My two year old daughter has a new favourite song called "Rolly-Polly." Consequently, "Rolly-Polly" is not one of my favourite songs because we sing it over and over (… and over), but because it has actions and only six words she has learned it. For her obviously repetition is a key part of learning, but I think the reason this one has stuck more than other repeated songs is that she can, and does, participate in its rendition.
Most of us learn well by participating, and in class setting one way of participating is by discussing ideas. In a good discussion we can hear a variety of points of view, connect new ideas with old ideas, and share ideas or questions to move the conversation forward. Discussion based teaching models fit well with constructivist educational ideas and can help to develop higher order thinking skills, but also can have difficulties.
A key difficulty with discussion in large groups is encouraging all participants to contribute. In a group of a dozen students or more, some need to learn to listen carefully so that they do not speak too much. Others are self-conscious of their ideas or language and need support. Still others are not engaged because they have not prepared to be able to contribute, and so lose interest.
The Harkness Mapping and LiveScribe Pens
Philips Exeter Academy in the 1930's, may help. One element is physical arrangement. In the Harkness Model a dozen
students are arranged around a large table so that they can see each other, and the teacher does not have a distinguished location. This is to help
discussion to remain student-centric.
While it may not solve all ailments of group discussions, elements of the Harkness Model, a tutorial style teaching program developed at
A second element of the model is discussion mapping as a group reflection tool. A rough sketch of the table layout is drawn with each of the participants
shown. Then a recorder puts their pen to the page at the name of the first speaker, and moves their pen speaker to speaker during the conversation to
create a visual representation of the conversation flow. Patterns emerge showing loud spots and quiet spots at the table, and which speakers interact most
frequently with each other.
This could be a great application for LiveScribe pens which we have looked at in the last two "Digital Literacy Dispatch" articles. No additional time is needed on the part of the recorder during the conversation, but during debrief of the discussion map afterwards the audio of any portion of the conversation can be replayed to help the participants identify why imbalances exist in their discussion.
See Also
For more information on the Harkness Model, you might be interested in:- Jodi Rice's description of implementing Harkness discussion in a language course over four days ( http://bit.ly/vW5BR5 )
- A discussion of distinctive qualities and benefits of the Harkness model (http://bit.ly/uQMFa0 )
- An article from Independent Teacher magazine about choosing Harkness model for a history class ( http://bit.ly/uN2QWj )
- A history lesson outline from Mark Melnyk at Markville SS that incorporates Harkness discussion ( http://bit.ly/tJUhSY )
- A TV news story about a Connecticut high school using Harkness in a high school English class ( http://bit.ly/sUl2AG )
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