The Power of the Socratic Classroom

Once students are asking their own questions and are demanding better, more accurate answers from each other, the teacher can move to the role of coach. In this role the facilitator acts as a conductor to help orchestrate the group toward better cohesion and teamwork. This will be harder than it sounds and potentially very frustrating. Many students have been and will be passive participants who do not say much. Some of them will talk a lot, but maybe only to hear themselves speak. Some will tell long personal anecdotes that may or may not be relevant to the text. Some of the students will take control of the conversation, steering it toward their personal goals. Some of the students will respond to the change and openness of the class with uncharacteristic misbehavior.

There are a lot of additional actions to take in the role of coach, mainly because this is the primary role that will move a group out of storming and into the norming stage. Because of these numerous actions, many facilitators get stuck in this role for a long time.