Work in progress

The mission of the Center for Teaching & Learning is to learn how we can learn most effectively, to learn how we can teach most effectively and to share our practice and expertise with educators interested in our ever-evolving Harkness model.

Through our Exeter for Educators teachers conferences and our Harkness Outreach program, educators around the country and the world are developing the skills to facilitate the discovery that comes from a table discussion. And with our support of current students each night in The Learning Center right here on campus, we are making sure another generation of Exonians acquires the love of learning the Harkness approach fosters.

The Learning Center

A Harkness education cultivates a growth mindset and a desire to learn from one’s peers and adults. The Learning Center is a natural extension of this work. It offers a space for students to deepen their understanding through academic support and skill development, allowing them to reach their fullest potential. The Learning Center is open Sunday-Thursday evenings in the Library.

We want to build on our existing culture that asking for help is just a regular part of a good education.

Meg Foley, instructor in History

Exeter for Educators

At Exeter, we believe so strongly in the Harkness approach to teaching and learning, that we are eager to share it with other educators.

The late Anja Greer, a beloved instructor in mathematics, enlisted the help of many others in and out of the Math Department in the summer of 1985 to host the first Conference on Secondary School Mathematics and Computers at the Academy. Today, Exeter hosts week-long conferences each summer for hundreds of teachers in eight fields of study from across the education spectrum. We are a resource for educators who want to try Harkness in their classrooms and we provide tools to assist them in their goals.

We also take our show on the road. The Exeter Mathematics Institute visits schools around the U.S. and Europe for workshops taught by PEA math instructors. And Exeter Humanities Institute West is a five-day gathering in La Jolla, California, hosted by The Bishop’s School and taught be Exeter instructors.

Explore Exeter for Educators

Harkness Toolbox

Watch Harkness in action

Watch as Exeter students lean into discussions at the table.

Tools for the table

Developed by Exeter instructors that teachers anywhere can use to observe, assess and enhance classroom participation.