The Harkness Method

The Harkness discussion method allows students to drive the conversation about a certain topic and ask questions without the teacher participating or leading the discussion. It gives everyone an opportunity to talk and puts the ownership in students’ hands. Not only does it drive greater contribution from students, it also prepares them for postsecondary. Participation marks are often mandatory in postsecondary courses and it’s up to the student to create discussion and ask questions.

The teachers who attended this workshop learned tips for implementing Harkness discussions in their own classrooms. They also had the opportunity to participate in a mock Harkness to really understand how it works.

Teachers who have used this method shared their experiences with their colleagues. For example, English teacher Stephanie Martino holds Harkness discussions in her classes and uses a coding system that records the type of conversations students are having. For example, if a student quotes a line from a textbook, you would write down the letter “Q”. These annotations make it easy for teachers to jot down notes about the discussion and share them with the class afterwards.

Back in January, I was able to observe Mr. Schmidt’s Grade 11 Green Industries class and their Harkness roundtable discussion on the current state of farming worldwide. Mr. Schmidt listened to students as they talked about different tactics to control pesticides, weighed the pros and cons of organic food versus processed food, discussed obesity rates and looked at how the global economy affects farmers all over the globe. It was interesting to see the high level of participation and how very few times there was a moment of silence. Students bounced ideas off of each other and built the conversation on their own. If the discussion on a certain topic was over, a student would chime in with another idea to start an entirely new conversation.

Teachers who have used Harkness in their classroom have noticed greater contribution from students and have found it easier for students to talk in a group setting, rather than raising their hand in the middle of class. It is a great way to build longer conversations, hear everyone's point of view and record the discussion.

To learn more about Harkness discussions, check out this article: https://www.teacher.org/daily/what-is-the-harkness-discussion-why-ive-embraced-this-method-and-how-its-worked-for-me/