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Action Research Report Improving Classroom Community through Sharing Circles Prof 190B April 11th 2014 Chloe Sinclair, 10084958 Introduction: When I made my decision to study education at Queens last year, something that really helped me decide was the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program. Throughout my undergrad I took a really keen interest in Aboriginal literature which allowed me to learn a great deal about Aboriginal culture and practices. Because of my interest in Aboriginal Education and my respect for Aboriginal culture, I wanted to find a way to incorporate it into the classroom in a holistic manner. This led me to the idea of creating a sharing circle in the classroom where students are able to express themselves and their feelings, making use of the talking stick that was gifted to me by my ATEP program coordinator.

Classroom/School Context: The class that I chose to introduce a sharing circle in was a grade 1/2 split class. The class had a large majority of students in grade 2; however the class had a very interesting mix of students. There were 26 students in the class, 8 of which were in grade 1. That being said, with the exception of 3 students, the entire class was considered ELL. The majority of the students have recently immigrated to Canada from refugee camps from countries such as Somalia, Iraq and Haiti to name a few. Because so many students have recently immigrated to Canada there was a huge amount of diversity in the classroom and a huge variety of

reading levels. This inevitably affected the students ability to communicate both with one another and with the teacher.

Starting Point When I came into the classroom I was really impressed with how supportive my teacher was with her students. It was really great to see how the students responded to her and I was able to see that they really felt comfortable talking to her. However, as a result of some of the traumatic experiences students have had at such a young age there were problems in the classroom with students acting out or having severe reactions. An example was that I was dealing with a frustrated student who was in grade 2 and he told me with clenched fists and shaking because he was so angry that the little boy with whom he was upset was "lucky he didn't kill him because that's what he wanted to do". This came from a student that I found to be very thoughtful and compassionate, an eager student who was not typically a behaviour problem. Having a breakdown like this during a school day inevitably interrupts the learning of not only that student, but of their peers. This led me to consider how I could create a space for students to talk about their feelings. I decided that by implementing a sharing circle in the classroom it could give students an opportunity to share their feelings before they built up into a scenario where a student loses control.

Early Data I was very lucky to have such a supportive associate teacher because when I explained that I wanted to introduce a sharing circle into the classroom she was very open to any changes that I wanted to make and gave me free reign with this project. I first suggested that we do the

sharing circle twice a week, on Monday's and Friday's. When I presented the sharing circle I tied it into the social studies unit on community that I was teaching explaining that this was an activity that would help our classroom grow as a community. This really grabbed the students' interest because they had been having a lot of fun with this unit. I also told the students of how my talking stick came to me and how it is used in my culture. I found this to be an effective way to introduce the project because there were so many different cultures in the classroom they were eager to learn about mine. I explained that when someone had the talking stick they needed to have the respect of the classroom and they would be the only person speaking. I also emphasized to the students that this was a safe space where they could talk about anything they needed to and that anything said was not meant to leave the circle. I started the sharing circle, modelling what we were hoping to hear, this helped the first few students to share about their feelings, however by the time we got about halfway around the circle the students had started to create crazy and silly stories to share, often telling the class about their weekend with ninjas. But, because of the instructions I gave where the students had the power to talk I didn't want to interrupt the students and this was still a positive experience because many students who normally weren't confident with their language were sharing and speaking to their classmates. However, my original goal had been for students to have a safe place to express their emotions so I altered the sharing circle by creating a sentence frame. The students were asked to complete the sentence "Today I feel....because....". Both my associate teacher and I found that this prompted the students to talk about how they were feeling on that day and why.

Further Questions

Having the students make use of a sentence frame in order to express their emotions allowed many of the students to express themselves more clearly, however my associate and I found that it also left some of the very low level ELL students and the two ASD students a bit left out. They were less engaged when there was less giggling and more structure to the circle. This left me with the question as to how I could improve the circle in order to be inclusive to everyone in the room which had been my original goal. I spoke with my associate teacher and told her about my question. She suggested that we use pictures designed for autistic students to express their feelings. Together, we created six pictures, sad, happy, mad, nervous, tired and silly cards that had corresponding pictures to these feelings. We placed these cards in the center of the circle with the sentence frame. When an ELL student had the stick we were able to point to different cards and they were able to pick which they were feeling. Another question based on my initial efforts was whether or not it was good to have prescribed times for the sharing circle or whether it would be better to have a sharing circle whenever the associate teacher or I could sense that the students needed a circle. This is something that I am still wondering about as I believe there are benefits to both.

Additional Data As the students became more and more used to the sharing circle and what it was meant to be used for, I noticed a huge change in the dynamic during the circle. I was very impressed with how the students were able to respect each other and once that respect was clear students began sharing things that were a lot more personal and emotional. It was really great to see

students dealing with their emotions in a positive way. I observed students taking the time in the talking circle to tell another student that when they acted in a certain way it made them sad or mad, which was a huge breakthrough. I also observed the students sharing personal achievements that they were proud of. As the circle developed into a part of the student's routine I also had students coming to me and asking for a sharing circle that day because they had something they needed to say. This was a huge breakthrough for me because I was happy to see that it had become a coping mechanism as opposed to acting out or becoming violent. This also led me to consider my earlier question as to whether there should be prescribed times for the sharing circle or whether it should be used when needed. I felt like having the prescribed time for the sharing circle was great to establish routine and to have a specific time for the students to unwind, however if the students are in need of a circle and are requesting it I believe that it can also be conducted then. For example, on my very last day we had planned on doing a sharing circle at the end of the day, however after the first recess a lot of the students came in clearly very distressed and so my teacher and I chose to take time out of the class to have a circle. The students shared what had upset them at recess, what happened and how they could solve it. This was a really powerful experience for me to see the circle used in such a positive way and after many of these problems were resolved the students were able to learn far more effectively than if their distress hadn't been acknowledged.

Professional Insights

Over the course of this action research I really grew to understand the importance of creating a classroom environment where students feel safe and heard. Students spend a huge amount of time in the classroom and it is so valuable to take time to validate their feelings. While the sharing circle did not heal all the conflicts that present themselves in a classroom, it gave students a safe space to share their feelings not only with the teacher but also their classmates. Coming into the class I saw that the students had a really strong connection to the teacher, however they seemed to be lacking empathy towards one another. Having the sharing circle allowed the students to hear how their peers were feeling and this allowed them to relate to one another. Furthermore, it allowed them to understand how their actions have an effect on one another. My associate teacher has told me that they plan on continuing the sharing circle and I believe that with time the circle could start being used to discuss some of the traumatic experiences the students have had. Ultimately, I felt that this action research really allowed me to see how much is involved in the teaching process, not simply just meeting curriculum expectations.

New Practices The most important teaching practice that I developed and found successful was the circle itself. I would have students sitting in a circle and I had an object, for me it was a stick and when someone has the stick they should be the only person speaking. This was a time for students to share how they are feeling so they would share (for example) "Today I feel mad because someone stole my pencil. When people steal from me it doesn't make me feel good because...". This gave students a time to really express themselves. It also helped the

students develop their oral language because they needed to explain why something made them feel a certain way. Another teaching practice that I developed and found very successful is using the autism prompts to help with teaching students who are in the process of learning the English language. I found that the images and practices that have been developed for autistic students very effective because they were very simple and often had a written instruction or word to identify as well as a simple and easily identifiable picture on it. This helped students to communicate with others as well as develop their language.

Findings Ultimately I found that by introducing a talking circle into the classroom, the whole class benefitted. Students felt more comfortable expressing their feelings with one another and I knew that they enjoyed the experience because they had started to ask specifically for a sharing circle. After speaking with my associate teacher, she felt that it was a very worthwhile addition to the classroom and had planned on continuing it. When I came back for a visit she mentioned that they had kept it going and when I was in the classroom students requested that we do one. Given the positive student response, I think that the sharing circle absolutely helped students find a positive outlet to talk about their emotions and feelings. I noticed that students felt more comfortable with one another and that more conflicts were being resolved as a class and without violence. Because there was less visible frustration and outbursts of conflict, students were able to concentrate and engage in lessons more effectively. In addition, students were more supportive of each other in classes and seemed to be

encouraging each other which was a really great thing to see since the students were at such different levels.

Validation The first source that I found useful in conducting my action research project is the article Circle Time for Social and Emotional Learning in Primary School by Carmel Cefai, Erika Ferrario, Valeri Cavioni, Audrey Carter and Tracy Grech. This article really helped me understand the full impact that a sharing circle can have on a classroom. The article states that teachers and students who had implemented a sharing circle "mentioned such benefits as better teacher-pupil relationships, posiive classroom climate and various social, emotional and academic benefits for the students, including enhanced motivation and engagement in academic learning such as listening, speaking and problem solving positive behaviour and social and emotional learning such as listening skills, communication skills, self-esteem and sharing experiences" (118). This was really great to read because it helped me realize that the results that I was seeing were real and not simply wishful thinking on my behalf. The next source that helped me was the article Children's Experiences During Circle-Time: a Call for Research Informed Debate by Tony Leach and Ellie Lewis. This article was helpful because it exposed me to a new opinion which is that circle time and sharing opportunities are not a worthwhile experience for students. The article argued that the sharing circle "practice is embedded in populist therapeutic orthodoxies that portray children as emotionally vulnerable and in need of scripted forms of nurturing and support" (44). This stuck out to me because I did implement a specific script. However, I felt that the overall the sharing circle was very positive for my students and once they no longer needed the script

they did not use it. The article also speaks to children who have had negative experiences with sharing circles, addressing situations where they were forced to share even though they did not feel comfortable or being asked to leave because what they shared was not deemed appropriate. While I never had rules like this, this article helped me to realize what to avoid in the future. The final article that I read to help with my action research is the article There is No End to a Circle Nor What can be Done Within It by John Stanier. This article was very interesting because it addressed how to adapt a primary circle to be used in a secondary classroom context. While I did not make use of any of his strategies, I found it very interesting and if I ever find myself teaching a secondary classroom I will make use of his techniques.

Next steps If I was continuing this project, my next steps would be to continue working with the students in my class who did not have the language level to be able to orally share their feelings. I would want them to feel comfortable to share in their own language. Another step I would take is to make use of the sharing circle format in other aspects of the class. For example, I would make use of the talking stick during literacy, having students develop their story telling techniques. Or, to consolidate their learning have the students pass the talking stick around in order to share something they have learnt over the course of a unit.

Messages for my first year Considering my experience, I want to include a sharing circle in my classroom routine from the very beginning of the year. I believe that establishing a classroom with this right away

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would create an inclusive and respectful classroom environment. I believe that students will respond to the sharing circle at any age and that it would be a worthwhile addition to any classroom that I find myself in. I will always remember how much the sharing circle changed from the first time I introduced it to the last one I did with the class where the students were really able to express their emotions. Given the change that I experienced in three weeks, I can only imagine what students would be able to do in one year with a sharing circle.

Insights into professional learning as a teacher When I thought about professional research I thought that it would be something that I was forced to implement into my classroom, having to adapt to the "newest and most effective" teaching strategy. And while after being in the classroom I know that there is a certain amount of this that takes place in a schooling system, this project helped me to realize that my professional development can also be in the form of classroom strategies that I am passionate about. Furthermore, I didn't realize how quickly I would see a change. After my first sharing circle I had been expecting that throughout the three weeks the students would likely continue in the same way. However, they really responded to the project and the opportunity to share their feelings. Seeing this change was extremely rewarding and made this into one of the most worthwhile experiences I have had.