ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses one of the dominant perspectives advocated in higher education–student centered learning–which focuses on student needs and satisfaction, such as promoting self-esteem, equality, and empathy, in addition to critical thinking. After providing a review of the literature on student center learning, this chapter presents an alternative account that draws upon the Socratic method in the Laches. Instead of reducing education to the development of certain skills, the Socratic method shows the intimate connection between how we teach and what we teach. In reminding us of this connection, the Socratic method is at the heart of liberal education. The chapter concludes by identifying a series of pedagogical practices that could be adopted in today’s classroom.
