The Harkness Method of teaching was developed at Phillips Exeter Academy. The method's name comes from the oil magnate and philanthropist Edward Harkness, a graduate of St. Paul's School (New Hampshire), who presented the school with a monetary gift in 1930. This method of teaching has subsequently been adopted in numerous prep schools, where the small class-size makes it effective. Its use is clearly impractical for larger classes of students.

At Phillips Exeter, it finds this singular method of teaching, (the Harkness Method) the absolute out-and-out best way to conduct student learning. This method is enjoyed because it moves beyond the simple lectures that tend to bore students in class. This method consists of 12 students and one teacher who acts as a facilitator. The teacher will ask one question that is open-ended and the students will then go into a class discussion learning from one another.

Also, because the campus at Phillips Exeter Academy looks like a college campus with its dorms and the location away from a distracting big city, it is totally conducive to the Harkness Method. Plus, the school customs are interesting, and it operates from 8 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday with half days on Wednesday and Saturday. These things make the school enjoyable and beneficial for all the students. Truly, Exeter Academy has been designed to be a real revolution in teaching methods.

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