Harkness Teaching Method
Background
Progressive education, though not mainstream, has become increasingly common in schools. As opposed to traditional teaching, progressive education aims to teach students to think critically and actively learn, rather than just memorize facts. According to ThoughtCo, this is also called experiential learning, or the use of hands-on activities to prepare students “to experience real-world situations.” One such learning method is the Harkness method or Harkness table.
How It Works
Named after philanthropist Edward Harkness, the Harkness method was developed, as stated by ThoughtCo, “to facilitate interaction between the teacher and students during class.” In many classrooms, students and the teacher sit around an oval table as opposed to the teacher teaching in front of students. Unlike traditional teaching where the teacher leads most of the class lecture and discussion, the Harkness method includes minimal teacher involvement. Instead, it encourages students to discuss and think about ideas themselves, similar to a team conference in the real-world workplace. In fact, Harkness himself stated, “What I have in mind is … where [students] could sit around a table and with a teacher who would talk with them, and instruct them by a sort of tutorial … method, where [each student] would feel encouraged to speak up. This would be a real revolution in methods.” An article from Close Up declares that “the teacher must give up the need to ‘guide’ students to the ‘right’ solution and instead be an active participant in the discussion.” In other words, the teacher acts as a sort of facilitator. Additionally, to make the instruction more student-centered, classrooms that implement this method are reduced in size with only about twelve students as opposed to the usual twenty or thirty.
The Socratic Method
An interesting point to draw attention to is the fact that the Harkness method is also very similar to Socratic teaching ideology. Named after Socrates, who was a prominent Greek philosopher, the Socratic method involved discussion, arguments, and inquiry. Socrates always asked his students multiple questions to inspire critical thinking and prove any assumptions wrong. According to the University of Chicago Law School, the Socratic method was “a tool and a good one at that used to engage a large group of students in a discussion, while using probing questions to get at the heart of the subject matter.” The university also states that the method is used “to develop critical thinking skills in students and enable them to approach the [given subject matter] as intellectuals.”
Advantages
Advocates of the Harkness method claim that this way of teaching encourages students to critically think and deeply examine a topic. In his essay, “Introducing and Using the Discussion (AKA, Harkness) Table,” Brian Mulgardt writes, “International affairs expert Fareed Zakaria has recently suggested that America’s edge in education comes from its habit of making students think rather than just memorize and regurgitate…. Discussion based teaching …challenges students to sit at the center of education, making meaning of new information together, talking, listening, and ultimately thinking.” Katherine Cadwell on Wordpress also seems to share the same view, stating in her article that “it is false to assume that students know how to learn [since] academic learning requires a series of complex skills, such as the ability to analyze texts, verbal and written articulation of questions and ideas, listening, critical thinking, dialogue and research, to name a few.”
The Harkness method allows students to actually understand a topic and dissect it down to the details rather than just blatantly memorize and repeat what they are taught. On the other hand, lectures are teacher-centered, and students look to the teacher for explanation — a system whose implicit message is “one that ultimately disempowers students,” Cadwell claims. Furthermore, using this method allows students to develop communication, collaboration, and listening skills which are essential in the real world. According to Phillips Exeter Academy, “[the method] is not about being right or wrong, [but it is about] a collaborative approach to problems solving and learning.” The school also claims that the method is “where you explore ideas as a group, developing the courage to speak, the compassion to listen and the empathy to understand.” While it is not lecture-based, this system can make teaching more flexible and easier for teachers. They can constantly check if their students are understanding through asking questions, and students are more likely to participate and pay attention since they are expected to answer those questions. Furthermore, the group environment makes it more comfortable for students to ask their own questions if necessary.
Disadvantages
Like any teaching system, the Harkness method also has its own weaknesses. One drawback is that it allows for less organization and planned lectures. Students who thrive in structured learning environments will find themselves at a disadvantage. Taking notes may also prove to be a problem both since students must both write their thoughts down and participate in the discussion at the same time. There also isn’t a specific order or structured outline in which students can take notes. Furthermore, students who are unwilling to participate or speak up or are uncomfortable expressing their opinion may not do well in a class using the Harkness method.
Application Today
The Harkness Method is used today in many educational institutions. For example, the teaching system is applied heavily at the previously mentioned Phillips Exeter Academy, where all classes are conducted using group discussion and Harkness teaching. The Independent Curriculum Group has also adopted this system. According to a ThoughtCo article, this group of schools claims that “learning can be both an end unto itself and a doorway to discovery and purpose.”
Conclusion
The Harkness method is gaining increased footing in today’s education system, and it aims to use discussion and minimal teacher involvement to encourage students’ independent thinking and collaboration, which are skills useful for both college readiness and the future workplace. While it is not suited for everyone, the Harkness method helps to vary learning experiences for each student. Hopefully, teaching methods can continue to advance and become more progressive.
Cadwell, Katherine. “What Is the ‘Harkness Method’?” Strategies for Classroom Dialogue, 17 Nov. 2016, katherinecadwell.wordpress.com/what-is-the-harkness-method/.
Close Up Foundation. “Using the Harkness Method to Teach the News.” Close Up Foundation, 5 Oct. 2020, www.closeup.org/using-the-harkness-method-to-teach-the-news/.
Kelly, Melissa. “The Pros and Cons of Whole Group Discussion.” ThoughtCo,
www.thoughtco.com/whole-group-discussion-pros-and-cons-8036.
Kennedy, Robert. “Progressive Education: How Children Learn.” ThoughtCo,
www.thoughtco.com/progressive-education-how-children-learn-today-2774713.
Kennedy, Robert. “To Harkness or Not To Harkness.” Boarding School Review, 2 Aug. 2015, www.boardingschoolreview.com/blog/to-harkness-or-not-to-harkness.
Phillips Exeter Academy. “Harkness.” Phillips Exeter Academy, www.exeter.edu/excellence/how-youll-learn.
University of Chicago Law School. “The Socratic Method.” The Socratic Method | University of Chicago Law School, www.law.uchicago.edu/socratic-method.
Isabelle Li is currently a freshman at The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, California. As an avid reader and published poet, her specialty lies mainly in creative writing. She joined EPIC to further develop her writing skills and learn more about education in today’s world.
