Harkness+Department+Statements

Each Department was requested to draft a Harkness statement. A Harkness committee was formed and is currently working on a community statement- Jan '08. Reviewing these statements might be helpful for our Laptop Committee.

EHS **Foreign Language Statement**

The Harkness Table is an ideal environment for language learning, because it fundamentally engages the group in a network of sustained attention. Because there is no hierarchy around the table -- no front or back row -- every one seated at the table has the opportunity to initiate or respond freely. The Harkness environment also works well with conversational practice. The obvious limitation is that, especially in introductory levels of language, students are not capable of maintaining their own Socratic dialogue, embarking on their own self-guided journey. Only in upper levels can a pure Harkness discussion be used but on a day-to-day basis the table itself is a great tool in terms of promoting a positive classroom dynamic.

EHS **Math Dept Statement** Mathematics Department Harkness Statement November 5, 2007

The mathematics department recognizes the benefit that the Harkness table/method represents to other departments. As mathematics is a development of a skills base from a process driven curriculum, certain teaching lessons require flexible room arrangements to maximize mastery of the material. Small group collaboration is a necessary component of a successful experiential math classroom. Flexibility of classroom arrangement is a major concern of mathematics teachers. We support our colleagues in the use of the Harkness structure.

EHS **History Statement** Statement on Harkness in a History Setting

• The center of every History classroom is the Harkness table. The physical structure of the table demands that all students are equal participants in the class and that all students are expected to participate in their own learning. • We believe that the Harkness table fosters collaboration and active participation in the classroom. • The Harkness method of discussion is a student-centered, student-directed, questioned based instructional tool • We understand that the Harkness method is a tool to assist students in meaningful and active learning. • We understand that the role of the teacher is both that of an active participant of the class as well as the facilitator of the discussion. • We understand that the Harkness method is a learned skill that requires time and practice. As such, students begin in the 9th grade year with closely guided and monitored discussions, culminating with discussions in the 11th and 12th grade years where students facilitate their own discussions. • We understand that the Harkness method is one of several tools used to help create a love of learning and create good historians. As such, the Harkness method is used when appropriate. • We understand that different history courses require different skills. As such, content laden courses such as Advanced Placement courses may utilize the Harkness method less than other history electives.

EHS **English Department** Harkness Table Philosophy

We feel the Harkness table (both the furniture and the philosophy) defines and distinguishes the school. It’s an integral part of who we are. The table helps create in our classrooms a community of learners, Palmer’s “circle of seekers,” and allows for a different type of conversation than desks in a circle. In the English department, we have built a set of learning strategies designed to make full use of this notion of a learning community. While we do not have full 50-minute, student-directed Harkness discussions every day, believing there are times when other activities better serve our objectives (teacher-directed questions, group work, mini-lessons and lectures, for example), we believe it to be the centerpiece of our work. At the center of our philosophy is the use of writing to read, think, and learn. Many of our reading, writing, and thinking skills are built around the physical reality of the table and help students take full ownership over their learning by becoming active participants in the group. We rely on Harkness discussion (student directed discussion with minimal teacher involvement) more fully as students mature and develop their skills, although Harkness discussions take place frequently at all grade levels.

EHS **Arts** Arts Harkness Statement The Harkness is a student centered method of interacting with other minds, listening carefully, speaking respectfully, accepting new ideas and questioning old ones, using new knowledge, and enjoying the richness of human interaction. You see the Harkness philosophy played out on our art studios, in our theater productions and in our musical ensembles. It's a perfect match for the arts in its practice of deconstruction and invention in the classroom.

EHS **Seminar** Seminar Harkness Statement

The Seminar Department is committed to the ongoing understanding, refinement and application of the Harkness method in all seminar classes. The Seminar Department will pursue opportunities to further train and educate all Seminar Instructors. Moreover, the commitment to feature the Harkness method of instruction is, and will continue to be, reflected in grading policies at each grade level.

EHS **Science Department** Harkness Philosophy Draft October 2007

• Effective use of the Harkness table requires special Harkness skills that all Ensworth High School students must develop, beginning in ninth grade. A designated school committee should delineate these skills this academic year. Development of and assessment of these skills should be an integral part of all ninth grade classes that use Harkness tables.

• In the science classroom, the Harkness table is just one piece of the instructional environment. Daily, science teachers and students also utilize the white board, the laptop, the lab stations, and the outdoor campus. The challenge for a science teacher is to seamlessly integrate the Harkness table and the other instructional environments into one science skills-based curriculum. To meet this challenge, the science instructors focus on the core skills and use each environment to develop these core skills in our students. On any given day, the Harkness table may not be the focus, but over the course of a quarter, it is a cornerstone of our instructional methodology.

• The science department will work collaboratively via a science department wiki to complete the following table, which lists the core skills and the various instructional environments at our disposal. http://ensworthscience.wikispaces.com/Harkness+Philosophy

Core Skills Harkness Table White Board Laptop Lab Stations Outdoor Campus To collaborate To communicate To observe To question To hypothesize To evaluate To apply knowledge