Harkness Success
Our first Harkness was a terrific learning experience for all of us. I was upfront and honest with my students that I'd never done this with a class before and we would all simply try our best. It was recommended that I run three discussion groups during one class so that more students would have the opportunity to speak for a longer period of time. I divided students into groups and students not in Harkness had individual work to accomplish. The groups moved their desks into an oval, I read the essential question, and put 10 minutes on the timer. Essential Question: Why is it important for people living in America today to live up to citizen responsibilities? Students were asked to consider the Three Branches, the Bill of Rights, and their roles as citizens. I also asked them to connect citizen rights to the history we had already learned this year (for example, what life was like in the colonies before and during the American Revolution). My historians were encourag...