Socratic Seminars for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This paper explores the possibilities of the pedagogical use of Socratic dialogue as a basis for educating students diagnosed with autism. The Socratic dialogue is a particular pedagogical method used in educational settings to enhance student’s thinking and dialogic abilities. Research has proven that Socratic dialogue may result in improved language, interactive, and critical thinking abilities, as well as have effect on students’ self-evaluation. The social nature of dialogic learning may scaffold children with specific abilities to effectively interact with others and perceive those others’ emotions. Presently, education of students diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) use a variety of educational interventions, mostly inspired by behaviorist theory. These include little or no systematic use of dialogue as a pedagogical means of scaffolding students' abilities. However, several of these behaviorist methods have been tried out for a long period, educating students with ASDs, and have also proved to be successful to certain extents. In this article, we explore why and how Socratic dialogue can be used as an effective strategy for educating individuals diagnosed with autism. Hence, the investigation ends by introducing a dialogue-based teaching design that is compatible for children diagnosed with ASDs, to be explored and evaluate

Improving Perspective-Taking, Fantasy, Personal Distress and Empathic Accuracy of Students through the Socratic Dialogue Methods

Four elements of empathy are perspective-taking, fantasy, personal distress, and emphatic accuracy. Empathy is essential for people, especially for those who will work as helpers, such as teachers, counselors, nurses, doctors, and other similar professions. This paper studies and measures the effectiveness of the Socratic dialogue method used to increase four elements of student's empathy. This experimental study uses a pretest-posttest control group design. Nineteen participants were selected and divided into the experimental and control group. The experimental results were analyzed by a one-way ANOVA and t-test using SPSS 20.0 for Windows. The results indicate that Socratic dialogue is effective in improving four elements of empathy. Keywords: empathy, learning model, pre-service education, the Socratic dialogue method, teacher candidates.   Empat elemen empati adalah perspective-taking, fantasy, personal distress, dan emphatic accuracy. Empati penting bagi individu, khususnya bagi mereka yang akan bekerja sebagai helper, seperti guru, konselor, perawat, dokter dan profesi sejenis.  Penelitian ini menguji efektifitas metode dialog Socratic untuk meningkatkan empati mahasiswa. Penelitian eksperimen ini menggunakan pretest-posttest control group design. 19 partisipan terpilih dan dibagi dalam kelompok eksperimen dan kelompok kontrol. Hasil eksperimen ini dianalisis dengan uji anova satu jalan dan uji-t, dengan bantuan program SPSS release 20.0 for windows. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa metode dialog Socratic efektif dalam meningkatkan empati mahasiswa.  Kata kunci: calon guru, empati, metode dialog Socratic, model pembelajaran, pendidikan prajabatan.

Pictorial Socratic dialogue and conceptual change

Counter-examples used in a Socratic dialogue aim to provoke reflection to effect conceptual changes. However, natural language forms of Socratic dialogues have their limitations. To address this problem, we propose an alternative form of Socratic dialogue called the pictorial Socratic dialogue. A Spring Balance System has been designed to provide a platform for the investigation of the effects of this pedagogy on conceptual changes. This system allows learners to run and observe an experiment. Qualitative Cartesian graphs are employed for learners to represent their solutions. Indirect and intelligent feedback is prescribed through two approaches in the pictorial Socratic dialogue which aim to provoke learners probe through the perceptual structural features of the problem and solution, into the deeper level of the simulation where Archimedes’ Principle governs

Harkness learning: principles of a radical American pedagogy

This paper investigates and argues for Harkness learning: an approach to education that inculcates a culture of enquiry, driven by students in dialogue around a table. Tracing the history of the Harkness reforms in education at Phillips Exeter Academy, their pedagogical and philosophical roots are considered. Although partly inspired by the Oxford tutorial system and the Socratic concept of dialogue, Harkness departs from there to a radical classroom dynamic. The teacher is required to be more open-minded and less controlling over outcomes, to take the risk of listening more and saying less. This shift in emphasis fits with a distinctly American philosophical respect for the sanctity of the free thought and originality of the individual, which here is traced to Transcendentalist ideals that have permeated American culture. It can also be compared with Problem-Based Learning and there are certain significant overlaps between these pedagogies. However, Harkness is sometimes narrowly misunderstood as a technique for teaching, which takes the approach out of context. It needs to be understood in the broad frame of cultural reform of an institution – it is a useful symbol for a community committed to student discourse and problem solving. In this respect, Harkness owes a further debt to pragmatism – another great American philosophical-educational tradition

Socratic Seminars for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This paper explores the possibilities of the pedagogical use of Socratic dialogue as a basis for educating students diagnosed with autism. The Socratic dialogue is a particular pedagogical method used in educational settings to enhance student’s thinking and dialogic abilities. Research has proven that Socratic dialogue may result in improved language, interactive, and critical thinking abilities, as well as have effect on students’ self-evaluation. The social nature of dialogic learning may scaffold children with specific abilities to effectively interact with others and perceive those others’ emotions. Presently, education of students diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) use a variety of educational interventions, mostly inspired by behaviorist theory. These include little or no systematic use of dialogue as a pedagogical means of scaffolding students' abilities. However, several of these behaviorist methods have been tried out for a long period, educating students with ASDs, and have also proved to be successful to certain extents. In this article, we explore why and how Socratic dialogue can be used as an effective strategy for educating individuals diagnosed with autism. Hence, the investigation ends by introducing a dialogue-based teaching design that is compatible for children diagnosed with ASDs, to be explored and evaluate

The Developmental Path of the Lawyer

My mother does not drive, and I own a towel that I cannot use-these are my reasons for studying law. I am an integrated tapestry of elation and disappointment, risk and reward, ambiguity and conviction .. .. I discovered [through adversity] that transitional challenges were not permanent impediments to my progress, but were instead emboldening catalysts to my personal evolution and professional development. These two stories come from admissions essays submitted by members of Georgetown University Law Center\u27s class of 2014, recently published in the Law Center\u27s alumni magazine. The published essays provide fascinating views into the personal experiences and deep reflection that lead people to pursue legal studies

Designing for tacit learning: an investigation of design strategies for multimedia supported learning in the crafts

There is an increasing interest and activity in the design of interactive multimedia to support learning in all fields of education and training. However, most of the theory to support such developments is concerned with learning explicit knowledge and there is little guidance available to designers of material for learning in areas with an element of tacit knowledge such as craft skills. This paper describes the foundation work for a long-term project concerned with learning in traditional rural crafts but with the intention to provide a methodological framework for the design of multimedia-based learning in all areas of craft knowledge. A review of established theory of learning and the use of multimedia for learning in areas of explicit knowledge indicates some important basic principles, for example the need to understand the interaction between the teacher and learner in the context of the subject being taught and the need for clear narrative structures to avoid students becoming "lost" in the multiple pathways of interactive media. Observational studies of learning using educational video in a craft context and a study of an experienced craftsman/teacher teaching a group of learners, complemented by study of learning in related contexts, have allowed problems and issues to be identified and design strategies to be developed. While these are provisional they provide an overview of the design problems and have been used to plan a programme of experimental design and evaluation to test and develop principles of effective multimedia design for craft learning. </p

Combining the latest technologies with traditional learning and teaching methods

This paper investigates the use of the latest technology and innovative methods in such a way that the established learning and teaching approaches are taken into consideration in designing teaching materials. In other words, technology is not regarded and used as a substitute but as a complementary component to achieve enhancements. The use of leading edge technologies such as three dimensional (3 D) animation and virtual reality technologies are explored for this purpose. This balanced approach in designing teaching materials is demonstrated through a number of applications in Business related courses. Hence, technology aided teaching methods, which utilize established learning concepts for the purpose of learning enhancement are developed and presented. In order to test this design approach, one of the latest 3D programming tools was adopted. The findings demonstrated that Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, when supported by established learning and teaching concepts, can play a significant role in Business education

The First Year of Teaching Classroom Research to Increase Student Learning

Victor and Janisha were two of the focal students in Daniels's research project on her first year of teaching in an urban public school. Together they reflect the two major groups in this high school that has 45% Latino, 35% African American, ..

Religion in Schools? The Importance of Recognizing the Impact of Religious Experiences

The school environment is a place of forced contact between diverse peoples. It is the perfect environment to nurture the diverse identities present. The influences on identity (i.e., language, ethnicity, religion, etc.) shape how students perceive information and learn. Some educators use these influences to help them instruct students. However, often overlooked is the influence of religious practices on language use and behavior in classrooms. This paper argues that the significance of understanding the religious practices of students is equally as important for planning instruction as knowing any other aspect of their culture, (i.e., the students’ native language(s)). Framed by principles of interfaith dialogue, the paper highlights a few examples of language use and behavior at the intersection of religion and education. The author argues that using the religious beliefs of students as strengths of their identity might eliminate some of the misunderstandings in the classroom and help establish an environment of mutual acceptance which might lead to deeper learning. Additionally, dialogue that includes aspects of religious practices might help students makes sense of the world and foster collaboration in the larger society