Socratic pedagogy and citizenship formation in Higher Education

Abstract

This article addresses the significant claim that higher education in England has a role in preparing learners for lives as active democratic citizens. By reasserting the use of Socratic pedagogy both in a traditional sense – seeing the role of the teacher as an individual who draws out innate knowledge from a learner through questioning – and a progressive sense – seeing the role of the teacher as an individual who guides thinking to enable learners to create knowledge, this philosophical piece aims to bring two discussion together: first, a discussion regarding a role of higher education for democratic society and, second, to present a pedagogical model that supports the cultivation of skills required for active democratic citizenship. Within this discussion I reflect on elements of my practice to contextualise abstract theoretical and philosophical concepts.