An investigation into the impact of dialogic teaching and Socratic questioning on the development of children’s understanding of complex historical concepts

Abstract

Teachers use questioning to enhance students’ learning in the subject of history for all ages. Effective teachers plan their questioning and develop precocity in dealing with students’ responses. Students demonstrate interest in dialogue and teachers report high levels of participation in classroom discussions. This pilot study investigates teacher attitudes towards questioning in general and towards Socratic questioning. Socratic questioning is a systematic and targeted approach that seeks to promote greater understanding of subject matter at a group and an individual level. Teachers report their views of a given set of dialogic approaches, they expressed strong preferences for teacher talk and extended questioning. The full study will take this forward and will develop an example of Socratic questioning to use in target schools