br />Letter to the Reader Letter to the Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Part One: A Taxonomy of Socratic Questions Based in Critical Thinking Concepts
Questions that Target the Parts of Thinking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Questions that Target the Quality of Reasoning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
The Art of Socratic Questioning Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Four Directions in Which to Pursue Thought. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Three Kinds of Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Asking One-System, No-System, and Conflicting-System Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.19
Questioning Questions: Identifying Prior Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Asking Complex Interdisciplinary Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Part Two: Socratic Questioning Transcripts
Transcript One: Exploring the Mind and How It Works (Elementary School). . . . . . . . . . . . .
33
Transcript Two: Helping Students Organize Their Thoughts for Writing (Middle School). . . . . .
41
Transcript Three: Helping Students Think Deeply About Basic Ideas (High School). . . . . . . . .
45
Transcript Four: Helping Students Think Seriously About Complex Social Issues (High School). . .
50
Part Three: The Mechanics of Socratic Questioning
Three Kinds of Socratic Discussion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Wondering Aloud About Truth and Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Sources of Student Belief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
General Guidelines for Socratic Questioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Part Four: The Role of Questions in Teaching, Thinking, and Learning
The Teacher as Questioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Understanding Content as Interrelated Systems with Real-Life Connections. . . . . . .