Why don’t public schools use the Harkness method like Exeter?

[Anonymous]

My kid goes to private school, and had one teacher use this method. It's not all it's cracked up to be. Teens are teens, and in my child's retelling, there were a lot of awkward silences and every day was dominated by the same two extroverts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to private school, and had one teacher use this method. It's not all it's cracked up to be. Teens are teens, and in my child's retelling, there were a lot of awkward silences and every day was dominated by the same two extroverts.

It is at Exeter and Andover. I loved it.

- Andover alum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to private school, and had one teacher use this method. It's not all it's cracked up to be. Teens are teens, and in my child's retelling, there were a lot of awkward silences and every day was dominated by the same two extroverts.

That means the method was badly translated. Part of the teacher's job is to guide the discussion so that it engages all of the students.