Editing Socratic method (section)

=====Pertinent elements of an effective Socratic text=====
Socratic seminar texts are able to challenge participants' thinking skills by having these characteristics:

# ''Ideas and values'': The text must introduce ideas and values that are complex and difficult to summarize.<ref name=NPC /> Powerful discussions arise from personal connections to abstract ideas and from implications to personal values.
# ''Complexity and challenge'': The text must be rich in ideas and complexity <ref name=Furman /> and open to interpretation.<ref name=Mangrum>{{cite journal|last=Mangrum|first=Jennifer|title=Sharing Practice Through Socratic Seminars|journal=Kappan|date=April 2010|volume=91|issue=7|pages=40–43|doi=10.1177/003172171009100708|s2cid=144053420}}</ref> Ideally it should require multiple readings,<ref name=FHO>{{cite web|title=Facing History and Ourselves: Socratic Seminar|url=http://www.facinghistory.org/resources/strategies/socratic-seminar|access-date=16 July 2012|archive-date=13 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713002529/http://www.facinghistory.org/resources/strategies/socratic-seminar|url-status=live}}</ref> but should be neither far above the participants' intellectual level nor very long.
# ''Relevance to participants' curriculum'': An effective text has identifiable themes that are recognizable and pertinent to the lives of the participants.<ref name=Chorzempa /> Themes in the text should relate to the curriculum.
# ''[[Ambiguity]]'': The text must be approachable from a variety of different perspectives, including perspectives that seem mutually exclusive, thus provoking critical thinking and raising important questions. The absence of right and wrong answers promotes a variety of discussion and encourages individual contributions.<ref name=Furman /><ref name=FHO />