A practical guide to Socratic teaching
And why asking good questions fosters critical thinking.
The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing – Socrates.
Questioning is thinking. It is through questioning that we understand the world and everything that comes with it.
School often provides answers without preceding questions. Textbooks are filled with unrelated facts that students struggle to apply to life. It is like presenting someone with a solution before knowing about the problem.
School cares more about memorising those facts for exams than questioning the world, developing independent thinking, and exploring diverse perspectives.
This contributes to the development of a binary view of the world, where students believe that an answer can either be right or wrong, leaving no room for nuances and making constructive debates ineffectual.
It is important to remember that whilst facts can be forgotten, the skill of critical thinking endures throughout life!
Critical thinking is the ability to engage in independent and reflective thinking. It allows us to identify logical connections, make reasoned judgements and effectively analyse various situations.
To develop critical thinking, we must create an environment that fosters it. This is where Socratic teaching becomes a valuable method to implement.
What is Socratic teaching?
Socratic teaching is based on the philosophy of Socrates and features a conversation powered by open-ended questions.
The goal of Socrates was to make the interlocutor become conscious of their ignorance. He would engage in what is called the Elenchus, or the act of continuously questioning the assumptions of the interlocutor to reach a state of Aporia: a deep sense of humility where one understands how little they know about the world.
Once Aporia had been reached, Socrates and the interlocutor could then engage in an authentic quest for Truth.
Socratic teaching is the vocalised version of critical thinking.
It allows for synthesis of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs.
The teacher becomes a guide whose main role is to keep the conversation going by asking further questions and having more students share their perspectives.
In a Socratic discussion, every student’s voice is valued and taken seriously. Their beliefs and assumptions are elaborated out loud to understand the main ideas and values behind them.
Every student engages in active listening and systems thinking, learns to communicate clearly, and becomes a valuable part of the session.
How to successfully implement the Socratic method in class?
A Socratic discussion could be spontaneous (an unplanned discussion with no specific goal other than probing students’ thinking), exploratory (a planned discussion to assess students’ understanding of a concept), or focused (a planned discussion to share ideas and perspectives on a specific issue or topic).
During a Socratic discussion, it is advised that all students sit in a circle to promote inclusion. The Socratic guide could start by either posing an initial question, offering a moral dilemma for students to debate or have some text or video extract for students to analyse and discuss.
The class could also be divided in two groups.
The first group would be given a question or statement to discuss whilst the second group would sit back, listen, and take notes of the points raised during the exchange.
Once the discussion is over, the listeners would offer some feedback on what they think went well or could go better next time along with any other points they find worth sharing. The two groups will then switch role in the next session.
What is important to remember here is that every new answer generates a new question. The goal of a Socratic discussion is not about making a conclusion or reaching consensus. Rather, it is about effectively communicating ideas, questioning our own beliefs, and bonding with others.
How to ask good Socratic questions?
Understanding the nature of a question is crucial to appropriately respond to any answers. Dr Linda Elder and Richard Paul classified questions into three distinct groups:
One system questions
The answer will be based on facts, definition, and evidence. This shows proof of knowledge and understanding. Further questioning will have to target the source and reliability of the data used.
No system questions
The answer will be based on a person’s current preferences and tastes making it more subjective and difficult to assess.
Conflicting system questions
The answer will be based on a person’s opinions, judgements, beliefs, and values on a specific topic. This is great for debates.
Examples of questions that target thinking and reasoning:
More questions can be found in Elder and Paul’s book: The Thinker’s Guide to Socratic Questioning.
Questioning thinking:
- Why do you think that?
- Could you explain this further?
- Can you give me an example or illustration of your point?
- What is your main point?
Questioning purpose:
- What was your purpose when you made that comment?
- What are you trying to accomplish here?
- What do you want to persuade your audience of?
Questioning data, experience, and evidence.
- How do you know this?
- On what evidence are you basing this comment?
- What experience convinced you of this?
- How do we know this information is accurate?
Questioning conclusions.
- How did you reach that conclusion?
- Can you explain your reasoning?
- Is there an alternative plausible conclusion?
Questioning concepts and ideas.
- What is the main idea behind your reasoning?
- Do these two ideas conflict?
- What idea is the author using in her or his thinking?
Questioning assumptions and beliefs.
- What assumptions have you made here?
- Why are you assuming that?
- How can these assumptions be verified?
- What exactly are you taking for granted here?
Questioning implications and consequences.
- If we do this, what do you think would happen?
- How does this …… affect…… ?
- Have you considered the implications of this policy (or practice)?
- Why is this important?
Questioning viewpoints and perspectives.
- From what viewpoint are you looking at this?
- Is there another viewpoint you should consider?
- What would someone who disagrees say?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of …?
Things a Socratic guide should keep in mind:
To conduct a successful Socratic discussion, several key considerations should be kept in mind:
Your primary responsibility as a guide is to ensure the conversation flows smoothly. It isn’t to impose your own perspective.
Be mindful of students' abilities and avoid expecting answers that exceed their current level of understanding.
Remind students that this isn't a competition or a persuasive exercise but a collective journey of exploration.
Consider using the PPP approach (Pose – Pause – Pick) to give students more time to think before reformulating the question.
Be mindful of your own facial expressions and comments, as non-verbal cues can impact students' confidence.
Treat and value each student equally. This means avoiding favouritism and working with less confident students to help them become more comfortable over time.
Promote humility and normalise the acceptance of not knowing by admitting when unsure of something.
Always assume that somebody knows something you don’t and make sure your students assume that too.
Act as a mediator to prevent interruptions and disrespectful behaviours.
Regularly summarise key points to reinforce what was discussed.
Continuously reflect on your own practice and performance as a Socratic guide to improve the quality of future sessions.
Here are two examples of Socratic discussions:
In the classroom:
During therapy: