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Teacher Slides

Lesson 1: What are Talking Circles?

Lesson 2: What is a Talking Stick?

Lesson 3: What will we do in Our Talking Circles?

Module 1

Seeking Truth through Talking Circles

Lesson 4: Our Talking Circle Rules

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Teacher Slides

The following slides are meant for teachers.

They are not part of the student lessons slides

They offer the explanations and materials you will need to successfully prepare for introducing and running Talking Circles as a way to Seek Truth - one of your 4 cornerstones of Truth

Teacher Slides are indicated with an apple icon in the left corner

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Teacher Slides

Introduction to Traditional Talking Circles

Teacher Slides offer teachers notes and explanations on what Traditional Talking Circles are, how to run them.

Introduction to Talking CIrcles:

A fundamental step to a successful classroom:

One of the most fundamental aims in building a successful classroom is building connections and relationships with and among your students. This is not just something to do during the first week of school, it truly is the most important part of teaching. One way to connect with students throughout the school year is through a Talking Circle, which is a restorative practice and is PROACTIVE rather than REACTIVE. Whatever you want to call it, this is a time for you and your students to build relationships and for everyone to share their voice and feel valued.

TALKING CIRCLES: Let me just start by saying that before you think this is “one more thing,” to do in the classroom in your already busy day, you should really think of this as one more way to connect students to each other and the curriculum.

Background:

The talking circle is a traditional way for Indigenous peoples to solve problems. It is a very effective way to remove barriers and to allow people to express themselves with complete freedom. For this reason, it is becoming more and more popular in mainstream society. The talking circle is making its appearance in schools, corporate boardrooms and team dressing rooms around the world, for the simple reason that the technique works very well. The symbolism of the circle, with no beginning and with nobody in a position of prominence, serves to encourage people to speak freely and honestly about things that are on their minds.

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Seeking Truth Module 1

Unit 3

Using Talking Circles to Seek Truth

In this Unit students will learn:

What talking circles are
Three different ways that they will be used
The Guidelines for Circles
Make Talking Sticks
Simple mediation and reformative processes to help them solve minor conflicts

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Teacher Slide - A Teacher Perspective on Talking Circles

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What are Talking Circles?

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Teacher Slide - Talking Circles - Another Good Overview

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Types of Talking Circles we will run in Sandy Lake

Sharing Circles - we get to know one another better in a safe, private place

Problem Solving Circles - We will learn to settle and solve problems together related to Citizenship and Bullying. These are often called Restorative Circles

Learning Circles - We will use Circles to learn and study our Seven Sacred Teachings

Teacher Notes:

TYPES OF TALKING CIRCLES

We will be learning to run the three types of Circles outlined on the slide but here are extended explanations of what can happen in each type.

Sharing Circles:

The most common type of circle is a simple sharing circle, where people just share whatever they have to say. There is no particular purpose or theme, and many fascinating side-trips often happen. The sharing circle is also an excellent introduction to ceremonies, and is a great learning tool for those who are just discovering traditional Aboriginal ways. Circles are frequently incorporated into gatherings to generate a feeling of harmony and kinship in those who participate.

Healing Circles:

Another common circle, and perhaps the most powerful, is the healing circle. This is generally guided by the conductor, and will be convened to deal with issues that are bothering people. These issues may be specific, or the circle may be called to simply allow everyone to get any problems off their chests. Very often, a simple chance to have a voice, and to have a problem heard in a sympathetic and supportive environment, is all that a person requires for healing.

In addition, sharing amongst a group allows everyone to take a piece of the burden from the person with the problem, who then leaves the circle with a lighter load. However, since the problem does not belong to the other participants, they are able to lay down the piece of the burden they accepted and walk away without having increased their own loads.

Conflict Resolution Circles:

Another type of circle is used to mediate problems between people, either individuals or groups. Again, very often all that is required for a solution to such problems is the opportunity to hear and speak in complete honesty, so that both sides of the problem become aware of the impact of the problem on the other party. In these circles, the conductor guides the participants toward finding their own equitable solution to their problem, since a solution that is created by the participants is the most likely to work over the long term.

NEXT SLIDE

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Sharing Circle Example -

Getting to know each Other

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Teacher Slide -

More Sharing Circle Startup Activities

The goal with Sharing Circles is to get the students comfortable with sharing their feelings, solving problems together, and then learning Restorative Practices.

It will take a while for them to become comfortable with sharing.

The Teacher Notes below link to some simple activities and questions aimed at making students feel comfortable and safe in their Circles

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More Advanced:

Sharing Feelings

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Solving a Conflict:

an Example of what is called a Restorative Circle

Teacher Notes:

This is an example of a Problem Solving Circle being used to solve a bullying issue with the intent of helping both the perpetrators and the victims achieve a sense of peace.

The video accompanying this section was heavily edited. The students got very seriously into the name calling issue right in front of the cameras and took a long time to work through it. You may have noticed by the end of the video that the girls had been crying.

Time is always a factor to consider, but there are two important questions to think about related to this sequence:

What if the group hadn’t dealt with this issue? Do you think they could have stayed focused on their academics without this meeting?
Isn’t the problem solving that they are doing as valid as that which they would do in math or language?
Are we really wasting any time if the students are processing this well?

The other interesting thing to note here is that the teacher is the facilitator - not the deliverer of how to deal with the or the person meting out a punishment or consequence .

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More Restorative Talking Circles

Explanations and Examples

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A Very Advanced Look at Restorative Circles

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Teacher Slide - Talking Circle First Day of School

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Our Talking Circle Guidelines

We need rules or guidelines for everyone to follow as they participate in our Talking Circles so that they run smoothly and effectively. You have seen some in the previous videos.

Our guidelines will be based on the Seven Sacred Teachings.

The Talking Circle gives us a very good opportunity to emphasize good character generally.

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Our Talking Circle Participation will be Guided by the Seven Sacred Teachings

We show Respect for one another by listening with your eyes, ears, and bodies to the person with the Talking Stick

We show Courage by sharing our true feelings and concerns - by speaking from the heart

We Seek Truth by looking at all sides of a problem to find the facts

We show Love by listening from our hearts - listening with Empathy

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Our Talking Circle Participation will be Guided by the Seven Sacred Teachings

We show Humility by not judging what someone else says - we work as equals to find solutions to problems

We show Honesty by telling the truth about ourselves and others and being trusted not to talk about our circle outside of our Circle.

We show Wisdom by thinking hard about a problem and brainstorming creative solutions

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In this Unit you will learn and Practice ways to use Talking Circles to share Truths and Solve Everyday Problems

The Seven Sacred Teachings

Module 1:

Seeking Truth through Talking Circles

Main Menu

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Your school and community believe that Using Traditional Talking Circles is one of the 4 very important ways to Seek Truth.

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Lesson 1:

What are Talking Circles?

Main Menu

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A Story about Talking Circles

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Gather 'round, and listen to a story about a special way of talking called a Talking Circle.

In a village nestled by a sparkling lake, there lived a group of animal friends. There was Misko the Bear, Amik the Beaver, Migizi the Eagle, and Mikinaak the Turtle.

They all loved playing together, but sometimes they would disagree and misunderstand each other.

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One sunny afternoon, they were playing hide-and-seek in the forest. Misko the Bear, with his big paws, accidentally knocked over Amik's carefully built dam.

Amik was very upset, and he started to cry. Misko felt bad, but he didn't know how to make things right.

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Mikinaak the Turtle, wise and old, saw their sadness. He said, "Let's sit in a Talking Circle. It's the Turtle's way of sharing our truths and listening to each other's hearts."

The friends gathered in a circle, sitting on soft moss under a tall pine tree. Mikinaak explained, "In our circle, we pass this special feather around. When you hold the feather, you can speak your truth, and everyone else listens without interrupting. When you're done, you pass the feather to the next person."

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Amik held the feather first. He shared how sad he felt when his dam was destroyed. He explained how hard he had worked on it, and how it was important for his family.

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Misko listened carefully. He felt bad for Amik's sadness, and he wanted to make things right. When it was his turn to hold the feather, he apologized for his clumsiness and offered to help Amik rebuild his dam.

Migizi and Mikinaak also shared their thoughts and feelings. They talked about the importance of being careful and respecting each other's work. They also talked about the importance of forgiveness and second chances.

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By the end of the Talking Circle, the friends had made up and were laughing together again. They had learned a valuable lesson about the importance of sharing their feelings, listening to each other, and working together to solve problems.

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And so, the animal friends continued to use Talking Circles whenever they had disagreements or misunderstandings.

They learned that the Turtle's way of truth-telling was a powerful tool for building strong relationships and creating a more harmonious community.

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What are Talking Circles? A Video Explanation

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Lesson 2:

What is a Talking Stick?

The Talking Stick is a very important part of Aboriginal culture and history. It is used when meetings take place and when decisions have to be made. The Talking Stick is a very special tool that gives us the courage to speak the truth and the power to speak from the heart. It is a symbol of respect for the thought, stories, and individual histories of each member participating in a circle.

When a person is holding the Talking Stick in a sharing circle, they can speak from the heart without being interrupted. Other people in the circle listen to the speaker and try to understand the message. Everyone in the circle gets a chance to hold the Talking Stick and say what he or she would like to say. If the receiver chooses not to speak, he or she simply hands it to the next person. The Talking Stick has been passed to everyone participating

Click for Audio

Main Menu

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Making a Talking Stick

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What do the feathers, beads, and colors represent?

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Lesson 3:

What will we do in our Talking Circles?

Main Menu

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What will we do in our Talking Circles?

Share

We will get to know one another better in a safe, private place

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Using Talking Circles to Relax and Share Feelings

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What will we do in our Talking Circles?

Problem Solve

We will settle and solve problems together

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Using Talking Circles to solve problems and conflicts

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Lesson 3:

What will we do in our Talking Circles?

Learn

We will learn and study the Seven Sacred Teachings

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Lesson 4:

What are the Rules Everyone must Follow in the Talking Circle?

Main Menu

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