How can I stimulate discussions in the classroom that elicit responses that display a thorough knowledge of the subject that I'm teaching? How can I hold a student's attention during classroom discussions? How can I maximize student's learning in the classroom? All of the questions asked above can be liked to finding an instructional method that would help to foster students thinking skills. There are a number of instructional methods that would achieve this goal in the classroom, but the one that will be discussed is the Socratic teaching method, which helps students to think critically, analytically, and independently.
             What is the Socratic Method? The Socratic Method is a conversation or discussion that was developed by the philosopher Socrates. Using this method two or more people assist each other in finding the answer to a difficult question or gaining knowledge about a difficult subject. The focus of this method is to provide students with more and more questions that will eventually lead students to an answer about something. When using the Socratic teaching method there are four components that go with the questioning model: 1. Origin and source
             2. Support, reason, evidence, and assumptions.
             Why should the Socratic teaching method be used in the classroom? Socrates thought that we should not simply be learning facts and memorizing lessons, but if we are to obtain a through knowledge of a subject we have to understand that subject. R. Paul a leading scholar on critical thinking pointed out that through research he has learned that critical thinking and Socratic questioning go hand and hand. If we use the Socratic teaching method we will elicit critical thinking skills in students. Adler another advocate of the Socratic teaching method thought that if you question a student about something that they've rea
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