Is This School Helping My Child Think for Themselves? 7 Questions Parents Should Ask

The following is an AI summary of The Lawrenceville School’s 18:10 podcast series with English teacher Pier Kooistra, the Robert S. and Christina Seix Dow Master-Teaching Chair in Harkness Learning, and science teacher Brianna Thompson, who graduated from Lawrenceville in 2018. Listen now to “Harkness in Action” wherever you get your podcasts.

At Lawrenceville, Harkness is in action in our classrooms, in our science labs, on our stages and playing fields, and in the spaces that our students call “home.” Learn more about how Harkness learning is used throughout Lawrenceville on our academic, athletics, and performing arts pages and in Pier Kooistra’s blog essay, “Why Harkness.”

In a world overflowing with information, discernment is a critically important skill. It’s the ability to listen carefully, ask meaningful questions, consider diverse viewpoints, and articulate your own perspective with clarity and confidence.

This is the kind of thinking that Harkness learning was designed to cultivate.

First introduced in the 1930s by philanthropist Edward Harkness, this method transformed classrooms by replacing rows of passive listeners with a round table of active participants. Instead of lectures, Harkness learning relies on discussion. Students are encouraged to engage directly with the material—and with one another. The teacher is a guide, but not the dominant voice in the room.

At a time when polarization, digital distraction, and academic pressure can compromise the classroom experience for students, Harkness offers a space where authentic thinking, collaboration, and respectful challenge are not just encouraged—they’re expected.

For parents considering the next step in their child’s education, understanding how a school fosters independent thinking and perspective-taking is essential. Below are seven questions that can help you identify whether a school’s classrooms are designed to develop these lifelong skills.

1. Who does most of the talking in class—teachers or students?

In many classrooms, students spend most of their time listening passively. But the best learning happens when students are asking questions, speaking thoughtfully, and engaging fully in a text or topic.

At Lawrenceville, the Harkness table is a symbol of shared responsibility. Students come prepared not just to answer—but to contribute. They learn how to make a point, respond to others, and collaborate in building knowledge.

✔ Look for classrooms where students drive the conversation and practice real discourse.

2. How does the school help students grow comfortable with discomfort?

Learning how to think critically requires encountering new ideas—and sometimes disagreeing with them. A strong academic culture doesn’t avoid discomfort; it teaches students how to move through it with integrity and openness.

Whether they’re analyzing a difficult text or debating a scientific question, Lawrenceville students are taught to challenge and be challenged, all within a respectful and inclusive environment.

✔ Ask how the school helps students navigate disagreement and develop intellectual resilience.

3. Do students have opportunities to lead their own learning?

Independent thinkers aren’t created through top-down instruction. They develop when students are trusted to take initiative: to raise questions, explore ideas, and make connections.

Harkness classrooms at Lawrenceville empower students to co-create their learning experiences. From student-led discussions to collaborative labs and simulations, learners are encouraged to direct the flow of inquiry.

✔ Ask how often students are invited to shape the learning—not just follow it.

4. Is feedback part of the learning journey—or just the final step?

Too often, students receive feedback only after the grade is final. But the most powerful learning happens when feedback is timely, formative, and part of the process.

In a Harkness classroom, feedback isn’t just given—it’s exchanged. Students learn how to critique, revise, and grow through thoughtful peer and teacher input. They see feedback not as failure, but as fuel for growth.

✔ Look for evidence of reflective practice and student-centered feedback.

5. How are multiple perspectives encouraged and explored?

In the Harkness model, the classroom becomes a microcosm of society: diverse, dynamic, and ideally, democratic. Students learn to listen actively, engage respectfully, and remain open to having their minds changed.

At Lawrenceville, this isn’t limited to humanities. In science, math, and arts classrooms, students are regularly invited to consider alternate hypotheses, explore unexpected outcomes, and value diverse approaches to problem-solving.

✔ Ask how the school integrates different viewpoints into class discussion and inquiry.

6. How is thinking made visible?

In classrooms focused solely on right answers, the thinking process gets lost. But in environments where how a student arrives at an answer matters just as much as the answer itself, deeper learning occurs.

Lawrenceville students are consistently asked to make their thinking visible—through whiteboard work, shared dialogue, collaborative writing, and oral defense of ideas.

✔ Ask to see student work that demonstrates thought process, not just outcomes.

7. Does the school culture reward curiosity—or just compliance?

Perhaps the most important question of all: Is the school cultivating students who ask “why?”—or just students who know how to follow directions?

At Lawrenceville, students are taught that curiosity is a strength. They’re encouraged to challenge assumptions, to wonder aloud, and to take intellectual risks. The result is not just high-achieving students, but deeply engaged learners with the tools to lead, adapt, and contribute.

✔ Choose a school that treats curiosity as essential—not optional.

Final Thought: Preparing Students for More Than College

The most compelling college applicants are deep thinkers, self-aware learners, and generous collaborators. These are the very qualities that Harkness learning nurtures.

As you visit schools and explore your options, keep an eye out for classrooms that:

• Empower students to lead and reflect
• Teach listening as deeply as speaking
• Encourage nuance, not noise

In a world that rewards adaptability, empathy, and communication, the Harkness method offers a timeless—and timely—foundation. At Lawrenceville, this is alive in our classrooms, in our science labs, on our stages and playing fields, and in the spaces that our students call “home.”

For more information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.