Taking Ownership of Learning
In the nearly ten years during which I actively practiced Harkness methodology in my classroom, I witnessed a notable upswing in overall student effort and output, and the quality of the ideas in the written work I received on a regular basis was far superior to the work produced when I was the ‘sage on the stage.’
Discussion-based classes make students entirely accountable for their learning. If they don’t do the reading, they have nothing to contribute to the discussion. If they haven’t annotated their text, they spend most of their time in class frantically flipping through pages, trying to find something they read that they wanted to talk about, often to no avail. They don’t like how this makes them feel: excluded, frustrated, regretful. Usually it takes only one class of being in this awkward position for a student to change their course of action. They know it’s up to them alone to be ready to participate in the learning that happens at the table, and that they must take full responsibility when the work is incomplete.
When students are prepared – when they are in a position to confidently add to the conversation – it transfers to their writing. They spend hours together as a group exploring the various concepts and themes that arise out of a piece of literature. The teacher is there to guide them, ensuring that they cover what needs to be covered on a curricular level, but must allow students to arrive at the ‘answers’ on their own time and in their own way. When they do this (and almost invariably, they do) they are proud of their discovery, and they remember it. They also want to explore it further in their written work; nearly every term paper I received was rich with student originality, rather than a regurgitation of pre-approved notions I listed on the board.
So, is the writing itself that much better? Not always, though students who struggle with writing will certainly improve with effort. It’s the content of their work – which is the direct result of critical thinking – that exhibits a depth of analysis and detail I never saw before I started teaching this way, across all levels of ability. Discussion-based learning obliges students to consider their voices in a universal sense, whether through writing or the spoken word.
Discussion can also serve as a support or ‘safety net’ for students whose writing is not strong. I often observed students at the table whose contributions were very articulate and revealed a true understanding of the material, and the essence of this understanding just didn’t shine through in their writing. When this occurs – whether in my classroom or in my academic coaching practice – it highlights a wonderful opportunity to work with that student, to say to them that I know the ideas are there – we just need to work on making sure they are communicated as soundly on paper as they are ‘out loud.’ Then the student doesn’t have to feel as frustrated by the writing process, or afraid that written assignments are the only chances they’ll have to show the teacher they’ve done the work and have something to say about it.
When students ‘own’ their learning, when they discover their opinions through the respectful exploration of others’ opinions, they retain what they’ve learned and they’re proud of it.
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