Why socratic method

The teacher leads by posing thought-provoking questions. Students actively engage by asking questions of their own. The discussion goes back and forth. The questioning proceeds open-ended with no pre-determined goal. There are 3 main reasons the Socratic method is still used today. The Socratic method leads to critical thinking skills by showing students how to identify the weak points in an argument.

Once they can identify what makes an argument weak, they can then strategize the argument at a higher level. Being forced to always be prepared and attentive teaches students accountability. Two such examples include litigation and negotiation.

The Socratic method is also used to help arouse curiosity in students. By making them think in different ways about various subjects, it encourages them to wonder how things could be different.

Additionally, it takes learning from a passive experience to a participatory experience. Advantages of the Socratic method include:. Disadvantages of the Socratic method include:. The best way to prepare is to complete all readings for every class. This may involve reading a lot of material, but spending hours reading is the only way to ensure that you are ready if the professor decides to call on you.

Helpful methods for preparing briefs include writing short summaries for each bullet and using colored-coded highlighters to identify the components.

Whichever method works for you, make sure you can quickly and easily identify the specifics when and if you are asked. Put your usual sensitivities aside and dispel your fears about being wrong. Getting comfortable with public speaking is also a great way to prepare for the Socratic method. Lastly, remember that providing a wrong answer is better than no answer at all. Your professor will likely lead you along the right course of thinking. After all, the intention of the Socratic method is to help students gain critical thinking skills.

About the Author As the founder of Scholle Law , a Duluth, Georgia law firm specializing in personal injury and wrongful death cases, Charles Scholle works tirelessly to ensure his clients receive the care they need. As a native of Georgia, Charles attended the University of Georgia for both his undergraduate and law school. He also spent time in England learning about how their system of law forms the basis of the American legal system.

If your career success can't be put on hold, Let's Talk Now! Additional information is available for those who seek transfer credit or want to study at ALU as an international student. Email admissions alu. Call Live chat. Understanding the Socratic Method of Teaching. What is the Socratic Method? Regardless of the route chosen, the same basic identification questions begin the inquiry: The parties The facts of the case The issues The procedural posture The decision The reasoning for this decision Through the course of questioning, the questions will become less straightforward and will often require the student s to analyze the current case against others they may have studied earlier.

Example of a Socratic Method Lesson This type of lesson begins when the professor calls a student or group of students at random and asks for a summary of the case from the previously assigned reading. Why Use the Socratic Method? It helps develop critical thinking skills. It gets students ready to think quickly. Our students discover quickly that the Socratic Method is a tool and a good one at that used to engage a large group of students in a discussion, while using probing questions to get at the heart of the subject matter.

The Socratic Method is not used at UChicago to intimidate, nor to "break down" new law students, but instead for the very reason Socrates developed it: to develop critical thinking skills in students and enable them to approach the law as intellectuals. The Law School is proud of its excellent teachers and their use of this time-tested method. Copyright by The Green Bag, Inc.

Many of us use, at least occasionally, the style of legal pedagogy known as the Socratic Method. Most students have heard of the Socratic Method; some remember Professor Kingsfield from The Paper Chase and the terror his students felt every time they entered his Contracts class. Kingsfield's performance is an exaggerated and outdated caricature of the Socratic Method; this essay will provide you a more accurate picture of the interactions among law professors and students that occur in many University of Chicago Law School classrooms.

The day of the relentless Socratic professor who ended every sentence with a question mark is over. University of Chicago professors who rely on the Socratic Method today use participatory learning and discussions with a few students on whom they call in some classrooms, randomly to explore very difficult legal concepts and principles. The effort is a cooperative one in which the teacher and students work to understand an issue more completely.

The goal is to learn how to analyze legal problems, to reason by analogy, to think critically about one's own arguments and those put forth by others, and to understand the effect of the law on those subject to it. Socratic discourse requires participants to articulate, develop and defend positions that may at first be imperfectly defined intuitions. About Network. Speak Your Mind Click here to cancel reply.

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