For 17-year-old Arya Vishwakarma, a senior at The Lawrenceville School, the typical classroom looks like 12 students and a teacher debating around a large oval table.

The Harkness method, a type of teaching and learning prominently done at boarding schools, bolsters open discussion and application. Rather than the typical lecture-style, “harknessing” comes from decentering the classroom where the teacher serves as a facilitator and students take charge of their learning. Around 10 to 14 students sit around an oval table (unsurprisingly referred to as the Harkness table), where the teacher poses a discussion question in context of a previous night’s reading or lesson to which students produce an argument.

“There is a shift in priorities when you use a discussion based model. I know how to defend an opinion…to form an argument verbally,” said Vishwakarma. Currently in her third year at Lawrenceville, she has taken a variety of courses from “A History of American Democracy” to “Number Theory.”

While history-based and english-based classes work well with the Harkness method, some types and levels of courses prove to be inefficient.

“Putting math classes into Harkness is like a square peg [and] a round hole. But, the higher the level, the better [Harkness] works,” said Vishwakarma. Classes such as Algebra II do not work well with Harkness, but more theory-based and higher level classes thrive.

Out of many subjects, Vishwakarma believes foreign language functions the best with the Harkness method.

“I was in French 3. And they were like ‘This is a Harkness class and we’re going to speak entirely french’…I was terrified. It was humbling, but it was necessary…You see the most satisfying results immediately,” said Vishwakarma, reminiscing on her first year at Lawrenceville. Although she had to grow to enjoy Harkness, she strongly prefers it now over any other style of learning.

“It’s a culture of collaboration. Once you learn how to talk at the harkness table, you can become a better community member,” said Vishwakarma. For students at Lawrenceville, the word “Harkness” is treated with much reverence. In the end, it is supposed to help one know themselves and others.

“People will be having a conversation in the bathroom, and they’ll be like, this is Harkness,” said Vishwakarma jokingly.

While clear benefits of Harkness exist, some pitfalls remain, especially in comparison to other learning styles such as lecturing.

“There is a time and a place for lecturing. You can’t really argue over the facts. We get our facts mostly from readings…but just the facts is not an accurate way of learning,” said Vishwakarma.

Furthermore, Harkness simply does not work if it’s more than a certain number of people. Students become uncomfortable or cannot properly express their points in an hour long class.

For students on the reserved side, Harkness doesn’t necessarily prove to be difficult.

“Even if one doesn’t say anything, they’ll still learn from everyone around them,” said Vishwakarma.

At The Lawrenceville School, Harkness participation is around 20 to 30 percent of one’s total class grade. Some teachers hold a notebook with a drawn oval, drawing a line whenever a student speaks. While some use it to grade students, others use it as a model to display how students interact with one another. Yet by having a participation grade, some students take advantage of speaking to the point where it becomes counterproductive – often by adding redundant discussion points or speaking extensively.

Not all students can acclimate to Harkness, though.

“I can imagine someone who’s maybe not the most emotionally engaged with the class. They do the reading once, they listen, but they’re emotionally checked out. If you’re at a table and nobody’s saying anything particularly interesting to you, you won’t be engaged,’ said Vishwakarma. If a student were in a class they believe they won’t excel in, they’ll choose to passively engage with the material, instead of immersing themself into it.

“But, it’s worth it for the people who are engaged. It creates a culture for engagement,” said Vishwakarma.

However, students can also feel uncomfortable or unnerved to share their points as well.

“Sometimes I’m afraid of saying something stupid and everyone is like, what is she on? …Then I’m known for saying something stupid in Harkness,” said Vishwakarma.

For Vishwakarma, Harkness has taught her to be more eloquent and articulate.

“It’s taught me that just because you have a thought, [it] doesn’t mean you have to say it,” said Vishwakarma. To her, hearing others’ perspectives diversifies her learning.

“You get to know the people in your classes through Harkness,” said Vishwakarma.

Past high school, many graduates of Lawrenceville state that the Harkness method prepared them for seminar-style classes, fostering deep confidence for them.

Compared to Cherry Hill High School East, where lecturing dominates most classes and classrooms consist of twenty to thirty students, the Harkness method may not apply well. However, it could be implemented into certain courses, such higher level history or math. Classes like Advanced Placement United States History and Advanced Placement Language and Composition utilize debates already; applying Harkness into these courses would allow for more immersive learning and creativity.

“Having a class that’s able to pace itself based off student comfort and student patience…that’s what Harkness is about,” said Vishwakarma.

Being “worldly.” What does that mean?

The term brings to mind someone well-versed in global issues, knowledgeable of the world around them, immersed in culture. Yet, as students sit for seven hours a day in classrooms filled with lectures, independent study, and busy work, it brings the question of where this “worldly” aspect–that will soon be necessary as we enter the world outside of the high school bubble–fits into the curriculum.

Schools aim to prepare us for the real world by teaching us history, math, science, and language arts. These are all foundational skills. Learning to read, write, add and subtract, learning about our country’s history. But, are we taught what’s happening in the world right now? Are we taught the skills needed to go into the professional world and college? The answer depends on whether or not students are taking advantage of the opportunities that are outside of the classroom.

Distributive Education Clubs of America, better known as DECA and Model United Nations (UN) are prime examples of this, giving students the necessary hands-on and real-world application needed for them to be successful after high school.

Mr. Gregory deWolf, a Cherry Hill High School East business teacher and DECA advisor, explains, “They work on their presentation skills, they work on their organizational skills, their time management skills and it’s just something that kids can do the extra step of taking learning out of the classroom, which I think is an opportunity that students here at East have taken big advantage of.”

DECA is a student organization that teaches skills in presenting, public speaking, and so much more. This club not only gives students the hands-on experience needed to succeed in the business world–from participating in role plays to 15-minute presentations and months of research–but in any career field.

“We do presentations in class, but it’s only for a few moments, and it’s in a classroom,” said deWolf. “This is in a ballroom, there’s a lot of other kids [around], so it makes you lock in and really put yourself out there, which is scary, but it’s something that I think the more you do, the more comfortable you get with it.”

Similarly, Model UN gives students the chance to take the roles of global leaders and physically work with other students to not only gain worldly knowledge, but hands-on experience in a discussion-based environment. In Model UN, students take on international and current issues and work with their peers to solve them–contributing to becoming “worldly” in every sense of the word.

“It’s all based on world research. But this is also about how you can think about what other countries need and what they’re going to be demanding and how you and other countries can come to an agreement. So that’s the thing I like about it, it’s very real-world,” said social studies teacher and Model UN advisor Mrs. Jennifer Dolan.

While traditional classroom settings provide the foundation for knowledge, clubs like Model UN help take learning to the next level by emphasizing real-world situations and applications. According to Model UN advisor and social studies teacher Mrs. Meghan Mikulski, the program provides students with skills like problem-solving and teamwork.

“We have a leadership team which is very [well]-suited, and they take the students and the delegates through the process,” Mikulski explains. “They usually start with getting their kids into small groups by topic, and even though they might represent different countries, they just talk about their understanding of the topic and help each other out.”

The gap between traditional classroom settings and extracurriculars is large. From lectures to presentations, there is a world of knowledge needed to exit high school; but in those four years, you can’t learn every skill you’ll need. Hands-on experience in extracurriculars–like DECA and Model UN–helps this.

To be considered “worldly” is to be aware and knowledgeable of what’s going on around the world, but it’s also about applying that understanding to real-world situations. These extracurriculars, just like many others, not only build that awareness but also supply students with the skills that will help to bridge the gap between traditional and hands-on learning, giving students the materials they need to become “worldly”.

Diversity presents itself in many different forms, with one important manifestation being languages. There are about 7,000 different languages spoken globally that each provide unique insight on the cultural heritage in a given region of the world. Taking the time to learn a new language separate from one’s native tongue is a challenge, no doubt, but the benefits that proceed are varied and numerous.

Multilingualism is a skill that can be applied to a variety of careers due to recent emphasis on ensuring accessibility and inclusivity across the world. Learning languages also serves as “brain fitness,” leading to enhanced cognitive abilities that can be applied elsewhere.

But recently, the emphasis on learning languages in higher education has decreased, partly due to fewer language requirements and enrollments in universities. The cause of this problem goes beyond just mirroring these trends, however. It can also be attributed to how learning languages is perceived: a passive endeavor.

Learning languages from textbooks or worksheets may help in gaining exposure to new vocabulary and grammar rules, but ultimately, engaging in conversation is what enables language learners to retain their skills. Specifically, conversational discussions allow students to recognize and learn from their mistakes which promotes improvement.

In order to increase multilingualism, therefore, it is necessary to change how schools structure the curriculum of the languages they offer. Discussion-based learning should apply to all language classes because ultimately, the goal of learning a language is to communicate. Only by challenging students speaking abilities’ can overall language communication improve, which is why it is necessary for language classrooms to take a more conversational approach.

Mrs. Eister, a Spanish teacher at Cherry Hill East, has taught different levels of Spanish throughout her years teaching. She emphasizes the importance of incorporating discussions rather than assigning “busywork” in order for her students to actively engage in the language during class.

“Worksheets are not an appropriate way to learn a language. Rote memorization has a place, but that’s homework,” she said.

A problem that language teachers may run into when implementing a more discussion-focused approach to their classrooms is inadequate participation. Eister has found that assigning points to students’ overall participation per marking period remedies this issue.

In addition, Eister noted how participation in these discussions generally builds up over time.

“The first time it’s a little awkward and then it gets easier and easier, you know by the end of the first marking period, I think [they’re] comfortable just speaking,” she said.
Aside from the linguistic benefits obtained from conversing in different languages, the discussion topics are also equally important. Take Eister’s 4H class as an example: students engage in a wide range of relevant discussions including beauty standards, social classes, westernization, and more.

Furthermore, students who take this class are assigned a hispanic country at the beginning of the year. Each month, students have to present current events in their given country to their class.

Therefore through these discussions and current events, students also develop the ability to think for themselves and gain new perspectives on important discussion topics. Developing these skills in a classroom setting is extremely important given the importance of staying aware of global issues nowadays.

“If the point of education is to create thinking individuals, there should always be discussion,” said Eister.

With the onset of AI, discussions are also significant because they hinder students’ reliance on external sources to develop their own opinions. Discussions force students to think without the accessibility of platforms that do the thinking for them. Language classrooms take it a step further because students get to think and communicate their opinions in a different language.

Overall, discussions in language classrooms offer many advantages and are necessary to reverse the trend of the decrease in language learning. The future of learning holds many possibilities and discussion-based learning certainly should be a contestant.

A learning method that should be utilized more in classrooms is the fishbowl discussion strategy. In this style, an outer group of students actively watch an inner group of students discuss a topic. While only a small portion of students might be engaging in discussion at a time, this method allows for the rest of the room to take notes, promoting active listening: an essential tool for students.

According to a study done by California State University, “this engaging and student-centered strategy builds comprehension of complex text/ideas while developing group discussion skills.” In this learning method, students work on responding to differing viewpoints, which fosters a group discussion amongst the classroom.

Because students must engage in small and directed discussion, kids learn how to focus on specific points, and narrow in on their ideas. Socializing in a structured and educational environment fosters collaboration and constructive communication.

Furthermore, the fishbowl discussion method teaches the observers how to take time and analyze what is being said. Because students must take notes in order to rebuttal other points, it forces them to deeply think about what was said, and draft an intelligent and thoughtful response.

The fishbowl discussion method trains students not only to become better note-takers, but better listeners. When people listen to each other, collaboration occurs, and progress is made.

Whether that progress is for the better or for the worse, it is made by a more united front, solidifying commonalities amongst everyone. Whether people succeed or suffer together, a more inclusive environment is created for everyone to flourish in.

In English classrooms in particular, fishbowl discussions are often used to interpret the symbols, motifs, themes, and social commentaries of different literary texts. Students are required to perform research ahead of time regarding a given novel, and then must contribute to the fishbowl discussion by elaborating on others’ points and introducing new topics.

Fishbowl discussions in particular work well for English classrooms because they encourage students to feel more comfortable speaking in smaller groups. Along with developing important literary analysis skills, students also learn how to engage other students in the discussion, bounce ideas off, and make rebuttals.

Teachers should work to implement more fishbowl discussions into classrooms due to the various benefits students obtain as a result. Fishbowl discussions encourage students to collaborate while simultaneously learning, an important skill for their future endeavors.