What is a Harkness Table?

Question: What is a Harkness Table?

Philanthropist Edward Harkness is responsible for the Harkness Table. His idea was to place students and teacher round an oval table for maximum involvement and participation. That was in 1931. His 'experiment' is alive and well, and, indeed, thrives at Exeter Academy where it was first proposed.

Answer: The Harkness Table originated in 1931 at Exeter Academy. It was the brainchild of philanthropist Edward Harkness. He came up with the idea in an effort to make learning more interactive. Rather than having students be lectured at by a teacher at the front of the classroom, the Harkness Table seats faculty and students around an oval table. This seating arrangement encourages interactivity and discourages passivity in the learning process. It also is at the core of an educational philosophy which holds that "Civilized discourse must be at the core of all good education and all full lives."

Tyler C. Tingley describes the Harkness Table and its pedagological benefits in Educating with the Harkness Table.