Teaching Methods

Harkness Method

ArtsWest uses the Harkness Method of instruction for a majority of our academic classes. This method originated 75 years ago at Phillips Exeter Academy. Innovative from its inception, Harkness has become a well-respected and much modeled method, especially in private college prep schools across the east.

The most obvious element of Harkness is the table, which is designed to allow teachers and students to be visually and verbally engaged with one another. This interaction is the primary element of the Harkness Method. It allows learning through discussion and discovery, as well as the development of a student's individual voice. With Harkness, students are challenged to actively discuss rather than passively digest; to discover answers and defend conclusions.

Phillips Exeter Academy Headmaster, Tyler C. Tingely, states "No one is hiding. Everyone speaks his or her mind, yet you each make each other question your assumptions...Suddenly, you're seeing the big picture and it's thrilling... The teacher is demonstrating to students how to learn rather than just what to learn."

This engaging method integrates with our belief that each student has within, the potential to excel both in arts and academics if only given the "passion to learn and the freedom to create!"

For more information on the Harkness Method or on ArtsWest, please call us at 208.938.5410.