We have done a lot of work the last two years with “healing circles”. And I can’t recall whether our facilitators have pointed this out, but our school is actually built around the concept of the circle. It began as a quirky, architectural choice in the building’s original design with these massive circular windows that span the height of both floors and look out from the building’s front facade. In the last wave of remodelling, the circular theme has become infused throughout the building. Our marquee at the front incorporates the circle, our expansive commons area uses the design in the carpet, massive circles hang from the ceiling, and the newly painted walls are decorated with them. Even the exterior walls of our theatre follow the curve of a circle, defying the usual square corners of large rooms and buildings.
It is a different feel from the traditional spaces of schools, where we have become accustomed to hard angles, straight lines, and clean, tidy box-like classrooms. The choice was intentional. A circle has a different power and connotation than a line or a set of rows. Energy flows differently, and there is a stronger sense of connection and community when we enter into circles.
It was not until I entered my PhD program-- where class sizes were much smaller-- that I experienced the power of the circle on a regular basis within the classroom. Many of my courses were set up so that we sat in a circle, shoulder to shoulder. We came together, joined in the common pursuit of knowledge, sharing and debating our thoughts and beliefs around an invisible axis. It is much harder to hide in a circle, to duck down and rest your eyes for a little, to check your phone or participate in side conversations without notice. In that sense, circles are much more transparent. Throughout so much of my schooling, students would prefer rows and move to the seats at the back of the room, some place where you might have a little more freedom to do what you please, to tune out and move more independently. Circles bring different energy and a different sense of community.
At the secondary level, this is not always feasible. Packing 30-35 students in a room does not allow many options for rearranging the furniture, or forming circles. And while it might not be practical to come together in circles everyday, I do make an effort to circle everyone up at least three or four times a trimester.
Here are a few classroom, circular ideas.
Snap Around. The Snap Around is a great, low risk class activity, even when you have large numbers. I use them sometimes for class openings and sometimes for closings. As an opener, they simply serve as a team builder or ice breaker. I will bring them to the circle, give them a prompt and have them “snap around” the circle with their responses as quickly as they can. It might be as light hearted as, “Name your favorite part of fall” or something a little more topical like, “What is the hardest part of reading?” I also like to do Snap Arounds as a type of formative assessments at the end of the hour. “Give the title of your book and state the general setting of the story” This is data! I learn a lot. Is the student willing to come to the circle? Has the student been reading? Does the student know what “setting” is?
Name Olympics. I got this activity from an online resource. It is perfect for Day One. And again, it is a low risk but high value ice breaker. For this, students just need to know their own name! Form a circle with you in it. Tell them that the goal is to say their names one by one moving, clockwise around the circle, as quickly as they can. Time them. Challenge them to do better on the second, or if you think they can do better, third time. Then do it again moving counter clockwise. Then challenge them to do it as fast as they can skipping every third person. Then have a contest where you start two lines at once-- one moving counter clockwise, one moving clockwise-- and see which line comes back around to you first. Again, it is fun. Folks can not help but hear the names of their peers multiple times, and hopefully there is some laughter.
Class Presentations. Whenever we have a project due in my reading classes, we circle up. I have students re-arrange their desks into a big circle, and students one-by-one share their project with the class. (For students who are not done, I have them speak about the work they have been doing and how far along in the process they are.) Students speak from their desks, so it feels a little less intimidating than a formal speech, but it still has the feel of something important or special as we gather together. As mentioned above, I also find that students are much better at listening to one another when they sit in this formation. There is just something about the energy of the group that makes it easier for people to stay invested and engaged. As a sidenote, I will frequently bring my advisory into a circle as well. It eliminates a sense of hierarchy and brings everyone together on the same plane.
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