Socrates’ Pedagogical Methods in his Geometry Lesson to the Slave-Boy

Abstract The paper examines Socrates’ teaching methods and their effect on the slave-boy’s learning in the famous geometry lesson in Plato’s Meno . A detailed presentation and, at times, an interpretation of the different stages comprising the lesson will be followed by a critical analysis of the teaching approaches employed by Socrates along the lesson and their corollaries on the learning process of the slave-boy. The exploration highlights numerous merits but also some significant flaws and serious shortcomings to be found in Socrates’ pedagogy regarding this particular lesson.