Dive Deep into Discussion

In September 2013, I arrived home from three days of intensive classroom observation at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. The first thing I did when I returned to school that week was toss five years’ worth of lesson plans into the recycling bin. To say I’d been impressed by PEA’s fully integrated discussion-based system of teaching and learning (formally known as Harkness pedagogy) would be an understatement; what I witnessed there completely revolutionized my teaching methods - and ultimately my entire career trajectory.

 

Following that first exposure to the power of purposeful, goal-oriented discussion, I dedicated much of my professional development to learning and sharing the craft with students and fellow educators, and eventually began to adapt its principles and practices for business professionals and school administrators.

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The brief articles in this section focus on my experiences and observations as an educator employing Harkness methodology, but by no means are these pieces relevant only to teachers and students. Each article is designed to encourage anyone to adopt a more fulsome understanding of and appreciation for the value of a democratic, ‘round table’ approach in both the classroom and the workplace. 

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Read on!