Circle Time Training

Waipawa School
06 September 2018
Jenny Mosley and Tukituki RTLB Cluster

Circle Time

Key Messages about Circle Time's importance

• Mental Health support and teaching
• Sets time aside to teach and recognise core societal values and the impact on each other that we have when we uphold these values.
• Children learn about manners and how to wait for a turn
• Eye contact (self-esteem) is used/taught/practised.
• Visualisation - so much of this is lost in today's education system and life.

How to start a Circle Time

Reinforce rules:

• listening
• thinking
• speaking 
• concetrating

Go into depth with these.  The introduction for this was about 5 minutes with 5 year olds.

You can introduce this by using a game.  For example Simon says.

• Standing up, sitting down, children sharing - rapid pace and keeps chn interested.  Constantly reinforce above rules.  Especially looking.  Manners and turn taking is a specific focus also.

Ways to warm up (visualising focus)

Pretending there's rain on my fingers:

• pass rain on
• up goes rain/down comes rain (finger wiggling)
• thunder on knees (woosh....away)
• Sun comes through - make a rainbow.  Can you say rainbow?

Try then telling a story that incorporates the above actions.  "I am walking and then there's lightning/wind/snow.  Maybe a snowman melting?

Body of lesson

Introduce a puppet.  Jenny used a turtle puppet.

The turtle introduced himself as a turtle who runs his grandfather's animal zoo.  

Each child had a turn to ask the turtle about an animal that might be in his grandfather's zoo - do you have a gorilla? 

Each child can only speak when they have the talking stick and no adult speaks either!  Accept chn copying answers.  Turtle responds with "Yes I have 2 butterflies" if the copying starts to happen.

After introducing puppet

• Come down to eye level
• Ask chn for help with playground issue:
  "Sometimes when I go outside, I get sad in the playground."
• Jenny role-played turtle being pushed over and cast on shell.  He talks about being called slow poke and slow coach before being knocked over as kids rushed past.  Told teacher and tchr says to ask someone to be your friend to play.

Stop and have an interactive guessing session

• I have a freind with a long nose, flappy ears and he is grey - who is he?
• I have a friend who is tall with their head in the clouds and black spots - who is she?

Bring it back to problem

• I asked them to play and they said, 'go away'.  Chn - what do we do?
• My big brother's advice was to call a horrible name back when noone is looking.  Should I? Shouldn't I?  Debate why/why not?

Role play problem

Jenny came into the circle with turle - "I have no friends."  Who can help?

Kaz helped Jenny by skipping with her.  How many ppl can we fit in rope?  Who can sing and rope skip?  "You are my sunshine..." or "twinkle little star".  Join other chn into the role play game of skipping.

• Remember to circle back after the role play to having someone to play with now and being happy.  Thanks to Kaz for asking me to play.

Plenary

Hug/Tickle/High 5/Kiss/Fist bump for turtle.

Remind chn that they have been:  looking, thinking, speaking and concentrating.

"We are stopping pretending now.  No more pretending." 

Extra ideas:

• Bubble time - a chance to put your name forward to share sand things that have happened with the teacher in your own special time.  
• Lesson plans along with other resources are online ad Lynn Marsh from Tukituki cluster RTLB happens to be the lead RTLB for Circle Time.
• Good choice jar - marble in the jar for when the class are making a great choice.
• A think box is a worry box.  Chn can put their worry into the box anonymously.  Don't try to find out who it is, and then things can be discussed in circle time.
• Good tales to be shared after lunch - don't let negative ones into the classroom.
• Extra game:  1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, nod, 2, 3, nod, 2, 3, nod, clap, 3 etc...
                        Pirate keys (in free book)

Key points to remember:

RELENTLESS POSITIVITY!!!!Remember to use 'bottom of the pyramid' IY techniques such as ignore, distract and proximity praise.  

Often there is a damaging dynamic within a class that will railroad a circle time.  Using role models from other (or older) classes will disrupt a dynamic enough to allow circle time to be effective.

Keep it fun - William Glasser.  Be organised and resourced for energisers and small breaks.

May children will like to touch you in Circle Time.  It is the oxytocin they are after which is given through touch.  Wean them off you slowly throughout the session.

Knock-on effect for Room 5 

• Due to having one student on the RTLB roll with Lynn Marsh as my RTLB, we have decided together that a focus on independence is required.  We are going to use Circle Time as a chance to work on the independence skill and Lynn is scheduled to come in and work with me for 3 sessions on this.
  
• Refine my use of the class marble jar into a more good choices focus inline with Jenny Mosley's principles for using this system.  It will keep it short, sharp and focused on the positive behaviour we are after.