One of the most effective teaching methods for the past 2,500 years is the Socratic method, which encourages learning through productive discussion and debate and critical thinking.
As digital learning tools and curricula arrive on the scene, classrooms fueled by Socratic discussions seem to be going the way of the dinosaurs — or Socrates. How can old-fashioned classroom discussions compete with fun and engaging digital content?
In fact, they are a perfect fit. Modern technology and tried-and-true teaching methods not only complement each other, but also produce intelligent students who engage in respectful debate with their peers—something we desperately need in our fractured society.
Let it contain numerical data
The best way to use digital tools as part of a Socratic approach to teaching is to let digital provide knowledge to students. Students should read the material and use the multimedia in the digital curriculum before coming to class.
This gives them time to understand the lesson, think about it, and prepare to discuss it. It also allows teachers to lead discussions, motivate students, and impart wisdom.
Students who are unable to do the reading in advance – identified by the honor system or some online curriculum analysis tools – should be assigned to a separate group to complete the reading before joining the discussion group.
Discussion is where the magic happens in the classroom, but it takes a skilled teacher to keep the interactions focused and productive.
Tips for leading a Socratic discussion
Socratic discussion can be one of the most valuable learning experiences for both participants and discussion leaders. Preparing to lead a Socratic dialogue is very different from preparing for traditional talks and discussions. Here are five proven tips for leading a conversation.
Know the material; Come prepared with questions
The role of the discussion leader is to ask probing questions and maintain order. This means that leaders must be familiar with the assigned topic and understand the arguments surrounding the subject. This allows the leader to provide necessary context and ask questions that probe arguments further.
The best way to prepare is outlined in the book “How to Read a Book”, co-authored by former devotee Mortimer Adler. Great books activity. He suggests the following process: Skim the material, and read it directly for an impression on the topic. Think about how you can describe the lesson in a sentence or two. Next, describe the content and make notes. Pay attention to the claims and passages the author makes that are important to the discussion you are leading. Then step back, look at the material as a whole, and think about its meaning. Do a little research to see what’s going on during this time and how this content fits into these events.
Finally, prepare some questions to guide the discussion. You can start with a few detailed questions about specific passages that focus on the arguments made in the text. Prepare a series of questions, including some big questions as well as follow-up questions and some high-level questions that can be used if the conversation gets into the weeds. Remember to prepare a final question on the larger meaning of the material.
Hold a double queue
One of the main tasks of the discussion leader is to make sure that no one person dominates the discussion and that everyone participates. The best way to do this is by waiting in a queue, a fancy name for a list. When someone wants to speak, he raises his hand. Write the names in order for people to raise their hands and call on those people to comment. The issue you may run into is that if others raise their hands to comment on the last speaker and follow the queue, the flow will be interrupted.
The solution is to wait for two queues. The first queue is for people who want to pick up the main points. Candidates for this queue should mark whether the floor wants to introduce a new or important idea. Then, parallel to this queue, create a second one for those who want to respond directly to such a point. This is the queue for short comments, clarifying questions or quick responses. A comment from the short queue should not take more than a sentence or more.
The role of the conversation leader is to manage long and short queues to keep the conversation going.
Don’t be a slave to the queue – or your questions
As a conversation leader, it’s important to quickly establish your authority by showing that the main point raised in a queue is limited. If someone starts by saying, “I have three points,” interrupt them by saying, “Okay, do one now and I’ll put you in another line later.” Emphasize this, but realize that sometimes an argument has many parts. At this time the speaker should be brief.
Likewise, remember that the “short point” speakers in queue two are jumping the queue and therefore need to show respect to those waiting patiently together in queue. If necessary, politely interrupt and tell the speaker that you are putting them in line for a keynote.
Next, don’t feel obligated to call everyone in line two. Encourage people to pass on their turn if they believe their point has been raised or is no longer relevant. People are beginning to realize that the quality of their bottom line is measured by the quantity and quality of responses.
Finally, don’t be a slave to the queue. If someone said too much, skip him or her and go to someone else who said less. When reluctant speakers raise their hands, feel free to jump to the top of the queue. Similarly, watch the body language of the quieter people in the group, and ask them if they’d like to give feedback.
Keep up the time
When he hears that no progress has been made on a topic, encourage the team to move on. Leaders can signal that enough has been said on a topic by interjecting a new question before someone from the main queue can speak. The best time to do this is when there is only one more person in the main queue. The leader can announce, “X is the last speaker in the main queue, but before he speaks, I want to raise a new question.” This avoids an empty queue and gives the class time to think about the new question.
If you happen to form a long main line, stop short for a few minutes to get the main points on the table. Sometimes it works to call two people at a time and announce that the short queue will be blocked until the group can catch up. Encouraging students to be as brief as possible helps, and may encourage people to take turns to move things along.
Start and finish on time
Starting on time shows that it is disrespectful to make students wait for those who are late. Finishing on time reinforces the whole point of Socratic discussions: to engage in mutual discovery, not to achieve a particular outcome. The point of being on time is not to stop the conversation, but to allow those who want to follow up with one or two people to do so. The formal discussion session should be completed so that participants have sufficient time to follow up individually.
One way to do this is to use the 50-minute time period as follows.
- Five minutes for everyone to settle down and prepare for the opening question.
- A 30 minute Socratic discussion session.
- Five more minutes to break into small groups of two to five students. These groups can form themselves, or they can be assigned to join continuously throughout the semester.
- 10 minutes in small groups to discuss the points raised, identify mistakes and present new ideas.
Art trainer
The beauty of combining digital curriculum with the traditional Socratic dialogue model is that teachers can get back to doing what they love: imparting wisdom, encouraging students, and watching them grow.
Done right, Socratic dialogue will become your favorite way to teach and your students’ favorite way to learn.
Fred Franson is the CEO of Certell, creator of the Potental family of free digital social studies course packages. When Franson received his doctorate, he studied the Socratic method. From the University of Chicago Committee on Social Thought. He has participated in or led hundreds of Socratic dialogue sessions, as well as led training workshops on Socratic dialogue.
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