Circle time: some basics

Rationale:

• builds empathy, self esteem, cooperation, children's involvement and ownership of classroom life, problem-solving skills; improves behaviour
• part of NC "Speaking and Listening"
• can be seem as part of the moral education curriculum
• a creative and flexible tool

It is vital to signify that circle time is different from other classroom activity by establishing a basic form or ritual:

• the space should be as circular as possible with everybody's body language showing that they are included in the group
• it is better to use chairs rather than cushions, though for younger children the latter may be more appropriate: the physical boundary created by chairs can be important, though clearly there can be logistical difficulties
• all are equal within the group and should be visible to everyone else
• ideally, the group should happen at the same time each week. Additional circle times may be held if there are problems to be sorted out: this could be initiated by both pupils or teacher.

Active listening is the underlying skill which needs to be taught before the group can move on:

• make clear the distinction between passive listening (often pretending or daydreaming) and actively taking it what has been said
• get the children's ideas of what makes a good listener and write them down
• ask the children to think about who listens and who doesn't - and what each feels like
• have the children in pairs telling each other about, eg, their favourite things; the children then introduce each other telling the rest of the group about their partner

Ground rules need to be taught, reinforced and modelled each time:

• anybody can "pass" on an activity by saying "pass" or better still by using a codeword, such as "elephant" which is humorous, and makes light of the situation. Often children which would most benefit from speaking are the ones which don't say anything, but after a few sessions they usually build up enough confidence.
• there is an object/ talking stick (often chosen by the class): only the person holding this can talk. This is often a very powerful device which children quickly respect
• all others are in the active listening mode
• confidentiality - you may wish to have some form of this rule though there are potential difficulties here especially with parents. It is not possible to promise absolute confidentiality because of the possibility of disclosure.
• the teacher is part of the group and joins in the activities
• there are no "put downs" of others - though expression of negative feelings is OK such as: "I felt upset when Jordan called me that", rather than, "Jordan is a *****!"

Ice breakers - it is important to keep the content "light" and fun when needs be:

• fruit salad - go around the room naming everyone apple, pear, banana, apple, pear, banana etc. You may have less or more fruits. When you say "apple" all the "apples change seats and so on for other fruits or combinations. Fruit salad means "all change".
• naming a favourite thing, object, colour etc: this requires a single word reply and gets everybody talking
• changing seats (or just standing up) could be done with hair or eye colour, favourite programmes, etc, or even more difficult material such as "change places if you've been bullied"
• pass the squeeze: everyone holds hands. The teacher starts a squeeze with her left hand the next pupil receives it with their right then passes it on with their left and so on around the group
• pass the picture - done silently - each person adds a single line or shape and passes it along to the next person
• zoom - eek! a child says "zoom" while moving their head; the next child follows so that a "Zoom" goes around the classroom; however, if someone says "eek" then the direction is reversed. It is possible for the zoom to get stuck: ask the children for ideas about how to solve this.

Sentence starters are a way of beginning to allow children to open up. The children have to complete a sentence such as:

• "I feel happy when....."
• "today I will...."
• "I wish I could...."
• "If I were a giant I would...."
• "the best/worst day of my life was...."
• "if I were headteacher I would...."

The teacher could feed back each child's comments:

• Kayleigh: "I feel upset.....when Katie won't talk to me"
• Teacher: "Kaleigh feels upset when Katie won't talk to her.

In this way the teacher models active listening skills.

This feeding back could also be done by the child sitting next to the one who has just spoken.

It is important to have a balance towards potentially positive statements.

Working with feelings:

• all feelings are OK - the teacher should not try to favour one over another
• don't try to talk them away -eg : "you shouldn't feel upset - its your birthday!"
• the teacher could paraphrase/summarise the child's comments
• encourage the children to "speak their own truth" rather than say what someone else is feeling
• don't try to force feelings out of children. It is better to say too little than too much. Circle time is not a therapy group and it is important to tip the balance in favour of building positives rather than dealing with heavy issues. Any difficult issues raised should be ones that can be solved by the class or teacher; home problems should be generally avoided in circle time

Building self esteem can be done by encouraging the child to reflect on their own strengths and those of the person sitting next to then:

• each child takes it in turn to say: "I am a good reader and (Nathan) is ...."

By balancing a good comment about themselves with one about another, children are less likely to feel self conscious about blowing their own trumpet.

• single out one child for positive comments. This could be just one child per day which will make them feel very special and valued. Make sure everyone gets a turn.

Problem-solving is a good way for children to feel involved in classroom life and to support each other:

• the "focus child" says: "I'd like to be better at...(keeping my temper, working harder..) this week/today".
• each child in turn can: pass, say "have you tried...[helpful suggestions]" or "I can help you by ...[a practical thing that child can do]"
• review how things have gone next circle time

Alternatively, there could be a sentence starter such as:

• "this class would be better if...."

If a common complaint emerges then the teacher may wish to problem-solve this by each child suggesting what they could do to help. Alternatively, the teacher could carry out a brainstorming exercise: during this phase it is not necessary to use the talking stick.

Using an anonymous box: some children may find it difficult to bring up worries, fears or problems within the group - in this case it is helpful to have a box where such feelings, written on paper, can be placed. During circle time some of these could be taken out and discussed or problem-solved.

Keeping good order: is as vital as in any other lesson; perhaps more so because of the need to develop listening skills. Disruptive or non-cooperative behaviour may occur at some point:

• always focus on positives - spread praise liberally, make specific and personal, ("well done, Nathan, you listened really well when Emma was talking") - catch 'em being good!
• make reference to the class rules
• praise the person next to the disruptive child
• ask the children to help problem-solve x's difficulties and see how they can help them
• use a token system ("marbles in a jar") with difficult pupils being worth more "points" - give a whole class reward
• exclude if you really have to, but allow ample opportunities for re-inclusion

Overall structure

• "attunement": getting everyone into the circle both physically and psychologically; reiterating the rules - checking if additional rules are needed
• ice breakers
• substantive activity
• closure: making sure that any lose ends are tied up; have a light activity which closes the session and brings the group together

Taken from NFER/DfEE website: improving schools conference

"We introduced Circle Time at our school about three years ago and it is now a regular feature in every class. Most classes have at least three Circle Times a week and some have one every day. Extra Circles are also held if the class or teacher have a particular need. It is part of our behaviour policy which focuses very heavily on self esteem. We have Peer Mediation and the Circle Time activities of focused listening, building appropriate language with which to express emotions and feelings. We used the Circle Time approach for class based collective worship and have just started using Circle techniques/rules for maths lessons. We think it's brilliant!. This is just one part of our Behaviour Policy so it is very difficult to say the it is Circle time that has made the difference, but even Ofsted were impressed! Both children and staff find Circle Time most worthwhile.

We've even had Circle Times for staff, something we want to do more. It has helped raise children's confidence and self esteem and we have not had any major fights in three years. (We only need 13 lunchtime supervisors, and they all think the children's behaviour is great.) One of the reasons it has been so successful at our school is that is really is done by everyone. It's not one of those whole school activities that is actually only done by a few!

Judith Jones

Headteacher

Birmingham (two form entry primary)

(adapted with permission)

Based on lots of different sources: including the two Lame/Lucky Duck publications, the Listening School (Gilmore and Hill, 1993) through observation of good practice, discussions with practitioners, and my own attempts!

Last modified 10 March1998