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Harkness Discussion

Purpose of Harkness
To support deep thinking for all
participants
To explore complex topics/problems and
attempt to answer difficult questions in
a collaborative way
To allow participants to demonstrate a depth
of understanding and to assess and
explore their existing knowledge

Harkness is a HIGHER LEVEL DISCUSSION


Collaborate, dont compete.
It is not a debate, but a discussion.
Discussion is collaborative:
multiple sides work toward shared understanding.
Debate is oppositional:
opposing sides try to prove each other wrong.
In Harkness, everyone is heard, everyone is valued, an issue is explored.

Harkness discussion
There are three identified roles at the table:
A Chair, who ensures equity of opportunity within the debate
(Someone who listens well)

An Observer, who records the interactions as a diagram


(Someone who tends towards being an introvert)

A Notetaker, who records prominent ideas and themes from


the discussion to be shared
(Someone who tends towards being verbose/not listening finely)

Observers key: ?

Asks a provocative question

Refers Specifically to the text

Makes an insight

Advances the conversation

Makes meaningful connections

Harkness

Off topic

Dominates or disrespects

!!Observers!!
Please label the
diagram with full
names in seating
positions before the
discussion begins

The observer
sheet we
have today is
a prototype.
We will be
asking for
thoughts via
email,
redesigning
the sheet and
circulating it
to you for use
in lessons.

Modus Operandi for all participants (7, 2, 8)


Listen carefully.
Dont address the chair.
Make eye contact with the person whose points you are addressing.
Look around the table; let people know that theyre included. Use names to focus
interaction.
Stick close to the text in discussion. Keep the text open.
When appropriate, be prepared to cite specifics in the language of the text to support,
challenge or question. The discussion is not a test of memory, but should lead to
memorable points.
Dont raise hands; take turns speaking.

Modus Operandi for all participants (7, 2, 8)


It is OK to pass occasionally if asked directly to contribute.
Affirm comments made by others. Encourage others to clarify or expand ideas that might
be foggy. Ask for more information or further explanation.
Dont hesitate to summarize. Discuss ideas rather than one anothers opinions.
Challenge politely if you disagree. Let others finish phrasing a question or developing an
idea before you jump in.
Clarify a difference of opinion first.
You are responsible for the success of the discussion. Prepare and participate
thoughtfully. Dont blag, if you dont know; admit it and move on.
Ask each other:
Can we summarize the discussion so far?
Did we take it as far as it could go? Are we content?

7. Feeling great: health and wellbeing


No-one can learn if they are not well and safe. The health and wellbeing
of everyone comes first. This means that we need to ensure that our
practice as educators and adults does not, however well intentioned,
reinforce inequality, disadvantage or other negative factors in childrens
lives. It also means that we remember we are people first and
professionals second with responsibilities to look after one another. The
professional ethos should be: high challenge, low threat.

2. Love does not come to an end: improving behaviour,


relationships & engagement; reducing exclusions
Everything we do is based on relationships - this matters more than anything.
We need to ensure that we achieve and maintain excellent standards of
behaviour and engagement by modelling explicitly what we expect and
insisting on it. Exclusion and sanctions should be used as little as possible;
quiet authority, patience, forgiveness, integrity and kindness should motivate
our pupils and students to excel. In other words, the very things we wish for
ourselves should be at the heart of what we expect for our pupils

6. Consistent and creative:


excellent teaching and curriculum
There is no one model of great teaching. Our school should allow all kinds of
effective practice to flourish, teachers to take risks & innovate & pupils to benefit from
consistently excellent, creative and challenging teaching across year groups and
subjects. Playing it safe & teaching to the middle is not an option. The only way to
teach is be authentic & true to your own style whilst remaining open to new ideas &
suggestions for improvement. Developing the curriculum is not simply about
allocating parcels of time to subjects. It must be about designing meaningful,
challenging experiences collaboratively. Curriculum design is not a luxury, it is an
essential aspect of our work.

Self Assessing Progress


Developing Harkness:
The majority of participants
spoke
There were some logical
arguments, but some
comments that did not build
on each other
There was some
domination of the
discussion
Evidence was not always
used to back up opinions

Confident Harkness:
Every participants spoke,
using sentence stems
Logical arguments were
made and points were linked
to each other
There may have been
disagreement but there was
mutual respect
No participants dominated
the discussion
Participants used evidence
and in depth knowledge to
back up their opinions
Participants begin to use

Oracy skills framework


Describing positive talk

We have divided oracy skills into four


categories:

Steps to ready the participants


Step 1: Read the material/immerse
students in content
Step 2: Warm-up: get the students
practising their talk
Step 3: Plan (this could precede step 2)
Step 4: Debate
Step 5: Debrief
Be sure that the class is content with the exploration of one topic before heading off into new territory. In moments of silence, determine
whether the group is wrestling with an idea or passage, or whether to pursue a new line of inquiry.

INSERT TALKING POINT HERE

Step 1: Read the text


Predict: I predict...because
Question: Who? What? Where? When?
How?
Clarify: Any words I am not sure of?
Summarise: This text is about
INSERT TALKING POINT HERE

Step 3: Plan - Making an Appeal


Reminders about the three pillars of
persuasion:
Ethos: Credibility of the speaker

o Convince through your credibility; knowledge, skills,


experience & character

Pathos: Emotional connection to


audience
o An emotional appeal to make your point

Largos: Logical Argument

o A cognitive approach to persuading the audience

Step 5: Assessing Progress


Developing harkness:
The majority of students
spoke
There were some logical
arguments, but some
comments that did not build
on each other
There was some
domination of the
discussion
Evidence was not always
used to back up opinions

Confident harkness:
Every student spoke, using
sentence stems
Logical arguments were
made and points were linked
to each other
There may have been
disagreement but there was
mutual respect
No students dominated the
discussion
Participants used evidence
and in depth knowledge to
back up their opinions
Participants begin to use

History of Harkness
On April 9, 1930, philanthropist Edward Harkness wrote to Exeter Schools
Principal Lewis Perry regarding how a substantial donation he had made to
the Academy might be used:
"What I have in mind is [a classroom] where [students] could sit around a
table with a teacher who would talk with them and instruct them by a sort of
tutorial or conference method, where [each student] would feel encouraged
to speak up. This would be a real revolution in methods."
The result was "Harkness Teaching," in which a teacher and a group of
students work together, exchanging ideas and information, around a table.

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