Get Your Students Hired
I find it helpful to ask question of students that have experience relevent to the topic.
Susan, it can be that a studnet is gong off on a tangent sometimes to get the attention. I let them speak and then positively put them back on track. I try and tie in what has been said and then change the course of the discussion.
Deborah, I too like the Socratic method and like myself, learn much more when I ask questions. That allows me to assimilate the information in my terms by my asking the question. I also think questions stimulate conversation with the students and gets the blood flowing. Good post.
Troy, I agree. When students are asked questions that they can relate to they seem much more willing to participate. I ask them questions all the time. This way it is a way to gauge what they are reading and how they are assessing the information.
Hi Lori - Ypo're right - students are always pleased to realize that they actually know more about the subject than they thought.
I use the approach in my Medical Terminology classes, by using there experiences and other ways they have learned medical terminology the other students are then engaged in the question/answer session.
You are quite welcome Manuel - we are happy that you have found this course to be useful. Best wishes for continued success as an instructor!
Thank you for all the information, as a new instructor I hope I can use this to may benefit Thanks again.
I agree. And encouraging students to share their experiences with the topic at hand is an ideal way to open discussions.
I agree and find that that during questioning periods whole new avenues of discussion open up. The experiences of the students often sheds new light on a the topic and allows the class to explore the reasons for the appropriate answer to the question.
Fortunately for our instruction, the subject being automotive has always interested the students. Questioning has never been a problem, and even helped spur on more questioning.
Thanks Susan, I really enjoyed reading the piece on the Socratic teaching method. It is very inspiring.
Paul Rolando
A very good question Paul. It is really a judgement call by the teacher. Is the student deliberately going off on a major tangent just to be distracting? If that doesn't seem to be the case there is no harm in allowing the tangent to be explored to see if there is a tie in, but the teacher must bring the discussion back if the discussion is clearly not related to the topic.
In leading a Socratic teaching session do you feel that a hugely tangential shift in discussion should be allowed to proceed to see if it can be tied back in to the topic or should you get back on topic immediately to avoid possible distracting information?
I like the Socratic method of teaching but it takes a motivated student body and good class management to be effective. I would someday like to be effecient enough as a teacher to implement this method more often.
I also find that student will return questions that will have you responing with more question to ask.
I find, as a teacher, that it makes the class more interesting and effective when the students are asking and answering question as apposed the sitting and taking notes. The students will always surprise you with some of their responses
Another technique I've found to be effective is to ask the students a question that I've often thought about on the topic...even when I already know the answer.