Unit 2The Socratic method

The big idea

The Socratic method is asking questions until an idea either holds up or falls apart. You use it on other people's ideas, on your own, and later on everything an AI tells you.

Why it matters

A confident answer still needs a check, whether it comes from a friend, a teacher or a chatbot. This is the habit that stops you from believing something just because it sounds smart.

It's also your way out when you're stuck. If you hit an AI usage limit or lose your way on a project, break the problem into smaller pieces and walk it through these questions again.

Do this

1. Pair up. In a group, count off 1 and 2 and pair with someone of the other number. On your own, use a friend, a parent, or an AI (see below).
2. Pitch your idea. Take two minutes to tell your partner your goal and one of your three questions.
3. Your partner asks the five Ws and how:
   • Who is this for?
   • What exactly are you trying to do?
   • Where will it happen?
   • When do you want it done?
   • Why does it matter to you?
   • How are you going to make it happen?
4. Switch roles and repeat.
5. Write down one thing your partner asked that you couldn't answer. That's your next thing to figure out.

Watch it work on a claim

Here's what questioning a claim looks like:

• "AI helps people learn."
• "What do you mean by learn?"
• "They understand the topic better."
• "What evidence would show that?"
• "We could test them before and after."
• "How could we test it fairly?"

Notice that nobody argued. They just kept asking until the claim became something you could actually check.

Questions worth keeping

Keep these on a card. They work on almost anything:

• What do you mean?
• Why do you think that?
• What are you assuming?
• What evidence do you have?
• What else could explain it?
• What would change your mind?

Try it with AI

Use AI as a thinking partner instead of an answer machine. Copy this:

Help me think through this idea: [your idea]. Ask me one question at a time. Probe my assumptions and my evidence. Wait for my answer before asking the next question. At the end, help me choose one small test I could run.

Then judge its questions too. Did it ask anything a person wouldn't?

In my words

"Don't just take what people say at face value."

"It's not just about the data you collect. It's about the relationships you build with people. It's about trust, transparency, and being authentic."

In a group, this exercise also does something quieter. People find out what everyone else is good at. That's how teams start.

Worksheet

Use Worksheet 2: Socratic question card in the PDF kit.