@MWolf . . . my post #16 still has some errors – I’m having a hard time writing coherently when I try to multi-task… I guess I should have said “a hypothesis [reducibly broken down to its irreducibly complex parts.” 
@firmament2x If I tried to multitask when I’m writing a post, it would be entirely incoherent…
An example on the Socratic Method from the Paper Chase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL0-CFvJDHo
John Houseman won an Academy Award for the role. “You come in here with a skull full of mush, and you leave thinking like a lawyer,”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zruWCuNmWV8
There are secondary schools that have an explicitly socratic approach in particular classes- the Harkness model (or table). Done well it is super.
@spruce123 (OP) - Just out of curiosity, are you looking to attend a school that uses the Socratic method? You didn’t mention your plans in your original post and you haven’t re-posted since. Would be helpful to have a little more information since many respondents are suggesting schools - and that may not be what you are interested in at all.
Kinda, sorta, but not really. A very simplistic explanation, but Socratic method is generally students responding to teacher’s questions while in Harkness, the students’ are urged to formulate the questions themselves.
Dear tk21769,
Thank you for your extensive response to several of my questions.
I have heard of the ““Phaedrus””, but I do not know very much about it.
Your mention of it, as well as the ““Symposium”” and ““Apology””, has encouraged me to learn more about them.
Hello Acadia2023,
I am asking about the Socratic Method because I have heard some colleges use it.
I would like to know if the Socratic Method gives these colleges over others, if their students are better able to think and read, and if the Socratic Method makes the material more interesting.
-spruce123
Though not specific to the Socratic method, the educational environment you choose can impact your intellectual development. In the case of the below study, liberal arts colleges in general appear to support their students’ cognitive development beyond that available through less focused institutions:
(Pascarella, Wong, Trolian and Blaich. Higher Education. 2013.)
Hello collegemom3713,
Thank you for your reply.
I have never heard of the Harkness model. I am interested in learning more about it.
If you would tell me more about it, or even share your experience of it, I would appreciate it.
Sincerely,
spruce123
Harkness ™, Harkness Method™, and Harkness Table™ as trademarks.registered to Phillips Exeter Academy and is used in many, but not all, boarding schools. The principles of Harkness ™ can be applied to small discussion-based college courses, but AFAIK no college uses Harkness ™. Here’s more info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harkness_table
https://www.exeter.edu/exeter-difference/how-youll-learn
The first thing to consider when building a college list is cost. How much are your parents willing/able to pay? If they’re full pay and you have solid stats you’ll have lots of choices. If they can’t pay much it may not matter what teaching styles professors favor or how conservative a college is. You’ll have to target affordable schools.
Harkness, is a secondary school thing, not college. It was developed at PA-Exeter, based on Socratic ideas, and is used at boarding schools- and some day schools as well :-).
It was a big part of my secondary school, as well at one of the secondary schools that some of my collegekids went to, and it was done a little differently at the two schools. At my collegekid’s school, it involved students preparing for a discussion on a given topic. The teacher would kick it off and the students would largely carry the discussion. They were evaluated on both the quality of their contributions and the quantity* of responses. Students were encouraged to synthesize each others points, to shape questions of each other that were thoughtful, not superficial, and to look for underlying assumptions that could be questioned or challenged. Our lot found them exhilarating (even the bashful one!).
I’m assuming you are familiar with the Oxbridge tutorial system, which some US colleges (Williams, Lawrence, Ohio State Honors, and a few others) also use in a more limited form. At Oxford & Cambridge the learning is a mix of self-directed work, lectures, and tutorials (aka supervisions). At weekly tutorials 2-4 students defend their work with a tutor (aka don). Pretty much pure socratic.
*that part was new to me- the deal was that people who either dominated or under-contribute were penalized. It actually worked really well- the Hermione’s in the group learned to choose their best points, and the wallflowers got over being bashful.