Use Discussion Circles In The Secondary Classroom

Course summary

This course will help you facilitate class discussion circles, where students are more actively involved and can safely explore their personal, social and cultural views. You will discover how to switch from a teacher who gives direct instructions to a facilitator who lets their students lead their learning.

https://vimeo.com/259630792/9688c8df9e?share=copy

You will learn:

• The basics of facilitation.
• How to set up a discussion circle for any group of students.
• How to use tools like group agreements and open-ended questions.
• How to provide a safe space for students to listen and share their views.

Course time:

This course will take you 2 hours to complete. Enjoy it in one session or spread it out over a few weeks. You will have ongoing access via your personal dashboard.

Accreditation:

This course is mapped to the Professional Standards for Teachers. It is accredited for teacher professional development hours in the following states and territories:

Proficient Teacher:

• 1.5.2 Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
• 3.3.2 Plan and implement well-structured learning and teaching programs or lesson sequences that engage students and promote learning.
• 3.5.2 Use effective verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student understanding, participation, engagement and achievement.

This course is not currently accredited in NSW (NESA). However, it can be counted toward NESA PD elective hours.

This course is accredited by TQI for 2 hours of professional development for teachers in the ACT for 2024.

Enrol now

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Course Content

Introduction

01.

Introduction

02.

Jane's story

03.

Set a learning goal

Facilitation And Discussion Circles

04.

Direct instruction and facilitation

05.

What is a discussion circle?

06.

General capabilities

07.

Student wellbeing

Two Important Parts

08.

Watch and think

09.

Know yourself

10.

Know the role of the facilitator - purpose

11.

Know the role of the facilitator - process

12.

Quick check-in

Facilitation Tools

13.

Setting up a circle

14.

Group agreements

15.

Group agreements and behaviour management

16.

Routines and rituals

17.

Questions and responses

Your Teaching

18.

Teaching tips

19.

Cool lesson plans

Reflection

20.

Taxonomy of learning

21.

Suggestions for collaboration

22.

Congratulations

Course instructors

Mark Drummond from Cool Australia is your course teacher. He has worked in the education sector for over 11 years as a classroom teacher, Leader of Pedagogy within an Ed-Tech startup and as an educational consultant. Mark is an absolute science nerd and loves talking about dinosaurs as much as he loves talking about education (which is a lot)!

Jane Fishburn helped write this course. She is an education consultant who devotes her time to improving the self-driven participation of young people. Jane began her career as a secondary drama and music teacher. Through a school leadership role, her direction turned to learning design. Jane moved to the not-for-profit sector, developing and managing education programs. This experience connecting teachers and students in community learning contexts drives her new work focus on people, possibility and change.

As a not-for-profit organisation all revenue from our Professional Development courses is reinvested into providing teachers with the resources to become the designers of exceptional learning.

Frequently Asked Questions