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Questions for Thinking
Writers
Learning Styles, Talent,
& Creative Thinking
Have You Tried This?:
Magic Circle Sessions
Connecting with English
Language Learners

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Have You Tried This?: Magic Circle Sessions (by Leif Fearn)

Circle sessions are about persons, not peoples. To conduct a Magic Circle session, first select between five and seven students on whom you can count to work responsibly and, eventually, independently. They're the ones who follow directions and contribute. Every teacher knows who those half-dozen students are. These students will make up the first inside circle.

Unannounced, bring the students to a place in the room around which the rest of the class can congregate comfortably. Those not in the first inside circle gather around the small group. Set the stage for the students in the outer circle. "You are tape recorders. Listen and watch. When we're finished, I will ask you what you heard and what you noticed. You may not talk. Your time on the inside will come later."

Set the stage for students on the inside. "We're going to have a little conversation. I will provide a topic and give you a moment to think. When someone has something to contribute, just start. You needn't raise your hand. When someone begins to talk, everyone must listen very carefully. Everyone will have a chance to contribute." "Now I have something for you to think about. Think of a time recently when something happened to you that made you feel good." Pause for about two counts. "Something that happened to you recently that gave you good feelings, something that left you in a good place..."

When they begin to talk, remember several things.

When someone is talking, look directly into the speaker's eyes.
Ensure that the speakers are listened to by other students by occasionally asking, "Who can remember what Ricardo said that made him feel good?"
Respond to each speaker by soliciting extensions. "Tell us more about that. How did that make you feel?"
Thank each contributor when he or she is finished. "Thank you for sharing."

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End Notes
Find the full version of Have You Tried This?: Magic Circle Sessions in the November 2002 issue of r•w•t™ magazine. Leif Fearn teaches reading, writing, social studies, and liberal studies at San Diego State University. He is also an author, a writing program developer together with Nancy Farnan, and a member of the r•w•t™ advisory panel.

References
The basis for circle sessions described in this column is the Human Development Program, the theory developed by Harold Bessell and Uvaldo Palomares and written into classroom operations mainly by Geraldine Ball. No description of the Magic Circle is valid without credit to Hal, Valo, and Gerry.

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