- Socrates was a great teacher. His method of teaching was not to lecture, not to answer questions. But, more simply to return a more thoughtful question for every question asked. This would allow self-discovery in the pursuit of knowledge. Teaching how to learn.
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- To illustrate Socrates teachings. Get a pencil and paper and follow along as Socrates teaches a slave some geometry. He begins by drawing a large square in the sand. He then extends 2 lines through the center to divide the larger square into 4 smaller squares. Now each square is 1 square foot and each side is 2 feet.
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- Socrates: What is the area of the square? How many square feet are there?
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- The slave easily sees that the larger square is 4 square feet, the sum of the 4 smaller squares.
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- Socrates: What would be the length of one side needed to double the area of this square? Double the area is 8 square feet.
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- The slave instinctively says that each side must be 4 feet long.
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- Socrates: Instead of telling the slave his answer is wrong. Socrates simply takes his answer and draws a larger square 4 feet on a side. He then shows that inside the larger square are 3 more squares like the previous one. Again dividing each of the squares into smaller 1 foot squares the slave is quick to see that the area is 16 square feet, not the 8 square feet desired.
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- The slave realizes that sides of 2 feet is too small and sides of 4 feet is too large he says that the answer must be 3 feet sides.
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- Socrates: Again Socrates takes his answer and draws another square 3 feet on a side. When divided up the count is an area of 9 square feet. The area is too large. How are we going to find the length of the side that will be the correct answer of 8 square feet?
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- The slave says “ I do not know”
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- Socrates says this is important knowledge. Before you thought you knew but you were mistaken. Now, you know you don’t know. Now, your mind is open to inquiry for new knowledge.
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- To help the slave see the solution Socrates asks the slave to go back to the original square that is 4 square feet. Then to the larger square that is 16 square feet. How much bigger is the larger square than the smaller square?
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- 4 times bigger.
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- Socrates: We want our answer to be 2 times bigger. Take the smaller square and draw a line from corner across the center to the other corner. You have divided that square in half. Do the same to the other 3 squares. Do the 4 equal lines you drew contain a square inside the larger square?
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- Yes!
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- What is the area of one triangle that you have created when you divided the square in half?
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- ½ for the 4 square feet is 2 square feet. Each triangle is 2 square feet.
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- Socrates: How many triangles are there?
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- 4 triangles, each 2 square feet, the total area of the new square is 8 square feet. That is the answer we wanted.
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- The line stretching from corner to corner of the new square is the proper length to have a square that is 8 square feet.-
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- If the teacher were Pythagorean, instead of Socrates:
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---------------------- 2 feet^2 + 2 feet^2 + 2 feet^2 + 2 feet^2 = 8 feet^2
---------------------- Square root of ( 2^2 + 2^2 ) * Square root of ( 2^2 + 2^2) = ?
---------------------- Square root of ( 8 ) * Square root of ( 8) = 8
---------------------- ( 2.83 ) * (2.83) = 8
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- Each side is 2.83 feet long and the hypotenuse of the right triangle is equal to the square root of the sum of the squares of the other 2 sides.
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- Teacher: What do you call a person who keeps talking when people are no longer listening?
- Student: A teacher.
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- Teacher: Noah, your composition on “ My Dog” is exactly the same as your sisters. Did you copy Ava’s paper.
- Noah: No sir, it’s the same dog.
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- Teacher, Nathan, name one important thing we have today that we did not have 10 years ago?
- Nathan: Me
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- Teacher: Why are you late?
- Noah: Class started before I got here.
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- Teacher: Why are you doing your math multiplications on the floor?
- Noah: You said to do it without using the tables.
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- Maybe it “is” wrong, but you asked me how “ I “ spell it.
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RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email upon request. Some reviews are at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net. ---- “Jim Detrick” -- www.facebook.com, -- www.twitter.com, -- 707-536-3272 Friday, March 22, 2013
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