A Case for Community Circles

Classroom community circles are powerful and can be integrated as a regular part of creating a strong sense of community, regulation, and empowerment for everyone. It’s a practice where all activities that take place in the class (and beyond) are debriefed and discussed - where students are not only problem solving in both proactive and responsive ways, but given a consistent forum where they are able to openly communicate, collaboratively think in a critical fashion, and understand that their voice, perspectives, and opinions have some agency in their class and school experiences.

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I believe that community circles require teachers to navigate between the roles of participant and facilitator. There’s constant inquiry and risk in community circle engagement. The teacher needs to model, be genuine, and learn along with the students, as well as, at times, enhance and steer the interactions and conversations in a positive and intended direction. 

Collaborative communication is foundational to the implementation and practice of community circles. There’s intentional discussion and dialogue, with the explicit goals of listening, sharing, appreciating-and-affirming, and cooperating towards specific goals. No one idea stands in isolation, but as a community, various perspectives, viewpoints, work efforts, and feelings are put out there to be respectfully informed and enhanced through feedback and reaction from other individuals, and the group as a whole. It may take a while, but the initial phases of implementing community circles must be done in a careful, intentional, and culturally responsive way - i.e., know your students and what will best support all of their participation in a safe and accepting classroom climate. Get-to-know-you activities and surveys at the beginning of the school year are helpful. 

Once established, academic, social, cultural, environmental, and other class, school community, and global issues and challenges can be brought to this powerful process for combined critical thinking and innovative solutions. Community circles are in no small way about building and using trust to support individual and communal growth mindsets. It’s about individuals participating in and contributing to the group and, in return, the group adding to the individual’s academic, social, and personal capital and confidence.

I feel that the integration of digital portfolios, where students are able to reflect on the process and outcomes of participation, can make community circles even more effective for all the students. There may be times when, for one reason or another, a student is reticent to fully contribute and voice his or her opinions or perspectives. However, that doesn't mean that they don't have any - and being given another way to comment and contribute (especially if the digital portfolios are shared for feedback) is supported. 

In addition, creating a class site or place where community circle questions and reflections might be posted - anonymously or not - is another way to invite all students to participate.

Please watch the following video to view more about how to implement community circles. Please note that the groupings in the video are uni-gender, which may not be possible, or the objective of, your particular classroom setting.   

References

Community Circles Image ~ Fall 2019. One World Spiritual Centre. https://i1.wp.com/oneworldspiritualcenter.net/wp-content/uploads/Community-Circles-wide-palegreen.png?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1

The Power of Community Circles Image. Association for Middle Level Education. https://www.amle.org/Portals/0//EasyDNNnews/1068/1068iStock-906970948.jpg

Weekly Circles: Building Community to Foster Academic Achievement. Edutopia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjVI-1XDX_Y