YMS QUARTERLY
Fun at the Dance!
HARKNESS TABLE
Ben Soares
So you right be reading this and looking at the title “Harkness” and be thinking: “Hey, I wonder what what that is." Well, that’s what I thought in 6th grade when we did it at first, not knowing how cool and challenging it is. At first, challenging could be an understatement until you get the hang of it. So still you may not know what “Harkness” is.
Well basically in a nutshell, it is a technique used in subjects where the students have to have a discussion without a teacher. And I know at first the might sound easy, but trust me there’s more to it. First, you cannot raise your hand to signal that you want to say something, or to add on to a classmate’s comment. This seems really hard when you don’t think about it in detail, but there is many ways around it.
One idea or solution that my teacher, Mr Beaumier, taught us was to lean forward and put you hands on the edge of your desk. As crazy as it sounds it actually works really well. Leaning forward and putting you hands on the side of the desk when there is 20 other people sitting around shows: “Guys, I have something to add on to that”. When first starting it is kind of hard and that technique doesn’t always work, but there are many other different ways to get good at it. All together I think Harkness is a really good way to get good at communicating with others,
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One day at recess I interviewed my sixth grade teacher, Mr Beaumier, and asked a couple questions about Harkness; Where did you find out about Harkness? Why do think Harkness is important? How did you get a Harkness table? What he had to say was pretty simple: “...I found it out from Phillips Exeter Academy…”, “I think Harkness helps kids get good at speaking in general, and in front of other people. It also helps kids get a better view on other people think”. From my experience in 6th grade, those descriptions definitely fit. I think Harkness didn’t just help me communicate with others, but learn how to talk in a good manner (not interrupt), learn what other people think, and get confident talking in front of a large group.