Overview

Throughout nine different texts the student will try to discover their true identity and

relationship to the world. They should be viewed with TEXT I in mind ('A SPECK OF

DUST') in which apparently insignificant things are seen as universes after they have

been studied. As such there is one line. But the different texts provide different

windows on the universe. The texts also start from different aspects of the students

living environment.

The last text goes without questions. It tries to show how a question can be an answer.

The aim of this method being a deeper awareness, it must be clarified what this method

consists of. The method consists of text, music, search and illustration. Some

minithemes are included here and there.

These parts of the method consist of open questions, multiple choice questions, themes

for discussion and meditation and illustrations with questions. A line of depth has been

implanted here, so that the students probe more and more deeply into the Question or

subject treated by the text, as they go from text towards illustration. Different

workforms can be used here, so that the teacher has a maximum of freedom and can

vary his didactical approach according to each text: he can vary from frontal teaching

towards student oriented learning. He can also make his own questions and apply his

own favorite workforms.

Questions can be omitted depending on the atmosphere in class, on the level of

understanding reached and on the maturity of the students. Students with higher

abilities (VWO) will faster grasp what is intended; using all questions might sometimes

seem like repeting the issue to them, while students with lesser abilities might need

treatment of more questions. The teacher has to keep an open eye as to what applies.

Workforms that we suggest are Socratic Conversation, class discussion, smaller group

discussion, answering questions, presentation and the 'Interview in three steps'. Note

however that the SC will require quite some input of time.

We will discuss the parts of the method in detail in combination to the didactical

principles used and to the workforms in the next chapter.

But first some words about the Socratic Conversation.

As the Socratic Conversation (SC) 7 is meant to achieve an universal definition

starting from a concrete case, it can therefore be fruitfully applied to 'WHY'.

The SC is best applied to the themes and to the illustration, where it

can be used instead of the 'questions to the illustration.' It can also be used for the

minithemes.

Elements that make the SC useful for 'WHY' include:

1. The SC stimulates to think autonomously and to relate thinking to ones own

experience.

2. The 'elenchus' method of Socrates is well suited to unblock the mind of pretended

knowledge, while at the same time it motivates to further research of truth.

Socrates deconstructed existing opinions in search of truth and better thinking.

3. The SC aims at searching universal definitions of everyday themes.

4. SC entails dialectics. According to Plato this was the only way to achieve the

essence of something.

5. The SC can be fruitfully applied to higher­ order ­thinking.

Notes:

Smaller group discussion:
1. Make groups 2. Let them discuss. 3 Each group presents its findings 4. Whereafter class discussion is possible.

Presentation
1. Give a theme. 2. Ask who (dis)agrees. 3. Make two groups. 4. Thereafter: groups of four. They discuss about: why this position, which arguments, think of counterarguments. 5. Then: presentation or class discussion.

Interview in three steps
This is a workform that implies the following:1. Give the question 2. Make groups of four 3. Let the even numbers question the odd numbers 4. Change the questioning order 5. Let each pupil conclude what the other one has said 6. Discuss (a selection of) the answers with the whole class.