The question we asked teachers at Founders: "How do you exercise the teaching methods of project based learning, debates, and Harkness and Socratic style discussions in your classroom at The Founders Academy?" This blog post on the subject is a response from Mr. Van Ewyk, a history teacher.
Mr. Van Ewyk:
In US History classes the main goal is to allow students the opportunity to interpret history themselves rather than read others' interpretations. This is done through the analysis of primary source documents and follow up discussion and activities that require students to articulate their interpretations. Students are asked to debate each other, the teacher, and sometimes themselves in order to consider viewpoints that contradict their own.
Also, students are provided topics of discussion with multiple interpretations and then divided into groups for the purpose of a Harkness round table discussion. Students also engage in projects, mock trials, and formal debates in order to examine issues with depth and understanding.