1. 1 I NFUSING C IRCLE T IME CONCEPT IN P EDAGOGY Tham-Kee Yong Huang Hwa Chong Institution

2. 2 JC levels : lecture-tutorial system Tutorials in classroom – approx 1 hr per session Introduction

3. 3 A TYPICAL CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT …

4. 4 I SSUES ARISING : Not all students are actively engaged in the lessons Students with short attention span find it hard to sustain their attention for 1 hr

5. 5 I SSUES ARISING : A small group of students monopolise the answering of questions Many simply ‘switch off’

6. 6 I SSUES ARISING : free-seating’ so students sit with their ‘clique’ Private talks/jokes Disruption to lessons and affects other students who desire to learn

7. 7 Circle time! The solution…

8. 8 W HY C IRCLE T IME ?

9. 9 increase the engagement level To increase the engagement level of students during tutorials sustain students’ attention To sustain students’ attention throughout the 1-hr lesson Objectives

10. 10 - DEVELOPED BY DR SUE ROFFEY - SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LITERACY - RELATIONSHIPS, RESILIENCE, RESPONSIBILITY CIRCLE TIME SOLUTIONS

11. 11 What I did… Adapt the CIRCLE TIME concept to tutorial setting Incorporating INTERACTIVE pedagogical strategies in lessons

12. 12 D R S UE ’ S C IRCLE S OLUTIONS AIM TO.. develop a caring classroom ethos and sense of belonging - increasing school connectedness develop the self-awareness, social and emotional skills that support resilience and healthy relationships

13. 13 A TYPICAL CIRCLE SESSION (R EF : D R S UE ) Principles Check in MixerActivity Energizer Check out

14. 14 E XAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES Greeting game Mix up game ‘Pass on’ games Paired interview Pair share Sentence completion Silent statement Energiser Support and communication games Group collaboration Role play Values: Structured small group discussions presented as games Feelings: Exploring a range of issues in a safe, indirect way. Strengths: identifying and developing abilities and personal qualities Our class - taking responsibility for what happens here Visualisation / stories Relaxation strategies

15. 15 MY CIRCLE EXPERIENCE WITH 08S6P

16. 16 FRAMEWORK Check In Mixer Content Top-Up Energiser Check Out

17. 17 First lesson Students seated in one big circle (with gap in front for teacher) Mixer Rationale of CIRCLES explained. Rules of CIRCLES laid. Agreement made to abide by the rules.

18. 18 The Rules One voice at a time Everybody participates No put downs You can skip your turn, but we will come back to you Buzz time Quiet signal Red card

19. 19 C ONTENT T OP -U P Objectives of lessons – on WB, to be reviewed at end of lesson Strategies used to engage students Teacher as facilitator Disruptive behavior managed immediately using the ‘proximity’ technique

20. 20 E XAMPLES OF S TRATEGIES Background knowledge probe – 1. 2. 3 fingers

21. 21 E XAMPLES OF S TRATEGIES Opening and closing – FOLDED FILE FOLDERS NameTopic

22. 22 T HE K W L This student has learnt what he has wanted to know and more.

23. 23 Misconceptions are corrected.

24. 24 E XAMPLES OF S TRATEGIES Talking chips – participation by all

25. 25 E NGAGEMENT IS THE KEY

26. 26 L ESSON CLOSURE Understanding continuum

27. 27 C HECK OUT – L ESSON CLOSURE Understanding continuum

28. 28 FEEDBACK ‘NORMAL’ LESSONS‘CIRCLES’ LESSONS

29. 29 FEEDBACK ‘NORMAL’ LESSONS‘CIRCLES’ LESSONS

30. 30 FEEDBACK ‘NORMAL’ LESSONS‘CIRCLES’ LESSONS

31. 31 FEEDBACK ‘NORMAL’ LESSONS‘CIRCLES’ LESSONS

32. 32 FEEDBACK ‘NORMAL’ LESSONS‘CIRCLES’ LESSONS

33. 33 FEEDBACK I like tutorials in CIRCLES because… they are very engaging they keep me awake and attentive I am more alert they make lessons more interesting the folded folder allows us to better understand the concepts taught

34. 34 FEEDBACK I like tutorials in CIRCLES because… they are more interactive they force us to participate in class, which is good, given that we are usually passive during normal lessons They help to facilitate learning in a more focused environment

35. 35 FEEDBACK 18 out of 25 students said the lessons are more engaging and interactive.

36. 36 C IRCLE TIME SATISFIES THE 3 BASIC NEEDS Autonomy Competence Relatedness

37. 37 LIMITATIONS Strategies used before, during and at the end of lessons should be varied so students will not get bored at the predictable moves by the teacher. The CIRCLES method cannot be used in every lesson, otherwise it will lose its novelty. Recommendation is to use CIRCLES for about 20% of the lessons.

38. 38 LIMITATIONS Physical constraints: suitable classroom arrangement of chairs suitable furniture

39. 39 RESOURCES Circle time for emotional literacy by Sue Roffey http://pdc.oetc.org/strategies

40. 40 T HANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME