I’ve got a child with ADHD who tests well and gets good grades. Executive functioning is the weak point. Math is their least favorite subject with science their most favorite. It’s standardly recommended that kids with ADHD have a structured learning environment, which I read to mean a more traditional method of delivering material.
If you have a child with ADHD at a school that uses the Harkness method for any subjects, how has the learning experience been for your child?
I have heard of Harkness but had to look it up for more details:
Harkness | Phillips Exeter Academy
Harkness Discussions in 3 Simple Steps - Spark Creativity (nowsparkcreativity.com)
Can you explain why you think this approach (emphasis on democratic discussion) might pose challenges for a kid with ADHD? I would find it more actively engaging so would think it might be a good fit, but that’s me. How does Harkness affect, say, homework assignments or tests?
The main thing, I would think, would be to make sure your kid has any accommodations needed to 'level the playing field" at school and for standardized testing (and later for college). Your kid seems to be compensating well, however. What does their doctor or neuropsych. think?
I don’t read it that way at all! Thanks to multiple moves, the ADHD Collegekid experienced many types of classrooms/learning environments. The least successful was the ‘traditional’ method of delivering material: sitting in rows of desks, everybody listening to the teacher and then doing paper-based work. Better were the schools where the students sat in small tables of 4 (in one case, with write-onable table tops, for sharing problem solving), and the teacher moved around. In one school some subjects were ‘upside down’- students watched videos of different people teaching a topic for homework, then did the ‘homework’ problems at school during the day, with the teacher present to clarify/explain. That was super- she could watch the video in her own time, pause, get up and move around, come back to it multiple times. One of the best experiences was Montessori, a structure suited her down to the ground. The ability to get up and move was everything.
Re: Harkness classes, she loved them, because they kept her completely engaged. Harkness is (like Montessori) very structured- just in a different way than you might be used to.
Can’t speak to the suitability factor, but note that most BS have smaller class sizes and teach some if not many/most classes in discussion based formats, whether “officially” Harkness or not. So as you research schools it’s something to keep in mind.
ETA: In terms of executive functioning challenges, this does say to me that a school with more scaffolding is important. Some BS are pretty sink or swim. They will of course likely have resources (i.e. some sort of skills center where you can go for anything from tutoring to “how do I manage my schedule” or whatever) but you have to seek those out at some places.
My ADHD daughter had her best experience at a school that used Harkness method. She said she wished all schools did that. She was much more engaged and able to focus.
Agree completely with what @collegemom3717 wrote. Harkness was just fine with my two ADHD kids. And agree with @DroidsLookingFor – many/most boarding school classes are taught Harkness-style. Certainly they are at Millbrook.
My kid with ADHD does dislike discussion. They say their mind doesn’t work fast so keeping up is hard. Net result is less participation. Doesn’t sound like that will be a problem for OP’s kid. Every approach to teaching will have problems for a subset of students, so I would always favor teaching that addresses as many learning styles as possible. Kind of pie in the sky though!
My impression of Harkness is that there is more responsibility placed on the student to learn material outside of class because the class discussion doesn’t always convey the nuts and bolts of the material. Kids with impulsivity issues will also have to work extra hard to participate in discussions in a way that doesn’t alienate the rest of the class. Class discussions are a good thing, but I worry that the amount of learning that a student has to do independently might be too much. Our doctor advises a structured environment, so I’m trying to understand how this would look in a BS.
I wonder if your child is on medication at all or if there are other learning challenges ahead. I can understand the need for structured work but also it can be harder to focus when learning is passive- sitting still and listening. So engaging in discussion would seem to be helpful as long as the homework was given in a structured way. In other words, read chapters 1 and 2 tonight versus read this book in a week.
Are you pursuing any accommodations? Those can help, as can extra advising, tutoring or a coach. Landmark is a pretty good resource too.
My kid is finishing college at age 30- a story of perseverance. Not sure any particular environment was easy!
Many schools use a “modified” Harkness method. The classes sit in circles and have discussions, but the discussion is teacher guided and they often go over work or concepts as a class. Although you won’t find classes in nice neat rows, boarding schools tend to be very structured. There is a time for homework/studying, a time for sports a time for socializing. Many kids with ADHD do very well with the proper supports. There is a pinned thread about schools with academic support. Many of those schools cater to kids with ADHD.
Harkness is a teaching tool, not the sole tool in the toolkit. ALL schools -much less academically competitive boarding schools! - expect students to learn material outside of class. No high school that any of the Collegkids (and there have been many, in different shapes, sizes, countries, and both day & boarding) have been in expects the classroom to convey all the “nuts and bolts”.
I think the relative merits of Harkness are a bit of a red herring here. If you are looking at boarding schools that emphasize Harkness you are looking at some pretty competitive schools. Way more important than whether they formally use the “Harkness” approach is how they handle kids with learning differences- as @DroidsLookingFor pointed out,
“Structure” is a tricky word. Pretty much all schools have some form of “structure” - the key is what form of structure will suit a particular child best. So, think about what sort of environments have worked best for your child- in school and out. Identify the common threads. What sort of structures did they have? Then look for schools that are similar. Because at the end of the day, what matters most is that your child is in a system or structure in which they thrive.
Harkness is not just classroom discussion, which many HS’s have and which IME can be engaging for kids with ADHD. Harkness is student directed and especially in the humanities, there is often little teaching of the subject matter by the teacher. IME teachers assigned reading and put to the students pertinent questions, but didn’t make sure that specific topics were covered for example. And the discussions at these schools tend to be very high level. This can be hard for students who struggle with organization - both to organize their thoughts in a fast-paced discussion so that they can participate and also to be able to get out of the reading and those discussion all the necessary insights and information.
This is so well put and exactly what my kid experienced. And the teacher made some unfair judgments as a result, as well.