Socrates

The Socratic method of teaching, when you break it down, is a simple method of asking questions and getting one to really think about what he or she just said. It is taking a statement made by one of his students, Socrates introduces an argument to that statement, Socrates then backs up his argument, then persuades his student he or she is wrong and tells them the truth. Socrates insists that the first step to knowledge was admission of one’s ignorance. In the story The Apology, he gets in front of a court room to defend himself and admits he has never talked in a courtroom and will talk the only way he knows how. Naturally, this type of teaching could have both positive and negatives. I believe the benefits and fruits outweigh the cons. Some of the benefits are the student will really learn to think deeper. This type of teaching is used in CIE class where we take a look at issues from all sides and learn to think deeper. Also, the student will learn to define his or her own arguments and really have stronger arguments. I also believe that Socrates asked a lot of questions to get into his students heads. To me, he did this so he can really look at what his students are thinking and point his students in the right direction. However, I believe this could also be a downfall. Socrates asks a lot of questions and makes his students think, but does he really teach them? I do not necessarily think that would fall under the definition of teaching. Do not get me wrong, I am not taking anything away from Socrates but he never really introduced anything new to his students, and many would think that is not teaching.