Our Classroom Sharing Circle

This week I introduced the concept of the 'sharing circle' to the students or rather the Covid-19 version of the 'sharing circle!' Here's how it works...I may pose a question (e.g. Would your rather be a famous musician or a famous scientist? ), a debate prompt (e.g. Do you think all schools should have uniforms) or allow them to have an open sharing cirlce which means they can talk about anything they would like. Sometimes, I may use the 'sharing circle' to settle a dispute or arguement that is taking place in the class.  Since we can no longer pass the talking stick or talking feather around the circle, I have written up all of the student names on cards which I shuffle and then I randomly pick names from the deck.  The rules are simple - only one person speaks at a time and we must practice active listening by looking at the speaker and carefully considering their ideas. From time to time, I facilitate the discussion or set up the debate prompt by providing information to the students first.  Students are encouraged to give brief answers 1-3 sentences in length (otherwise it takes too long) and to speak in a clear, coherant manner.