Harkness Discussion

In my opinion, the Harkness discussion in my class went pretty well. We seemed to have a fair distribution of contributors, and no one stayed quiet the entire time. That seems to be the goal of Harkness discussions: include everyone. This goal seems like a great way to get a discussion rolling, but once the conversation begins, the problem quickly becomes too much contribution. Once ideas are flowing in the room, everyone wants to get their ideas in before the discussion shifts to another topic. This requires fast thinking, shrinking down big ideas into palatable ones, and assertiveness when more than one student begins speaking about an idea. The main issue I have with the Harkness discussion is the pressure of getting a word in. Some students speak more freely than others, and they are rewarded for their participation. In a classroom without shy students, the Harkness discussion becomes a battle for airtime and instead of learning from each other's ideas, the students begin to only hear themselves and what they plan to say next.