The students shared what they did over the long weekend in a sharing circle activity. Each student had a turn to share two things about their weekend while the others listened respectfully. The teacher facilitated the activity, ensuring students took turns and didn't speak for too long. In reflection, the author notes that such sharing activities foster a sense of community and help students learn listening skills. It also alleviates the urge to interrupt by giving students dedicated time to share and prevents distractions before lessons begin.
The students shared what they did over the long weekend in a sharing circle activity. Each student had a turn to share two things about their weekend while the others listened respectfully. The teacher facilitated the activity, ensuring students took turns and didn't speak for too long. In reflection, the author notes that such sharing activities foster a sense of community and help students learn listening skills. It also alleviates the urge to interrupt by giving students dedicated time to share and prevents distractions before lessons begin.
The students shared what they did over the long weekend in a sharing circle activity. Each student had a turn to share two things about their weekend while the others listened respectfully. The teacher facilitated the activity, ensuring students took turns and didn't speak for too long. In reflection, the author notes that such sharing activities foster a sense of community and help students learn listening skills. It also alleviates the urge to interrupt by giving students dedicated time to share and prevents distractions before lessons begin.
The students shared what they did over the long weekend in a sharing circle activity. Each student had a turn to share two things about their weekend while the others listened respectfully. The teacher facilitated the activity, ensuring students took turns and didn't speak for too long. In reflection, the author notes that such sharing activities foster a sense of community and help students learn listening skills. It also alleviates the urge to interrupt by giving students dedicated time to share and prevents distractions before lessons begin.
Observation Today one of the first things that happened in class was an opportunity for students to share with the class what they had done over the weekend. It was the Tuesday after a long weekend, and I noticed the excitement and increased level of chatter as the students began to stream into the school. They had just spent four days away from their friends and classmates, and had lots of stories to share about what they had done. They sat down in a circle on the floor at the meeting area in the classroom, and Mrs. X gave one of her helpers for the day the talking stick to start off the sharing. Each student had an opportunity to share two things about their weekend, but they could also pass if they didn’t feel like sharing. Only the student with the talking stick was allowed to speak, and after each student shared there was an opportunity for questions or comments. Mrs. X was quick to speed up students who were taking too long, and held firm on the rule of only sharing two things. She and I also shared what we had done that weekend, and the entire activity was done in about 20 minutes. Reflection Participating in this activity with the class, I was given a sense of déjà vu. I can remember doing something similar at my school, and the feeling of excitement I had to be able to share whatever I wanted, and to have all my classmates and teachers listen to me respectfully. In fact, this is something we have even done in my university classes. Superficially, it may not appear to add a lot of value, but I can think of several reasons why it would be important to have this activity. First, it alleviates the sense of urgency that many students may feel to talk to their classmates as opposed to doing their work. Their sense of time is vastly different, and in the span of a four day weekend, a lot could have happened. This prevents them from interrupting a lesson with an off-topic comment, and allows for distractors to be aired and dealt with before lessons begin. Making the sharing circle a weekly activity creates a sense of routine for the students. They know they don’t need to interrupt morning announcements or talk to all their friends on the playground because they will have a chance to share. It fosters a sense of community in the classroom – throughout the year, I can imagine they learn all about each other through these glimpses into their lives outside of school. Having the teacher share makes her seem a little more human and less scary. Lastly, it helps foster good listening skills. The students know they will have their turn, and as such, there is no need to interrupt someone else when they are speaking. I think it is important that each student is given that time to say whatever they want and receive everyone else’s undivided attention. Sometimes kids can get brushed off by other people, especially adults, who can with one comment diminish the entire experience that they were going to share. I think we need more of that excitement and joy in our world, and instead of brushing it off, we should recognize its validity and encourage children to embrace instead of keeping it inside all the time.