Socratic Teaching Method Research Articles

The Feasibility of Socratic Teaching in Theory and Practice

There have been extensive research on Socratic teaching in various subject areas in China, most of which are about the application of Socratic method in teaching and its enlightenment to the teaching classroom. Many authors have studied Socratic teaching through experiments and achieved good results. This paper reviews the theoretical and practical feasibility of Socratic classroom teaching in different fields. This paper introduces several common teaching methods, such as the lecturing teaching method, inquiry teaching method, practice teaching method and example teaching method. There are some similarities and differences between Socratic teaching method and these common teaching methods. Compared with these common teaching methods, the Socratic teaching method is an innovation in teaching. Some theoretical and experimental arguments can be obtained from the literature to prove that Socratic teaching is feasible in both theory and practice. Socratic teaching is of great significance to the education of most scholars, who can get some experience from it. Through the experience of Socratic teaching mode in the classroom, this study hopes to inspire teachers to be student-centered and pay attention to the guidance of students in teaching rather than indoctrination.

Innovative Practice of Integrated Socratic and Seminar Teaching Method in Basic Medical Teaching of Nursing Specialty

Objective: to study the Socratic method of teaching and Seminar teaching method in nursing professional basic medical teaching practice and the effect is discussed. Results: The scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (90.7±5.0 vs. 86.5±3.8; T = 3.1, P = 0.016); The scores of basic theory (78.5±6.4vs.77.5±3.1; t = 2.291, P = 0.048), paper score (92.0±5.0 vs. 80.0±5.0; t = 2.021, P = 0.018) were better than the control group, especially in the topic selection and writing level, the experimental group was significantly higher.

Pedagogical partnership in higher education institutions: expediency and capabilities

Pedagogical partnership in higher education institutions: expediency and capabilities

A comparison between the problem-solving teaching method (PSTM) used in China and western countries in primary

This study was conducted with the aim of comparing the differences in the use of the problem-solving teaching method (PSTM) between China and western countries in primary schools. In China, PSTM is based on Confucius’ teaching method, while in western countries it has developed from the Socratic teaching method. According to the research literature, the main idea of PSTM can be divided into four parts: raising problems, discussing problems, solving problems and reflecting, in which the questions are raised by the teacher or students. There are similarities and differences in PSTM application between Chinese and Western classes. In addition to reviewing the main ideas behind PSTM, this paper will also compare the subjects using PSTM in schools, the school classroom setting for PSTM, the effectiveness of PTSM, PTSM and online teaching, and the challenges of PSTM application and teacher training for PSTM. It will suggest possible reasons for the differences in order to gain a more suitable effective teaching method for the current cultural background of China. Due to the integration of cultures, more and more international students go to foreign countries to study. A comparison between Chinese and Western teaching methods is not only conducive to the updating of education methods, but also promotes the exchange of Chinese and Western cultures, laying a good foundation for Chinese and Western students to learn knowledge. At the end of this study, some representative suggestions on how to solve the challenges of using PSTM and teacher training plans will be put forward.

Revisiting the Socratic method of teaching to improve third-year pharmacy students critical thinking and advanced pharmacy practice experience readiness in a critical care elective

BackgroundOne of the most important abilities we look to nurture and develop in pharmacy students is critical thinking. A critical care elective course was re-designed to optimize high-pressure situations to engage and target critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) readiness using the Socratic method of teaching. Educational activityPharmacy students at Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy were selected and exposed to a high-pressure classroom environment with each day structured around the Socratic method of teaching. Pass/fail grades were earned daily based solely on verbal responses and discussions. The assessment tools used were: Health Sciences and Reasoning Test (HSRT) to measure critical thinking, an APPE-readiness survey of the entire third-year class for peer comparison, and a survey of the style and pedagogies used. Critical analysis of the educational activityThe elective students showed noteworthy gains on their HSRT results in an eight-week critical care elective course. They also had significantly more positive responses on the APPE-readiness survey relative to their classmates and rated this teaching style higher than a typical course. Revisiting and applying the Socratic method of teaching in a high-pressure course is an effective way to engage pharmacy students, producing substantial improvements in critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and APPE readiness in a short time. Lastly, it offers one way to incorporate a validated tool to measure critical thinking in pharmacy students for institutional assessment and accreditation that is widely available, easy to use, and cost friendly.

“Hell is other people”: rethinking the Socratic method for quiet law students

ABSTRACT This article is a reflective analysis of my own teaching methodology arising from my experience with teaching quiet law students, and reconciling this experience with a statement in Martin Seligman’s Flourish, his best-selling work about positive psychology. Seligman asserts that Jean Paul Sartre’s famous line “Hell is other people” in his play No Exit seems “wrongheaded” and “almost meaningless” today. This article will argue that Seligman’s comments about Sartre’s existentialist angst are the views of an extrovert. This article argues that much of the teaching in legal education today relies on the assumption that law students are extroverts, when the opposite is in fact often the case. It argues that catering only to extroverts is inappropriate. It explores the idea that pushing an aggressive agenda through the Socratic method of teaching diminishes the development of less aggressive legal techniques to resolve problems and ignores the learning needs of students with personalities that tend towards introversion. It argues that the Socratic method of teaching perpetuates a culture that has no place in modern legal practice. It also suggests that progressive approaches to law and dispute resolution require more contemplation, more active listening and less aggressive advocacy, and draws on the work of Susan Cain to demonstrate that recognising the needs and strengths of introverts is important in this process.

Socratic Method of Teaching in Medical Education

Socrates (469-399BC) is regarded as the founder of Western philosophy. His method of teaching was based on a shared discourse between teachers and students. He would ask thought-provoking questions from his students. This would result in motivating the students to think and generate debate. This was an iterative process and would continue till the answers to the questions were found or discussion was exhausted. This method is termed as the Socratic method of teaching (Birnbache, 1999). It also involves the zone of proximal development and scaffolding as advocated by Vygotsky. Many teaching methods, based on small group teaching such as problem-based learning, case-based learning, one minute preceptor rely on the philosophy ofSocratic method.The Socratic method relies on getting the answers from the students rather than telling them the answers directly. Socrates in his sessions would pick students randomly and ask them a question. The student would either answer the question if s/he knows it or would learn it from the discussion between her/his peers andthe teachers.

Using Discussion to Teach Capstone Courses in Psychology

The American Psychological Association (APA 2002, 2007, 2013) recommends the inclusion of a capstone course in psychology undergraduate teaching alongside traditional lecture-based learning. This review explores what is meant by a capstone course by taking a fresh look at empirically derived pedagogic theory and how this may address some long-standing curricular needs of the psychology faculty and undergraduate students. It then explores the use of Socratic teaching methods and how this could be used as a template for teaching a capstone course within psychology.

Resuscitating the Socratic Method: Student and Faculty Perspectives on Posing Probing Questions During Clinical Teaching.

Teaching by way of asking questions is a time-honored practice that has taken on the negative connotation of "pimping" among medical students and has made some faculty hesitant to ask students questions during clerkship rotations. Yet, quantitative studies exploring student perspectives on this practice are limited. This study aimed to solicit student and faculty views and investigate faculty perceptions of students' preferences. Students who completed their internal medicine clerkship during the 2017-2018 academic year (n = 165) and were from the 2020 graduating class and their supervising faculty (n = 144) at the University of Michigan Medical School were asked to complete a Likert response survey in April 2019. The survey solicited perspectives on questions probing medical knowledge posed to students by faculty. Surveys were constructed using an iterative process, and data were analyzed using t tests and linear regressions. A total of 140 (85%) students and 112 (78%) faculty participated. Of those, 125 (89%) students and 109 (97%) faculty agreed that probing questions are valuable for student education, but only 73 (65%) faculty perceived that students agreed with this statement (P < .001). In addition, 115 (82%) students preferred to be asked too many questions than none at all. Fifty-five (39%) students agreed that they feel humiliated when they answer a question incorrectly. However, only 7 (5%) students agreed that faculty ask questions to humiliate them, and only 20 (14%) preferred that faculty stop asking questions if they answer a question incorrectly. Students valued probing questions more than faculty perceived, which argues against a withdrawal from the Socratic teaching method in the clinical arena. The students' experience of humiliation when answering incorrectly requires further study and perhaps can be tempered by more explicit framing of the role of the questioning process.

A Socratic Teaching Method to Foster Critical Thinking Skills among Nursing Students in Our Clinical Classroom Settings

A Socratic Teaching Method to Foster Critical Thinking Skills among Nursing Students in Our Clinical Classroom Settings

Lowering Higher Learning Early

The purpose of the commentary is frame the reasoning, premises and rationale for teaching liberal arts in elementary schools to not only empower younger students for higher education earlier, but to also prepare these empowered students for potentially becoming professors in American higher learning or other “thought leaders” in American society and the world. This below image, identified as “higher learning” of the elementary schooler in an academic setting, metaphorically depicts where this commentary is going. Among the areas will be the introduction of the backward design theory and the Socratic teaching method in elementary education through secondary school. The author will later introduce a backward designed, K-12 systematic framework for teaching elements of the liberal arts from Socratic teaching methods.

The development and validation of the Blended Socratic Method of Teaching (BSMT): An instructional model to enhance critical thinking skills of undergraduate business students

Enhancing critical thinking skills is one of the paramount goals of many educational institutions. This study presents the development and validation of the Blended Socratic Method of Teaching (BSMT), a teaching model intended to foster critical thinking skills of business students in the undergraduate level. The main objectives of the study were to 1) to survey the critical thinking skills of undergraduate business students, and 2) to develop and validate the BSMT model designed to enhance critical thinking skills. The research procedure comprised of two phases related to the two research objectives: 1) surveying the critical thinking skills of 371 undergraduate business students at Naresuan University International College focusing on the three critical thinking competencies of the RED model—recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, and draw conclusion, and the determination of the level of their critical thinking; and 2) developing the instructional model followed by validation of the model by five experts. The results of the study were: 1) the undergraduate business students have deficient critical thinking based on the RED Model competencies as they scored “below average” on the critical thinking appraisal, and 2) the developed model comprised six elements: focus, syntax, principles of reaction, the social system, the support system, and application. The experts were in complete agreement that the model is “highly appropriate” in improving the critical thinking skills of the business students. The main essence of the model is the syntax comprising of five steps: group assignment, analysis and writing of case studies; group presentation of the business case analysis in class; Socratic discussion/questioning in class; posting of the case study on the class Facebook account; and online Socratic discussion/questioning. The BSMT model is an authentic and comprehensive model combining the Socratic method of teaching, information and communication technology (ICT), and business case analysis.

Addressing Interpersonal Violence as a Health Policy Question Using Interprofessional Community Educators.

The health effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) not only include physical injury, but can also manifest as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and others. US medical students report receiving inadequate training about IPV. This case-based tutorial for third-year medical students examines: (1) a clinical encounter with a patient experiencing several complex challenges including IPV and homelessness; (2) the implications of existing policy on the delivery of health care services; and (3) the impact of policies on patient choices. This case is completed during a family medicine clerkship. The 2-hour case review moves between small- and large-group sessions led by community interprofessional experts at a local family advocacy center. Optimal group size is three to four students and one or two experts per group. The large-group session should be led by a dynamic moderator who is familiar with the Socratic method of teaching to elicit a variety of responses to ad hoc challenge questions. Materials provided include student resources, student case, facilitator guide, moderator guide, and sample brochure of IPV documentation policies. To date, over 200 students have participated in this session. During the most recent iteration the average response to the question, "As a result of the FAC experience, I feel more empowered to care for persons experiencing IPV," was 4.1 out of 5 (5 = strongly agree). Public health, health policy, and clinical topics can be effectively taught by an interprofessional team of community experts and lead to improved student understanding of the importance of health policy to both individual and population health outcomes.

Teacher Openness and Prosocial Motivation

Evidence suggests that student engagement in the classroom leads to improved learning outcomes. As a result, teachers of management have promoted ways to involve students through Socratic teaching methods, case-based pedagogy, and class discussion. These approaches to learning emphasize the use of questions to stimulate student engagement. However, as with all communication, questions are subject to interpretation and can lead to differing outcomes. Perceived motives of instructors are powerful environmental cues that inform a student’s interpretation of a question and the appropriate response. Here, I share insights from research to highlight two motives, teacher openness and prosocial motivation, that can give meaning to questions and help create an environment where questions are most likely to yield engaged students.

The Socratic Method: Empirical Assessment of a Psychology Capstone Course

Although students make some epistemological progress during college, most graduate without developing meaning-making strategies that reflect an understanding that knowledge is socially constructed. Using a pre-test–post-test design and a within-subjects 2 × 2 mixed-design ANOVA, this study reports on empirical findings which support the Socratic method of teaching as effective in challenging and changing psychology capstone students’ levels of epistemological maturity as measured by the Learning Environment Preferences survey and Perry’s model of intellectual maturity.

Medical Pimping Versus the Socratic Method of Teaching

Medical Pimping Versus the Socratic Method of Teaching

Program Director and Chief Resident Perspectives on the Educational Environment of U.S. Radiation Oncology Programs

Program Director and Chief Resident Perspectives on the Educational Environment of U.S. Radiation Oncology Programs

Motivational interviewing: Reduce student reluctance and increase engagement in learning multicultural concepts.

Many professionals in clinical disciplines are struggling with how to effectively train students in multiculturalism and recognize the need for new teaching methodologies. One hindrance some instructors may face in adhering to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) multicultural guidelines (2003) to infuse diversity concepts throughout psychology training curricula is that they may not feel expert enough to do so. Perhaps even more daunting are mandated multicultural courses, which can be the most challenging of graduate training courses, as they require a balance of intellectual and emotional processing (Daly, 2005). From a student perspective, there is often significant apprehension and reluctance to train multiculturally, as well as student minimization of course material and instructor expertise. One approach in addressing such reluctance is motivational interviewing (MI), an empirically supported intervention that works best when a person is reluctant to or ambivalent about attitudinal and behavior change. Certain MI processes and strategies help students explore reluctance and mixed feelings about diversity topics while inviting them to talk themselves into changing to be more consistent with APA multicultural guidelines (2003). We introduce MI, consistent with a Socratic teaching method, to assist student clinicians in their self-awareness and changing perspectives necessary for striving toward cultural competence. In contrast to persuasive teaching methods or simply providing multicultural materials and experiences, MI focuses on students’ internal motivations to be receptive to and actively engage with the material. We present a graduate level diversity course as a basis to illustrate how the MI approach might be applied to other courses, as instructors work to infuse diversity throughout the curriculum.

Socrates was not a pimp: changing the paradigm of questioning in medical education.

The slang term "pimping" is widely recognized by learners and educators in the clinical learning environment as the act of more senior members of the medical team publicly asking questions of more junior members. Although questioning as a pedagogical practice has many benefits, pimping, as described in the literature, evokes negative emotions in learners and leads to an environment that is not conducive to adult learning. Medical educators may employ pimping as a pedagogic technique because of beliefs that it is a Socratic teaching method. Although problems with pimping have previously been identified, no alternative techniques for questioning in the clinical environment were suggested. The authors posit that using the term "pimping" to describe questioning in medical education is harmful and unprofessional, and they propose clearly defining pimping as "questioning with the intent to shame or humiliate the learner to maintain the power hierarchy in medical education." Explicitly separating pimping from the larger practice of questioning allows the authors to make three recommendations for improving questioning practices. First, educators should examine the purpose of each question they pose to learners. Second, they should apply historic and modern interpretations of Socratic teaching methods that promote critical thinking skills. Finally, they should consider adult learning theories to make concrete changes to their questioning practices. These changes can result in questioning that is more learner centered, aids in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, performs helpful formative and summative assessments of the learner, and improves community in the clinical learning environment.

Peers on Socrates and Plato

There is more to be said about two of the topics Chris Peers addresses in his article Freud, Plato and Irigaray: A morpho-logic of teaching and learning (2012, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 44, 760–774), namely the Socratic method of teaching and Plato’s stance with regard to women and feminism. My purpose in this article is to continue Peers’s discussion of these two topics.