NPR has just begun a series that looks like it has a lot of potential — they’re going to profile “50 Great Teachers” in history.
They begin with an obvious choice, who most of us would support — Socrates.
Unfortunately, though, they only use examples from an AP class and a private school to illustrate how his legacy is applied today.
Those are easy choices, and there are plenty of examples of it being used in more challenging and/or mainstream teaching environments. I’ve shared a number of related resources at The Best Resources Sharing The Best Practices For Fruitful Classroom Discussions.
Do you have stories about how you’ve applied Socratic methods in your non-AP classes and in public schools?
When one believes that questions are more valuable than the answers, then providing a framework for students is essential. I’ve found that when you provide open ended question stems and some conceptual thinking words, the students start to play around with the combinations to create non-Googleable inquiries into the topic of study. While I teach high-ability students (gifted/IB), I have done this in a variety of subjects and grades and believe it can be done at any level. It really requires a release of some control that many are uncomfortable doing. I’ve started a blog giving some ideas on how to use metacognition through the 5 Habits of mind as a framework for these kinds of activities. Looking forward to the rest of the NPR series.
Larry – Over at MiddleWeb one of our all-time favorite posts (14,000 visits) is a piece by Sarah Tantillo on how to conduct Socratic Seminars. http://www.middleweb.com/8989/socratic-seminars-in-middle-school/
I think we can pretty much guarantee that a large portion of the educators who check out her info-rich article are based in public schools. Middle schools, at that.
Socrates rocks. Here’s hoping NPR finds a few more current and perhaps unsung teachers to celebrate.
Thanks, John. I believe I have that post on my Best list. It’s a good one.
Larry