The most important thing  I have realized in my 39 years of working with young people is  that “the one that does the work does the learning.” Students must be engaged in asking deep and meaningful questions about what they are learning, and they must have an authentic voice in our classrooms and communities. I firmly believe that we must undo what previous schooling has done to inhibit curiosity and the creative thinking of students. “If we want to engage students in thinking through our content we must stimulate their thinking with questions that lead them to further questions. We must resuscitate minds that are largely dead when we receive them. We must give our students what might be called “artificial cogitation” (the intellectual equivalent of artificial respiration)” (Paul, Martin, Adamson, 1989).

In 2016,  I was granted a Rowland Foundation Fellowship to investigate the ways that the Harkness Pedagogy can be used at the classroom level to create the fundamental shift to student-directed learning that must be at the heart of school transformation. Since then I have been working with students and teachers to instruct them how to infuse Harkness into teaching and  learning in their schools. I teach a Harkness Leadership class for high school students, run a Harkness PLC for teachers and offer graduate courses “Strategies in Classroom Dialogue” for middle and high school educators..

What is Harkness?

The Harkness Pedagogy places students at the center of the educational process; it fundamentally shifts the dynamics of the teacher-student relationship and places ownership and initiative for learning on the learner. Students drive the discussion by asking probing questions and working together to delve deeply into complex texts/ideas and make meaning of their investigation. The skills of questioning, valuing different perspectives and learning how to disagree respectively and work collaboratively are the essential skills our students need to acquire if our democracy is to remain healthy, vital and strong. Now, more than ever, we need to teach students how to use their voice in the classroom and in our greater world.

In a Harkness class learning takes place through discussions held around an oval "Harkness Table.” All members of the class must question, contribute, and contemplate in order to learn and succeed. This pedagogy places students at the center of the educational process; it fundamentally shifts the dynamics of the teacher-student relationship and places ownership and initiative for learning on the student. Harkness promotes authentic student inquiry, equity, inclusion and the importance of diverse perspectives. Students develop a sense of autonomy, empowerment, and appreciation for all voices around the table.

What you will find on this website:

This site contains  teaching materials and resources to help infuse the Harkness pedagogy into the public school  classroom. To have effective Harkness discussions, students must  learn and practice  the skills of civil discourse. Teachers at our school work to scaffold Harkness instruction  in steps:

1. Creating  non-negotiables for each classroom to help establish an “urgency for learning;”  

2. Working intentionally to create a classroom climate based on trust, mutual respect and collaboration;

3. Teaching the soft skills of civil discourse  to students, and

4. Practicing these soft skills and collaborating in “Teamwork.” Only when the students are proficient in the skills of Harkness in small groups do we invite them to “Come to the Harkness Table”.  

Most of what I have learned is due to the mentorship of Aida Conroy, former Harkness coach at Noble Academy, Chicago Il, Meg Foley, Harkness Outreach Coordinator, Phillips Exeter Academy  and Becky Moore, English teacher at PEA. These individuals have inspired my work and the work of Harkness at our school. My colleagues at Harwood Union HS in Duxbury, VT have inspired me as well and have contributed to this site. Feel free to download and make a copy of any materials and resources for use in your classroom. For additional information or questions about Harkness and/or to receive a copy of my hard copy binder on Harkness instruction (which contains additional and different materials) please contact me.

 Other things about me:

I have a BA from Middlebury College in Sociology/Anthropology and a MA  in Curriculum and Instruction/ International Studies from the University of Denver.  I have been teaching at Harwood Union High School since 1981, and am enrolled in a Master’s program in Classical Studies at St. John’s College, Santé Fe, New Mexico.  In 2016, in addition to the Rowland Fellowship, I was awarded the Foundation for Excellence in Education award for Vermont and the Gilder-Lehrman History Teacher of the Year for Vermont.

I am one of the co-founders of PH International, which was started in 1985. PH International’s mission is to build a strong global community by fostering civic engagement, cross-cultural learning, and increased opportunities in the digital age. As part of my work with PH International, I have done extensive travel and teaching abroad and taught English in the Republic of Georgia for an academic year. I continue to offer professional training opportunities for teachers and students in the countries of the former Soviet Union.