Socratic Questions Flashcards
Mentoring (16 cards)
Clarification: Ensure shared understanding
Q: What exactly do you mean by that? E: Avoids confusion and ambiguity
Q: Can you rephrase that in simpler terms? E: Makes complex ideas accessible
Q: What is an example of that? E: Grounds abstract ideas in concrete terms
Probing Assumptions: Expose hidden assumptions
Q: What are you assuming here? E: Reveals underlying beliefs
Q: Why do you think that’s true? E: Encourages self-awareness about beliefs
Q: Is that always the case? E: Tests generalisations
Probing Reasons & Evidence: Test justification and argument support
Q: What evidence supports this idea? E: Builds logical rigour
Q: Is there a counterexample? E: Encourages exploring alternatives
Q: How did you arrive at that conclusion? E: Invites transparency in reasoning
Q: Can this be verified or tested? E: Links reasoning to empirical validity
Viewpoints & Perspectives: Explore other angles or stakeholder views
Q: What might someone else say about this? E: Broadens perspectives
Q: What would a critic argue? E: Prepares for counter-arguments
Q: How would your peers react to this idea? E: Promotes social reflection
Q: How might a user or customer perceive it? E: Links to real-world relevance
Consequences & Implications: Consider broader impact
Q: What are the implications of this idea? E: Stimulates strategic thinking
Q: What happens if we apply this in practice? E: Encourages pragmatic evaluation
Q: Could this have unintended consequences? E: Promotes ethical foresight
Q: If we’re wrong, what’s at stake? E: Encourages risk awareness
Origins & Intentions: Reflect on motivations and context
Q: Why is this important to you? E: Personalises reflection
Q: What was your aim in doing this? E: Clarifies intent
Q: How did you decide to approach it this way? E: Traces reasoning and design choices
Conceptual Precision: Strengthen definitions and structure
Q: How is that concept different from others? E: Sharpens conceptual boundaries
Q: Are you using this term consistently? E: Ensures internal coherence
Q: Could there be a better word for what you mean? E: Supports clearer communication
Challenge & Testing Ideas: Stress-test robustness of arguments
Q: What would it take to disprove this? E: Strengthens argument defensibility
Q: What if the opposite were true? E: Encourages flexibility and adaptability
Q: Are there exceptions to this idea? E: Probes completeness
Q: What would a skeptic say here? E: Invites healthy intellectual tension
Analogy & Comparison: Make abstract ideas tangible
Q: Can you compare this to something familiar? E: Helps with intuition and learning
Q: How is this similar to or different from X? E: Supports pattern recognition
Q: What analogy might explain this better? E: Encourages creativity and teaching clarity
Process Reflection: Encourage metacognition and process awareness
Q: How did you go about solving this? E: Makes reasoning traceable
Q: What worked well, and what didn’t? E: Supports iterative improvement
Q: Would you approach it differently next time? E: Encourages learning from experience
Questions about Questions: Foster deeper inquiry and reflection
Q: Why do you think I asked that? E: Encourages reflection on dialogue
Q: Which of these questions was most helpful to you? E: Builds feedback culture
Q: What question would you ask next? E: Develops independence in inquiry
**1) Clarifying Target: To define a clear, measurable goal
Q: What is the target condition? E: Aligns understanding of purpose and goal.
Helps clarify the learner’s direction — what are you trying to achieve, specifically and measurably?
2) Understanding Current State: To accurately assess the current condition
Q: What is the current condition? E: Anchors discussion in facts and current reality.
Creates awareness of reality — where are you now in relation to the goal?
3) Identifying Obstacles: To surface blockers and root causes
Q: What obstacles are preventing you from reaching the target condition? E: Encourages proactive problem-solving.
Encourages problem identification without blame — what’s in the way?
4) Planning Next Step: To promote focused action through experimentation
Q: What is your next step? E: Initiates action through structured experimentation.
Promotes action orientation and experimentation — what small step will you take?
5) Reflecting on Learning: To build learning from action and results
Q: What did you learn from taking that step? E: Promotes reflection and continuous improvement.
Drives continuous learning and reflection — what happened, and what does it teach you?
