The Teaching Circle

The Teaching Circle breaks with tradition and allows students including the teacher to sit facing each other.

A great accelerated learning technique it allows the following:

Equality
All students are equal. No one person can take up a 'power' position or be put in an ‘inferior’ position.

Greater Communication and Interaction
Communication is easier as everyone is facing each other and therefore all can see and hear who and what is being said. Interaction is with all persons and not just the few that would have sat next to each other.

Greater Classroom Management
The teacher can easily move participants to other positions around the circle. This is done by going round the circle and giving everyone either a number 1 or 2 then asking all the 2s to move 4 places to the left or right.

Teambuilding
The participants feel that they are an equal part of a team instead of being 'someone in a corner' or 'someone at the back'.

Participation
Participation is heightened and becomes more challenging especially to those who need to 'come out their shells'.

User Friendly Debating
The circle allows for more friendly discussion and debate amongst students. Communication skills are honed.

More Visible Body Language
Body language is key to learning. All students will be able to pick up on everyone’s especially the teacher’s body language therefore heightening communication. This is especially good for visual learners.

Cohesion
It lends itself to a more cohesive group. The teacher will have increased visibility and control.

Behaviour
It will help the teacher with students who are mischievous or who have bad behaviour as everyone is ‘out in the open’.

Using Presentation Aids
When using whiteboards, blackboards or showing film clips open up the circle to a horseshoe with everyone facing the board or projector screen.

The Teaching Circle works. We have used it on every one of our courses since 1999. If you have a large group double up the circle and move the students from inside to outside and vice versa at break times.

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