Standing before his students, Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) lecturer Tim O’Brien remains silent. For the first few weeks of each semester, he doesn’t lecture. He barely says anything. He asks his students what they think, has them talk it out amongst themselves, and then invites them to share their ideas with the class.
Students are initially weary of their instructor’s silence—they are used to lectures and want an expert to explain things to them. But they inevitably rise to the occasion. For O’Brien, the purpose of education is not just to passively lecture but rather to “draw out” from students. This is the basis of the Socratic method and perhaps the biggest obstacle for educators when it comes to peer learning: shifting from schooling to developing what’s within students.
In his recent article on HBR, KONU partner and Harvard Lecturer Tim O’Brien shares insight from his courses at Harvard Kennedy School and allow his students to evolve their own thinking.