Socratic Method/Inquiry Based Learning

The Socratic Method is one of the most powerful teaching tactics in fostering critical thinking.

Definition: The Socratic method of instruction teaches using questions and answers. It is more recently known as an Inquiry-based learning method or a maieutic approach.

In this approach, learning is driven more by a learner's questions than by the teacher's lessons. It is inspired by what is sometimes called a constructivist approach to education. The idea here is that there are many ways of constructing meaning from foundational knowledge. It's just as important to teach "how to learn" as to teach any particular body of knowledge.

This method forces teachers to think about the logic of a topic and how to help the students to absorb it in depth. Teachers must also have a clear sense of their students’ individual abilities and interests to appropriately engage them in the discussion. Therefore, this methodology puts the attention where it ought to be for the most effective learning: on the students rather than on the teacher presentation.

Teachers focus their energies on providing tactical questions, not answers. We model for our students what it is to have an incessantly curious mind. The result is students who learn how to think intelligently: who are guided into wisdom instead of being spoon-fed rote knowledge.

The Socratic method is an antidote to a culture that sets expectations for instant gratification without cognitive reason. Instead, the ability to discern - to build a sequential and thoughtful basis for opinion and knowledge - is sorely absent in our culture, and is taught through this method.

Our goal at Aspen Academy is to foster some of the greatest thinkers of future generations. The Socratic method of instruction engages students completely and as a result, the children are enthused, and practically jumping out of their seats with excitement about sharing their views. Happy, engaged, purposeful students? This is what great learners look like.

During a lesson, the teacher helps to keep the discussion focused, remains intellectually and morally responsible, encourages the discussion with thoughtful questions, helps the students to summarize what has been said, helps them to reach conclusions, and to identify unresolved issues. Most importantly, the teacher entices all students into the discourse.