SOCRATIC TEACHING
Socrates holds a unique position in the history of
Western thought. He is famous as the ideal philosopher, a martyr for truth. And
yet, you will remember, Socrates did not write down his philosophical musings,
but was immortalized by his pupil, Plato, as the paradigm of the master
teacher. Plato has left us a loving description of his master's teaching in
which key concepts, lines of argument and worldview are enriched by and
intimately tied to the way in which Socrates taught.
The Socratic method is, above all, conversation. It is
based on raising questions and seeking their answers through discussion, on the
flow of words and ideas between the teacher and the pupils. The Socratic method
substitutes collaborative problem solving for didactic instruction, the
examination of issues for the exposition of pre-determined answers. It
encourages grappling with the idea and the reality, rather than digesting a
text about the ideas or the reality.
A part of Plato's reverence for Socrates was a deep
respect for his character, the kind of person he was, not just the kind of
ideas he addressed. Plato felt that the underlying purpose of all Socrates'
intellectual efforts was to raise the big questions: what is justice? What is
the good life? He did this by subjecting all beliefs and conclusions to
critical examination.
Socrates, in other words, did not present himself as a
traditional teacher, at the head of the classroom. He presented himself as a
fellow enquirer, a student in search of meaning, of truth.
These old ideas about knowledge lie at the heart of
new understanding of teaching excellence. The case-based methodology of
McMaster and Harvard Medical Schools, the discussion-based teaching promulgated
by the Centres for Teaching Excellence at Harvard Business School and at
Toronto's own Rotman School, all value the development of the inquiring mind,
and evidence the possibility of teaching for judgement.
There are other benefits than intellectual honesty and
rigour which the Socratic method offers us. It is inclusive and inherently
democratic. It values and validates the individual. It builds self-esteem and
self-expression. It strengthens respect for others. It creates community.
