[omaranto]

I like the Socratic method, but don't always feel I have enough energy or time to do things that way. When somebody asks me for help with math homework and I'm tired or in a hurry I'm much more likely to quickly sketch an answer than behave in a teacherly manner.

[thebooktocome]

This.

I'm a math graduate student. I was also once a philosophy student, and so I have a soft spot in my heart for the Socratic method. Unfortunately, it doesn't work so well in my teaching, because the poor snowflakes have been so well-conditioned to avoid thinking. After a year or two I gave up and became part of the problem.

It takes me about thirty seconds on average to sketch the solution to the typical algebra homework problem. It'd be more instructive to lead them through it interactively, but I just can't make the ROI high enough to make it worthwhile.