A review of the PDC Harkness-style Discussions Event:

In thinking about our conversations today, I was struck by two elements that I thought might be useful for all of us as we continually think about our approach to the classroom experience:

• The Problem of Content:  While perhaps it is easier to see this in a Science or Math course, I too am constantly facing the issue of what 'content' is necessary in order to make my courses relevant and assure that they meet the criteria of the course description.  In US History or Western Civilization, I have found myself wondering what I have missed in the mad-dash for the Cold War by year's end.  And in my AP courses, I know that the dreaded test stands as the final arbiter of my success as a teacher.  It is easy to get caught up in the mindset that content coverage denotes accomplishment.  Of course, I also am well aware of the fact that our students don't really need to know the names of the three other major (but unsuccessful) Presidential candidates in the election of 1860 or know what the Hawley-Smoot Tariff actually did.  If they need that info, there are a myriad number of ways for them to find it -- frankly they will probably do what many history teachers do before their classes, which is turn to wikipedia.  As such, it comes down to the skill-set that we teach within the framework of the actual "content".  History, like any subject matter, can and should be seen as nothing more than a vehicle for educating kids about the much more important issues they will face in life -- providing them with the tools to realize what they don't know, to acquire that information successfully, to interpret it within the framework of a broader narrative, and then to share this realization in conversation, presentation, or in a piece of effective writing.  I am a firm believer in the fact that this is a reality that we all share as educators, regardless of discipline.  
• Letting Go:  There is nothing more terrifying as a teacher, I have found, than realizing that I can't and shouldn't control everything that happens in my classroom.  We are more effective as educators and intellectual role-models, when we "let go" and empower kids to guide the conversation, critique each other, correct misperceptions or misinterpretations, and find out what it is that they really are interested in within the framework of the assignment.  When I sit back and help the kids take the reins (after constructing a thoughtful assignment), I find that really amazing things are apt to happen.  Any of our students is capable of constructing a thoughtful question, considering the best approach to answering that query, and then engaging their classmates in an effective way to help find an answer (or perhaps an even better question) within the confines of the classroom.  Silence around the table in Clinton 205 can feel interminable, but when I remind myself to listen more and talk less, to embrace the opportunities for even the most reticent student to step up, and to help the students provide each other with context, I am routinely impressed by what happens.  

I am sure that I'll have more thoughts as I continue to process our event this morning, but I encourage all of us to continue the conversation.