Harkness Teaching Pedagogy
CAC is the only school in Egypt, and one of the few international schools in the world passionately committed to student-led, discussion-based learning at purpose built oak Harkness Tables. The seminar tables are a critical aspect of Harkness providing both gravitas and a connecting energy that is not possible with using only desks placed in an oval shape. Discussion-based learning is research proven, and one of the most powerful learning tools available to teachers with a .82 effect size (Hattie). Most fundamentally, Harkness builds effective communicators: students who listen carefully, think deeply, and speak wisely.
Harkness is a student-driven, discussion-based approach to learning with a focus on collaboration and respect. A group of students and one teacher sit around an oval table and discuss the subject at hand. At the table, all voices are equal; students explore ideas together, develop the courage to share their thinking, and through a compassionate approach to listening they develop the empathy to understand one another, and the subjects being discussed. It’s not about being right or wrong or winning a debate, it is about building deep, meaningful connections and understanding through dialogue. CAC graduates outstanding communicators ready for the Boardroom or taking center stage.
The Harkness approach has been used at CAC since 2014, and teachers in the English and Social Studies departments engage regularly in the discussion-based learning that is central to the philosophy. Experts in the pedagogy from Phillips Exeter Academy frequently visit CAC to give hands-on professional development to our current and new faculty. This annual training allows teachers to further develop their skills and techniques for use in the Harkness classroom as well as developing resources to use with students in future.
