The Circle

Brookfield



In my own teaching, the circle has mostly been an unquestioned given.

However, as Gore (1993) points out, the experience of being in a circle is ambiguous. For students who are confident, loquacious and used to academic culture, the circle holds relatively few terrors. It is an experience that is congenial, authentic and liberating. But for students who are shy, aware of their different skin color, physical appearance or form of dress, unused to intellectual discourse, intimidated by disciplinary jargon and the culture of academe, or conscious of their lack of education, the circle can be a painful and humiliating experience. These students have been stripped of their right to privacy. They have also been denied the chance to check teachers out by watching them closely before deciding whether or not they can be trusted. Trusting teachers is often a necessary precondition to students speaking out. This trust only comes with time as teachers are seen to be consistent, honest and fair. Yet the circle, with its implicit pressure to participate and perform, may preclude the time and opportunity for this trust to develop.



Example



When we have a project such as  presenting our theorist paper to our classmates as students do we take into consideration personal characteristics of the individual.  When we present an idiom are we asking ourselves who won't understand my comment. As educators will we critical reflect on that perfect witty response that leaves a student or two out from the answer.