I chatted with a School Leader this week whose current focus is that the school’s teachers deploy circle architecture more regularly in the classroom.
The teachers had agreed that this was an experiment worth running and that there were multiple opportunities for circles to be of benefit – checking in, checking out, preparing for changes, responding to issues and for better teaching instruction.
What she found was that two groups emerged among the teachers.
One group simply tried to use more circles. They really did try too. They put in the effort asked of them.
The other group changed the architecture of their classrooms to make circles a priority and to make them easier. The tables were rearranged to the edges of the room, and the teachers were active in removing any semblance of an authoritarian stage for the teacher to perform from.
The second group also didn’t “try”. They just let the architecture drive their natural conduct and instruction choices for them.
You guessed it. The second group ran more circles. As a result, they also reported reduced stress levels, less repetition of teacher instruction, higher student engagement, reduced student disruption and more student output.
Yoda had it right when he said, “Do or do not. There is no try.”
Teachers already try hard enough these days. Change the layout of your classroom, and you might just find teaching can be without so much trying and effort.
Effortless teaching. I reckon you deserve a bit of that in Term 4.
Keep fighting that good fight,
PS. Do you have a copy of my book Restoring Teaching? You can learn more about why I created this for free for teachers in Australia here or you can order here. While the books are complimentary, you will only need to cover the shipping and handling costs.
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