A Questioning Approach: Learning from Shankara's Pedagogic Techniques

Abstract

The pedagogical techniques of Shankara focus on the importance of questioning, reasoned argument and complex citation and discussion of sources give us an example of a learning process embedded in a dyadic teacher-pupil relationship where respect for the teacher is shown not in rote learning and the reproduction of the teacher's ideas but in critical engagement until the desired epistemic shift occurs. Such a focus can enable modern educators to help pupils, colleagues and parents interrogate stereotypes about appropriate learning; engage pupils in their own learning in a way which decreases the desire to plagiarise; consider the effectiveness of their own pedagogical aims and techniques; and set these in a longer view.