Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Why AI is the future of Socratic learning methods

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

I've never really been a fan of the Socratic learning method. Named after the Greek philosopher, it's a method of having the learner discover answers for themselves by asking the right questions. In the actual dialogues, they are for the most part just rhetorical questions. Like: "Socrates: 'Killing is wrong, is it not?' Protagoras: 'It is.'" Etc., for 50 pages or so. Anyhow, in this article the method is rendered as: "to identify inconsistencies and achieve greater understanding of one's own values, beliefs, and even convictions was to ask the right questions and constantly ask: 'How do I know what I know?'" How does AI help? "AI has the incredible ability to ingest knowledge and learn more with each exchange, allowing those who have met their AI avatar to benefit from instruction that is uniquely catered to their own learning style and current of understanding." OK, I'm just going to call all this the utter nonsense that it is. I don't think the editors at eSchool News are even trying any more.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 8:07 p.m.

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