Suggestion 111. Use the Socratic method

IF YOU WANT TO:

• Have students apply concepts to demonstrate understanding

• Emphasize conceptual understanding

• Encourage class participation and discussion

Using the Socratic method to lead students through the steps involved in applying a particular concept.

For example, taking a concept like "licensing" as a public policy tool, a political science teacher guides the students through the steps involved in creating a regulatory commission, e.g., to license prostitution. "What would such a commission look like?" he asks. "Who would want to serve on it? What problems would it encounter? I force the students to apply abstract concepts and principles from their readings to new situations," he explains.

Later in the term, he has the students actually simulate the workings of a particular regulatory commission and engage in debates on the pros and cons of particular policy solutions.

Limitations on Use of Suggestion

  Discipline:  None
Course Level:  None
 Course Size:  None
        Mode:  Lecture/discussion

Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California

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