too practiced at "doing school" and discovering what they need to know to get by.

9. Find a classroom space that encourages interaction. Seats bolted to the floor put one at an immediate disadvantage.

10. Finally, don't be scared of size! All of this is possible even in large classes. The Socratic method is possible in a class as large as 70. Just use more small groups (Reich. 2003).

Unit Activity

After completing the mini-lecture and reviewing previous units, proceed to complete the final activity: