Socratic Questioning

Background:

Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC) was a classical greek philosopher, often credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy. Socrates did not write philosophical texts. He is best know through the surviving dialogues of Plato, a student of Socrates.

Socrates became an enemy of the Athenian State by praising Sparta, archrival to Athens, and being a critic of the social and moral fiber of Athens. He was put on trial and convicted of corrupting the minds of Athen's youth and sentenced to death by drinking a mixture containing poison hemlock.

A full account of Socrates' reasoning was recorded by Citro. In short, Socrates accepted his death sentence when most thought he would simply leave Athens. He felt he could not run away from or go against the will of his community because it would violate his principles.

His most important contribution to Western thought may be his dialectic method of inquiry, or Socratic Method, first described by Plato in the Socratic Dialogue. To solve a problem, it would be broken down into a series of questions, the answers to which gradually lead to the answer you seek. This approach is actually the opposite of today's Scientific Method, in which a solution to a problem is proposed (a hypothesis) and experiments are performed to test the solution.

Socrates was a philosopher, NOT a scientist. He performed no experiments. His method of questioning attempts to help a person or group determine their underlying beliefs and the extent of their knowledge. Ideas that lead to contradictions are eliminated in favor of more sound ideas. The Socratic Method was meant to force one to examine one's own beliefs and the validity of such beliefs.

Socrates never claimed to be wise, only to understand the path a seeker of wisdom must take. He often said his wisdom was limited to an awareness of his own ignorance.

The Modern Socratic Method may be credited to Leonard Nelson (1882-1927), a German philosopher and socialist. This method is a commonly used tool in a wide range of discussions, and is a type of pedagogy in which a series of questions are asked not only to draw individual answers, but to encourage fundamental insight into the issue at hand.

The Process:
Most high school classes are more concrete than philosophical. To incorporate Socratic questioning into their classrooms, high school teachers should use "facilitating" questions. These are questions that guide students toward productive thinking. When a students asks a question, a response like "What do you think?" is NOT a facilitating question.

Teachers must be skilled in guiding the student to find their own answer by thinking about what they already know. Unlike philosophy, there is usually a concrete answer to student classroom questions. In fact, most student questions are about something the teacher has already given them the opportunity to learn! Teachers use their own knowledge of the concept to ask the student a series of questions that relate to the original question. The goal is the have students realize what they know has value, and use that knowledge to find their own answers.

The high school teacher must overcome the idea that "there is no such thing as a bad question". Many well-meaning parents and educators say this to students as a way to encourage them. However, the statement shows a fundamental lack of knowledge about critical thinking and it is a statement educators should NEVER make.

Here are two common ways students ask for help:
  • "I can't do this."
    This isn't even a question! You know the student is asking for help. But the first help they need is with their thinking process, not the solution to their immediate problem. The student doesn't understand the thinking process well enough to know this is not a proper request for help! Your response may be something like, "do you have a question?"

    Resist the temptation to give a criptic response. A facilitator should always give positive encouragement and "model" the thinking process at all times! The first step in the process is to identify exactly what it is we need to know, but don't know. Ultimately the student must realize that what they know has value and should be used.

  • "How do you do this?"
    At least this is a question! But it is a BAD question. The question suggests the student has given no thought as to what it is, exactly, they need to know to answer the question. Your response may be something like, "what about this do you not understand?" To that, the student will probably say, "all of it". DO NOT accept this response. Force the student to articulate what it is they need to know by asking facilitating questions.

    The aim of your questioning is to find the student's current level of understanding. Most of the time, you know that everything the student needs has been covered in class. The problem is that the student was not ready to learn at the time it was presented. Even if they were not thinking about the concept at the time, the information is probably hiding somewhere in their brain. Start back through your series of questions. Ask how their current level of understanding relates to the next step in the series.

You must be consistant if you are going to become a Socratic questioner. You can NEVER give in when students say things like, "just tell me the answer!" If you are consistant, students will learn to ask GOOD questions − questions that actually addresses what they need to know. If you are not consistant (sometimes giving them an answer), students will be less cooporative the next time you answer their question with a question. If you gave them an answer once, they will hope to get this answer from you as well.

When students learn to ask good questions, they are able to understand your model of critical thinking. As they begin to think critically, they will ask and answer more questions for themselves and ask you less questions. This should be a good thing − BUT...

As the number of questions students ask goes down, you must increase the number of "probing" questions you ask students. As a facilitator, you are interested in the success of all students. As a Socratic questioner, you rightly find yourself spending more time with students that ask questions and less time with those that don't. This is as it should be − but don't ignore students that don't ask questions. Students that don't ask your questions should be the ones that have internalized the thinking process. Ask them a probing question − one that is a little beyond the current class level. Push them to think of new questions! If your best students show an interest in something you are not going to cover in class, let them explore! Show that you are proud of their insight. (This type of student is not going to get behind in their regular classwork.) Imagine the increase to their self-esteem when they figure out something that hasn't been, or isn't going to be covered in class!

However, it isn't always the best students that don't ask questions. It may be a student that has such a low opinion of themselves that they truly don't believe their ideas have value. These students just want to hide − to not risk showing any weakness.

The opposite of those that tell students "there's no such thing as a bad question" are those that tell students "don't ask dumb questions". The second statement may be even worse than the first − because it can cause students with good ideas to be afraid to share them because they might sound dumb.

"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." (Proverbs 17:28)
Even though this is one of my favorite Old Testament verses, meekness in critical thinking is NOT a virtue.
These students need your encouragement more than anyone. Don't ask them a lot of questions in front of the class. Sit with them and quietly show interest in them. Ask them to show you what they are working on. Have them tell you about it. Ask them a probing question you are sure they can answer. Praise them, even if the question was very easy. You must help them be successful − help them believe their ideas have value. Once they believe in themselves, they will begin to practice critical thinking.

One last thing. Be careful not to let one or two students monopolize your time. There are students that will do this, just for your attention. Yes, they have a need that you may feel a responsibility to meet. But at some point, you must let these students know that others need your time too.

Everyone can learn to think critically. Many will learn to do it well. But some will always struggle with it.

Summary:
The goal is for students to ask themselves what they need to know to answer a question, determine if they already know it, and FIND it if they don't.

When a student asks you a question:

  1. Ask the student the key question, identifying what they need to know to answer their own question. This is a facilitating question. It guides their direction of thinking.
     
  2. WAIT for their answer. You should no more give them the answer to your question than answer their original question.
       
    • Far too many teachers answer their own question after about five seconds of student silence.
       
    • A student can answer a question that fast only by immediate recall. Five seconds isn't even enough time for a student to internally examine their answer to make sure its correct. It takes time to think critically!
       
    • If you only wait a few seconds, you are encouraging students to say the FIRST thing that comes to mind. That is NOT critical thinking!
       
    • You should be able to stand a lot more than five seconds of student silence!
     
  3. If the student truly don't seem to be able to answer your facilitating question, ask the student the key question for your question.
     
  4. Keep this up until you find a key question about the concept the student can answer. Ask as many facilitating questions as you must, but DO NOT give any answers. When you find a question the student CAN answer, you have identified their level of understanding. You now know where the student is in constructing knowledge of the concept.
     
  5. Ask the student the last key question they couldn't answer. Without giving answers, help them see how what they DO know can be used to answer this question.
     
  6. When the student answers the question, ask the next key question they couldn't answer. Help them see how their last answer can be used to figure out the answer to this question.
     
  7. Continue the process until you get back to your first key question. The student should be able to use what they now know they know to figure out the answer to their original question. Give them time to use their knowledge to answer their own question. DON'T BLOW IT NOW by giving them the answer! Be sure the student realizes they have answered their original question without any answers from you!
When students can internalize this process, they are on their way to becoming Life-long Learners.

Recommended reading: Socratic Method Research Portal

 

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