Socratic Method in the Gifted Education Classroom

Gifted students have big ideas, so why not let them think critically and share their ideas. I personally like to be a facilitator in the gifted classroom. This allows students to question ideas and find answers. According to Professor Rob Reich of Stanford University, by using the Socratic method, the classroom experience is a shared dialogue between teacher and students in which both are responsible for pushing the dialogue forward through questioning. The teacher, or facilitator, asks probing questions. The students ask questions as well, both of the teacher and each other. A great way to start and end a research project is to use the Socratic Method. Present a topic, such as cell phone use. Next, allow students to gather in small circles to present questions and ideas they have about the subject. After discussion, students begin researching the subject and applying their ideas and questions. Upon completion of the research, students gather again to discuss findings and critically question the results that were found. More information about Professor Rob Reich can be found at his web site: www.stanford.edu/~reich The following PBL Project works well with the Socratic Method: Click Here