In most conventional classroom setups, teachers like Brian Morgan would have raised a rhetorical question about a subject before launching into a lecture as students, seated in desks and chairs organized in rows before him, took copious notes.

But inside Room 101 at Lacordaire Academy, Morgan used his query to facilitate a discussion about economics that included input from all 15 students seated around the thick, circular table and extended for several minutes.

Lacordaire is one of a handful of New Jersey schools implementing the innovative Harkness Method, a style of teaching begun this school year at the small secondary school on Lorraine Avenue that included the purchase of a $7,000 Harkness Table and fosters a classroom experience that enables students to “take on the education process” according to Morgan. 

“The onus is on the instructor to be a facilitator and an integrator versus a lecturer,” said Morgan, a teacher who also serves as the Academy's Head of School. “So there's a different dynamic expected of the teacher to be part of the discussion, leading it, then letting the kids own the process.”

Launched at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., in 1931, the Harkness Method originated from oil magnate and philanthropist Edward Harkness' donation to the distinguished prep school while stating his desire to foster a classroom culture that encouraged an open exchange of ideas that would enhance a student's confidence and familiarity in the subject matter while stripping away the authoritative barrier between teacher and pupil.

Always on the lookout for fresh and innovative ways to expand their educational offerings while better preparing students for college, the idea for implementing the Harkness Method of teaching came during a meeting last year when Director of Admissions Joan Hearst suggested it to Morgan since she observed its success during her previous tenure at The Pingry School.

After selling the Board of Trustees on the benefits of adding the Harkness Method to augment their curriculum, Director of Institutional Advancement Patricia McGuire filled out the paperwork to procure a Hyde and Watson Foundation grant for $15,000 that included purchase of the table (which is only sold at Harkness Tables in Exeter, N.H.), chairs, a Smart Board, window treatments that matched the table and new carpeting.

“From an academic standpoint, it is very innovative,” McGuire said. “It's not your run of the mill thing.”

In just its third week of use, the Harkness Room might be the most popular at Lacordaire. Several humanities-based courses operate around the Harkness Table – which Hearst called “a piece of artwork for our building” ranging from economics and English to public speaking and Spanish.

Learning in the round has been beneficial for senior Katie Cryan, who said, “I notice that I'm not afraid to ask questions that I'm struggling with” while classmate Amanda Inacio said that in terms of gaining confidence in learning, “It definitely makes a difference.”

“It's a lot easier. Each person can express their opinion equally,” senior Zebbie Hunter. “You can see their facial expressions instead of the back of their heads like in other classrooms.”

Which, in some respects, makes imparting knowledge easier considering students cannot camouflage themselves in the back corner of the Harkness Room.

“There's no hiding,” Hearst said with a laugh.

“And plus it sets a nice tone when the kids come in,” Morgan added. “They know they're going to be part of a discussion-based program or subject for the day. It's not a lecture. We have the ability to utilize the Smart Board and utilize the blackboard, so you can have all kinds of dynamics going on in the classroom. That's what makes it really cool.”

Meanwhile, feedback proved positive at last Sunday's Open House, where parents of prospective students received their first introduction to the Harkness Method of teaching.

“I think this gave them a sense of a whole other level that they might not have seen at some of the schools they were looking at,” Hearst said.