a method of teaching or discussion, like that used by Socrates, in which by means of a series of questions and answers the logical soundness of a definition is tested, the meaning of a concept examined, etc.
See Socratic method in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A pedagogical technique in which a teacher does not give information directly but instead asks a series of questions, with the result that the student comes either to the desired knowledge by answering the questions or to a deeper awareness of the limits of knowledge.