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I am familiar with the Socratic method from law school, where it is generally used by the professors. I found it painfully slow, but engaging and insightful. I
by joshuaheard 9y ago
I am familiar with the Socratic method from law school, where it is generally used by the professors. I found it painfully slow, but engaging and insightful. I think a mix of lecture and Socratic method would be optimal, where the teacher begins by lecturing the structure of the lesson, then uses Socratic dialog to hone the fine points.
- dctoedt 9y agoAgreed about a mixture being better than pure Socratic method. (Lawyer and part-time law professor here.) In my own courses I've been experimenting with 1) asking students to read what amounts to a FAQ about the relevant material — then in class, 2) posing a question orally, often a variation on one of the FAQs, 3) having the students discuss the oral question in small groups, and finally 4) calling on a student to report out his group's answer to the oral question. The students seem to respond well. (Sadly, I have no actual data to measure comparative pedagogical efficacy.)