Empowering Learners: Harkness Discussions & Mindfulness in Secondary Education Amber Rehm – Paul V. Moore High School

Rationale ▪ I teach AP World History to Sophomore students. It is a very challenging course and often students are very competitive and anxious about discussions and formal assessments. In an effort to lessen student stress level and to build a more collaborative and cooperative environment I implemented a new discussion model, the Harkness method. I also began to use mindful breathing techniques with my classes. I believe it is important to build an environment that encourages mindfulness in my classroom because of the high stakes nature of AP classes. I also believe that combining mindfulness with a rigorous curriculum can be beneficial to student learning and performance.

Methods Used

What is the Harkness Discussion Model? Developed at Phillips Exeter Academy with funds donated in the thirties by Edward L. Harkness Involves students seated in a circle, motivating and controlling their own discussion Teacher acts as little as possible (observe but may shift or direct a discussion if needed) Students share in the responsibility and are typically graded as a whole

What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them— without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.

Example of Mindful Breathing Technique ▪ Assume a comfortable posture lying on your back or sitting. If you are sitting, keep the spine straight and let your shoulders drop. ▪ Close your eyes if it feels comfortable. ▪ Bring your attention to your belly, feeling it rise or expand gently on the inbreath and fall or recede on the outbreath. ▪ Keep your focus on the breathing, “being with” each inbreath for its full duration and with each outbreath for its full duration, as if you were riding the waves of your own breathing. ▪ Every time you notice that your mind has wandered off the breath, notice what it was that took you away and then gently bring your attention back to your belly and the feeling of the breath coming in and out. ▪ If your mind wanders away from the breath a thousand times, then your “job” is simply to bring it back to the breath every time, no matter what it becomes preoccupied with.

Analysis of Student Data

Harkness Discussion Data ▪ “Do you believe that today’s breathing activity before the Harkness helped your performance during the discussion? ▪ Yes, and I would like to try it again before discussions and/or quizzes and tests. ▪ Yes, but I don’t want to or need to do it again. ▪ No, I don’t believe it helped or hurt my performance. ▪ No, I believe that it actually hurt my performance.” ▪ Out of the 40 students in both of my AP World classes, 25 students said that yes they believed it helped their performance and they would like to try it before their quizzes and tests.

Impact of Mindfulness on Formal Assessments Marking Period 32AC 5BD (Mindfulness) Ch. 16 Quiz16/20 = 80%16.5/20 = 83% Harkness Discussion 8.3/10 = 83%8.5/10 = 85% Unit 4 Exam36/45 = 80%36.8/45 = 82% Marking Period 3 - 5BD class, the class that received the mindful technique, averaged higher on each of the three assessments.

Impact of Mindfulness on Formal Assessments Marking Period 4 2AC (Mindfulness) 5BD Ch. 17 Quiz16.4/22 = 75%17.4/22 = 79% Ch. 18 Quiz16.1/20 = 80%13.7/20 = 69% Unit 5 Exam41.5/50 = 83% Marking period 4 - more mixed results with my 2AC class averaging lower on the chapter 17 quiz, then higher on the chapter 18 quiz and finally averaging the same on the unit 5 exam.

WHAT DO THESE RESULTS MEAN? ▪ While looking at this data at first I was not really impressed with the impact of using mindful technique on students learning. However, as I looked more closely at the data I came to realize that there was more significance than what I first thought. Out of the six assessments that I used, four of the assessments showed positive impact of mindfulness on student performance. Only one assessment showed negative impact and one showed neutral. For the Harkness discussion it also appears that the mindful activity helped student performance in my 5BD class.

EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT DATA! The week before their AP World History Exam I asked both classes if they would like me to ask the proctor of their AP Exam to do a breathing technique with them before they started. 15 students in my 2AC class said yes (out of 19 students) 17 students 5 BD class said yes (out of 21 students) Honestly, this data was probably the most important to me!

COURSE EVALUATION DATA ▪ “I believe the breathing time before the AP exam helped my performance on my test.” Strongly Agree AgreeNeutralDisagree Strongly Disagree

COURSE EVALUATION DATA ▪ “I believe that Mrs. Rehm should use mindfulness techniques with her classes next year.” Strongly Agree AgreeNeutralDisagree Strongly Disagree

RESULTS: IMPACT OF MINDFULNESS ON STUDENT LEARNING ▪ Positive impact on student performance in discussions ▪ Positive impact on student performance on quizzes and tests ▪ Positive feedback from students about how they felt it helped their performance in discussions and on exams ▪ Students requested mindfulness for AP Exam and recommended it for next year’s students ▪ Added benefits for teacher survival