Critical Thinking: The Socratic Methodology

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1. Introduction
Critical thinking is at the heart of all teaching methodology. Being able to bring students to a level of critical thinking is therefore the ultimate aim for any educator. Out of all the different methods of teachings which have been established over the years, one of the methods which is perhaps more captivating than others is the Socratic method of teaching.
Several studies and articles have implied that the Socratic method is a formalized way to teach students to think critically, and which enables them to be able to apply the process to inquiries outside the classroom.
The role of a law teacher is considered to be of dual task; to turn his student into a lawyer by constructing in him a legal minded outlook and also by teaching …show more content…

Socratic pedagogy seeks active engagement of subject material and provides students with an impetus to scrutinize and clarify the subject matter of discussion. Socratic practice is not a just a mode used by teachers to engage students, but also the way to make us think for ourselves. Socratic pedagogy is said to be a very effective way to encourage students to look beyond the academic requirements of a lesson and to critically evaluate the matter being taught. It creatively engages students to bring forth their own views or further develop basic ideas which they might have on the subject …show more content…

Legal education until fairly recently was viewed merely for higher education, and for the girl’s as better prospects for marriage. From that angle, the entire approach of Socratic Method is confrontational and adversarial in nature is not the right technique for instruction as it does not capture the role of lawyers in the other aspects of negotiation, dispute avoidance and non- contentious resolution. The Socratic Method completely fails to consider that law can be used in a variety of other ways where discussion and controversy is not required. The only requirement of law students is critical and rational thinking which can be achieved in a variety of other ways suitable for any other career path they may choose. In India, the opportunities of using a law degree have opened up considerably and the task at hand is how to create lawyers who are capable of adapting and thinking critically and without the humiliation of the Socratic

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