Socratic Circle and its Origin

The Socratic Circle was originally created by Socrates. So, what is a Socratic Circle? Well, a Socratic Circle is comprised of two main portions: The Inner Circle and the Outer Circle.

Outer Circle:
The Outer Circle does not talk but takes notes on what the people in the inner circle say. A person in the Outer Circle also takes note of a specific person. The Outer Circle takes notes on the main ideas and points and comment on the discussion at the same time.

Inner Circle:
The Inner Circle does the main discussion. This may sound simple but it is not. The Inner Circle will have to cite texts and documents to support what they are saying. In addition, they have to listen to what the other speakers have to say as well as structure their arguments around what others have to say. They also question and respond to others' theories. They do this by asking Socratic Questions.

Socratic Questions:
There are 6 common types of Socratic Questions:

• Questions of Clarification
• Questions that Probe Assumptions
• Questions that Probe Accuracy in Thinking
• Questions that Probe Relavance in Thinking
• Questions that Probe Depth of Thinking
• Questions about the Questions

Using these types of questions, a person can effectively ask and answer questions with questions.