{"id":60,"date":"2016-02-12T03:12:35","date_gmt":"2016-02-12T03:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/viviennekraus\/?p=60"},"modified":"2016-02-12T03:12:35","modified_gmt":"2016-02-12T03:12:35","slug":"things-are-going-to-get-messy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/viviennekraus\/2016\/02\/12\/things-are-going-to-get-messy\/","title":{"rendered":"Things are going to get messy…"},"content":{"rendered":"

My action plan<\/strong><\/p>\n

My goal for this year was to provide more opportunities for my students to communicate orally in French in an authentic manner.<\/span><\/p>\n

I had heard of Harkness tables from the English Department at my school, and I have been playing with this idea over the past couple of years. I didn’t realize its origins until I came across this site:\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/www.exeter.edu\/admissions\/109_1220_11688.aspx<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“On April 9, 1930, philanthropist Edward Harkness spoke to Exeter’s Principal Lewis Perry regarding how a substantial donation he had made to the Academy might be used:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

‘What I have in mind is teaching boys in sections of about eight in a section . . . where boys could sit around a table with a teacher who would talk with them and instruct them by a sort of tutorial or conference method, where the average or below average boy would feel encouraged to speak up, present his difficulties, and the teacher would know . . what his difficulties were. . . This would be a real revolution in methods.’<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The result was “Harkness Teaching,” in which a teacher and a group of students work together, exchanging ideas and information, around a table.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

[Note: I have taken myself out of the equation in order to allow me to evaluate while the Harkness is taking place.]<\/span><\/p>\n

A HarkMess table moreso than Harkness?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wanted student input on the format of the the final Harkness table, so I decided to do 2 practice Harkness tables and then a third as an assessment of learning. The students were discussing health in general (lifestyle, body image, dieting etc.). After each Harkness, I asked for their feedback with the intention of using it to improve their experience. Here\u2019s what happened:<\/span><\/p>\n

(I knew things would get messy! My original unit plan lies somewhat neatly in the boxes. My students\u2019 feedback is splayed and layered everywhere else!)<\/span>
\n\"Harkness<\/a><\/p>\n

First of 3 Harkness Tables<\/strong><\/p>\n

My goals were lofty – to get students to:<\/span><\/p>\n