Restorative Circles

A guide to describe what Restorative Circles are and how they work

Using circles to address hot button issues

All of us have been there.   A conflict arises in class that is unexpected, or a student says something upsetting.  Someone has a strong reaction to course content.  There is a verbal outburst or disagreement.  Using a quick mini-circle can help address the issue:

Purpose: 
Mini-circles are designed to identify what happened without judgment, to assess the class’s feelings, and to develop a solution that the class creates and agrees upon.

Circle activity: 
Have students to answer the following questions.  It might be helpful to have them to write down their responses first before answering:

  1. Without judgment, but only describing the facts, describe objectively what just happened.
  2. What are your thoughts on what is happening?
  3. What sort of feelings does the situation bring up for you?
  4. Who is responsible for making things right?
  5. What can you do to help?

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