Much of today's education is lacking in one of the fundamental concepts of education itself. Education should mean an expansion of one's knowledge, and this expansion is achieved through the sharing of knowledge and the passion of acquiring it.

In many schools today, students do not actively participate in class discussions. Why? Because class discussions, which are solely dependent on the students' engagement with the texts and concepts of the course, are rarely found in the mainstream school curriculum. Many classes are taught in the generic way: the teacher talks and teaches, and the students may or may not engage in active participation.

Socrates's way of learning, which is now called the Socratic seminar, is perhaps the answer to much of today's educational woes. How is it a possible solution? The Socratic seminar encourages teachers to guide students in their search for knowledge, but to allow the students to seek and refine that knowledge for themselves. The students must depend on themselves and each other to analyze the text they have read, or to analyze the concepts presented by the teacher. This active participation, which bases itself upon the students' collective knowledge, will make education more fruitful. Students will learn their strengths and weaknesses, and they will see that education is a partnership as much as it is a competition.

The Socratic seminar is employed only by very few teachers, and these teachers are those which teach "upper level subjects." However, it is imperative that the Socratic seminar be used with other subjects as well, no matter if it is an AP class or a regular class. The Socratic seminar is useful for the social sciences and humanities, but it is perhaps not as well suited to mathematics classes. Mathematics classes need lectures and daily "study sessions" which involve an experienced teaching assistant who will help the students with their work and answer any questions they may have. The students should also be encouraged to work with one another to solve mathematical problems, and to engage in figuring out proofs of theorems and postulates.

Socratic seminars and study sessions are great ways for students to rethink the way they receive their education. They soon realize that they can take an active part in how they learn, because their education depends mostly on their willingness to learn.

Learn more about this author, Joan Inong.
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