Socratic Questioning

Content Area Strategy - Comprehension

 

 What:

Socratic questioning is disciplined questioning that can be used to pursue thought in many directions for many purposes. It is systematic, disciplined, and deep. It usually focuses on fundamental concepts, principles, theories, issues, or problems. It includes six types of questions that ignite thinking (right or wrong answers):

 

• Questions for clarification - Get students to think more about what exactly they are asking or thinking about, prove the concepts behind their argument.

  • Why do you say that?

  • How does this relate to our discussion?

 

• Questions that probe assumptions - Probing students' assumptions makes them think about the assumptions on which they founded their argument.

  • What could we assume instead?

  • How can you verify or disapprove that assumption?

 

• Questions that probe reasons and evidence - This is when students give a rationale for their arguments. Dig into that reasoning rather than assuming it is a given.

  • What is…. analogous to? What else is like that?

  • What do you think causes_____ to happen? Why?

 

• Questions about viewpoints and perspectives - Most arguments are given from a particular position, so question the position to show that there are other equally valid viewpoints.

  • What would be an alternative?

  • What is a counterargument for…?

 

• Questions that probe implications and consequences - The argument they give may have logical implications that can be predicted. Do they make sense? Are they desirable?

  • How does…affect…?

  • How does…tie in with that we learned before?

 

• Questions about the question - You can also get reflexive about the whole thing, turning the question on itself. Use their attack against themselves- “throw the ball in their court.”

  • How does…apply to everyday life?

  • What was the point of this question?

 

Why:

If we want to engage students in thinking through our content we must stimulate their thinking with questions that lead them to further discussions. Students need questions to turn on their intellectual engines and they must themselves generate questions from our questions to get their thinking to go somewhere. It is only when our thinking goes somewhere that we learn anything of value to us.

 

When:

• Before reading

• During reading

• After reading

 

Who:

• Grades K & above

• Can be used in one-on-one, small group, or whole group settings.

 

How:

While there are lots of ways in which Socratic Questioning can by executed in the classroom, there is a set of principles, which guide Socratic dialogue. Some examples are below.

• Respond to all answers with a further question (that calls upon the respondent to develop his thinking in a fuller and deeper way).

• Seek to understand, where possible, the ultimate foundations for what is said or believed and follow the implications of those foundations through further questions.

• Treat all assertions as a connecting point to further thoughts.

• Disagreement is OK.

• There is NOT one right answer but many.

• Treat all thoughts as in need of development.

• Recognize that any thought can only exist fully in a network of connected thoughts. Stimulate students - through your questions - to pursue those connections.

 

 

Feeding students endless content to remember (“facts”) is similar to repeatedly stepping on the brakes in a vehicle that is already at rest. Instead, students need questions to turn on their intellectual engines and they must themselves generate questions from our questions to get their thinking to go somewhere. Thinking is of no use unless it goes somewhere, and again, the questions we ask determine where our thinking goes. It is only when our thinking goes somewhere that we learn anything of value to us.