Socratic Questioning

Socratic questioning is disciplined questioning that can be used to pursue thought in many directions and for many purposes, including: to explore complex ideas, to get to the truth of things, to open up issues and problems, to uncover assumptions, to analyze concepts, to distinguish what we know from what we don't know, to follow out logical implications of thought, or to control the discussion. The key to distinguishing Socratic questioning from questioning per se is that Socratic questioning is systematic, disciplined, and deep, and usually focuses on fundamental concepts, principles, theories, issues, or problems.  It teaches us to dig beneath the surface of our ideas. It teaches us the value of developing questioning minds in cultivating deep learning.

1.    Getting students to clarify their thinking

e.g., ‘Why do you say that?’, ‘Could you explain further?’

2.    Challenging students about assumptions

e.g., ‘Is this always the case?’, ‘Why do you think that this assumption holds here?’

3.    Evidence as a basis for argument

e.g., ‘Why do you say that?’, ‘Is there reason to doubt this evidence?’

4.    Alternative viewpoints and perspectives

e.g., ‘What is the counter argument for?’, ‘Can/did anyone see this another way?’

5.    Implications and consequences

e.g., ‘But if...happened, what else would result?’, ‘How does...affect...?’

6.    Question the question

e.g., ‘Why do you think that I asked that question?’, ‘Why was that question important?’, ‘Which of your questions turned out to be the most useful?’

Taken from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_questioning

The Art of Socratic Questioning

The art of Socratic questioning is important for the critical thinker because the art of questioning is important to excellence of thought. What the word ‘Socratic’ adds is “systematicity”, “depth”, and a keen interest in assessing the truth or plausibility of things.

How To Prepare To Lead a Socratic Discussion

One of the best ways to prepare to lead a Socratic discussion is by pre-thinking the main question to be discussed using the approach of developing prior questions. Prior questions are questions presupposed by another question. Hence, to settle the question “What is multi-culturalism?” I should be able to first settle the question, “What is culture?” and, to settle that question, I should be able to settle the question “What is the basis of culture?” that is, “What are the factors about a person which determine what culture he/she belongs to?"

Construct A List of Prior Questions

To construct a list of prior questions, simply write down the main question which you are going to focus your discussion on and then pose a question you would have to be able to answer before you could answer the first. Then take the second question and do the same for it (i.e., determine what question you would have to answer to answer it). Then, continue on, following the same procedure for every new question on your list.

As you proceed to construct your list keep your attention focused on the first question on the list as well as on the last. If you do this well, you should end up with a list of questions which probe the logic of the first question, and hence, a list of questions which are relevant to a Socratic discussion of your first question. During the Socratic dialog, you should loosely follow your list of logically prior questions, using it primarily as a guide for deeply probing the issue at hand.

A Sample List

As an example of how to construct logically prior questions, consider this list of questions that we developed in thinking through a key question intended for use in conducting a Socratic discussion on the question, “What is history?”

·         What is history? 

·         What do historians write about? 

·         What is the past? 

·         Is it possible to include all of the past in a history book? 

·         How many of the events during a given time period are left out in a history of that time period? 

·         Is more left out than is included? 

·         How does a historian know what to emphasize or focus on? 

·         Do historians make value judgments in deciding what to include and what to leave out? 

·         Is it possible to simply list facts in a history book or does all history writing involve interpretations as well as facts? 

·         Is it possible to decide what to include and exclude and how to interpret facts without adopting a historical point of view? 

·         How can we begin to judge a historical interpretation? 

·         How can we begin to judge a historical point of view?

List of questions for designer babies:

- What are designer babies?

-Is it widely used in the world?

-What is the process of making them?

-Is it truly beneficial to society? (consider the risks involved)

-Is it encouraged for people to go through this process? Why or why not?

-What are your views on it?

-What are the consequences of it?

Taken from: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/the-role-of-socratic-questioning-in-thinking-teaching-learning/522