The Socratic Method

Who was Socrates?

Socrates' Early Life

• Born in Athens in 470-399 BCE
• Not from a noble family--son of a stone mason and a midwife
• He was educated.
• He fought in the Peloponnesian War.
• He married and had three sons.
• He became a teacher.

Philosopher

• After the war, the government of Greece crumbled.
• During this time, Socrates became a Sophist.
• Sophists didn't believe in the Greek gods.
• Socrates taught his pupils to pursue wisdom--Plato was his student.
• He never wrote anything down.

Death of Socrates

Death of Socrates

• Government accused Socrates of corrupting the youth with his teachings.
• He was found guilty.
• He was sentenced to death by drinking a mixture of poison hemlock.

The Socratic Method

• Socrates never said he had the answers to questions.
• He believed that knowledge made people happy.
• He asked questions to make his students increase and improve their thinking and knowledge.

Question Types

• Clarifying Questions (yes/no)
• Information Questions
• Document-Based Questions
• Probing Questions

Clarifying Questions

• Can you please repeat that?
• Can you say that again?

Information Questions

• What percentage of...?
• How many...?
• When...?
• Where...?
• Why...?

Document-Based Questions (DBQ)

• Infer how...
• Compare...
• Contrast...
• Predict...
• Explain...

Probing Questions

• What makes you say that?
• How did you come by that opinion?
• What more do think about this idea?