How did Socrates use questioning as a method of education?

The Socratic method is a form of inquiry and instruction that uses a series of targeted questions to help students examine their own beliefs and achieve a clearer understanding of complex concepts. Rather than acting as a traditional teacher, Socrates presented himself as an ignorant inquirer, a technique known as Socratic irony, to encourage others to think critically.123

The process typically follows these steps:

• Testing Assumptions: Socrates would engage an interlocutor—often a self-proclaimed expert—on a subject like virtue or piety. He would ask for a definition, then use a series of supplementary questions to expose contradictions in the person's initial answers.41
• Revealing Ignorance: Through this process of elenchos (testing), the interlocutor is often led to a state of aporia, or intellectual impasse, realizing that their previous understanding was inconsistent or inadequate.14
• Encouraging Reflection: The method aims to disabuse individuals of the false belief that they already possess knowledge, thereby convincing them of the necessity for deeper philosophical reflection.4

Ultimately, Socrates viewed this as a way to "awaken" society to the importance of virtue and the necessity of examining one's own life.14