ERIC Number: EJ1095293
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0145-9635
EISSN: N/A
Learning to Share: Life Lessons in Group Dynamics
Potash, Betsy
Independent School, v75 n3 Spr 2016
In this article, Betsy Potash shares the frustration she experienced as a student when working on group projects. She struggled with being a good listener and with a tendency to dominate the group projects. Teachers had not taught her how to work well in a group. During her first year as a teacher, Betsy attended a faculty retreat where she learned about the Harkness method of discussion--invented and pioneered at Phillips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire), and named after philanthropist Edward Stephen Harkness. As she read about the roundtable discussion method--in which the teacher acts as a guide for the discussion and works mainly to help students learn to ask good questions, share the air, provide support for their opinions, and navigate through distractions and accidental domination--she became more and more interested. She decided to launch a Harkness experiment in each of her classes. This article discusses how using the Harkness method helped unleash an understanding of the power of group dynamics in her classes.
Descriptors: Group Dynamics, Group Activities, Group Discussion, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Student Centered Learning, Models, Interpersonal Communication, Opinions, Participant Observation, Listening Skills
National Association of Independent Schools. 1620 L Street NW Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-793-6701; Tel: 202-973-9700; Fax: 202-973-9790; Web site: http://www.nais.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Hampshire
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A