




































Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build Relationships in Online Learning


Volume 3, Issue 1 

2020 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 

 

Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles 

to Build Relationships in Online Learning 

 
Danna Lomax 
 

Shannon Lopez 
 

Brittnee Veldman 
 

Monica Pereira 

Introduction  
Community is an essential part of the human experience. We are social creatures who require 

connection. The health of our bodies and of our societies depend upon deep and meaningful 

relationships. Jay Dostal emphasizes that there are foundational supports needed before academic 

learning is addressed (Figure 1); in many cases, school tops the pyramid (Blanchard, 2020), which 

essentially flips the hierarchy. Given these extraordinary times, people are seeking connection across 

isolation, and teachers are seeking innovative ways to build relationships with and among students as 

they face distance learning. Community Circle is one method to address this need.  

Figure 1. COVID-19 Hierarchy of Needs for Schools (Blanchard, 2020). 



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

The purpose of Circle is to create community and connectedness among people. Whether this occurs in 

a classroom, or is part of a restorative justice initiative, Circle has a place for growth and healing, and 

over time, with sustained effort, participants co-create caring spaces in which deep learning is possible. 

Both are important for the whole child; both are important for the whole adult. Creating vibrant and 

self-determining communities can begin with building Circles of trust and acceptance. As distance 

learning becomes a reality, as does the overwhelming stress and trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, 

Circle can help all of us learn to speak and listen from the heart. Additionally, Circle is a way to focus 

energy on the connections between academic life and our lived experiences. We endeavor to lay out the 

method of teaching and building community with Circle, along with key changes to adapt it to the online 

class setting, as needed.  

Traditionally, education in the United States tends to treat academic content and lived experiences as 

separate. The eventual outcome is that one learns to be objective because content is to be studied, and 

then regurgitated during testing. However, learning is far more than testing, and as our schooling 

continues, these fissures can develop into unbridgeable gaps, and our intellectual growth is separated 

from our social and emotional learning (SEL). Other cultures and societies often privilege the knowledge 

of communities, community building, and the environments that communities occupy as part of growing 

up and belonging. It is this sense of belonging that helps us to make sense of who we are, and our place 

in society and the world. We do not have to accept feeling divorced from our communities when schools 

do not address fractures that result when children from different cultural backgrounds share the same 

learning spaces. Normalizing one culture over a diversity of others upholds White supremacy and does 

not teach children to value all cultures, or to see how solutions to conflict may be arrived at in different 

ways. By extension, this hegemonic view extends into communities and exacerbates the divisions that 

can exist there.  

Schools are notorious for conservatizing spaces where many students’ race, ethnic background, 

immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and religion are implicitly 

ignored or, worse, denied. Asking students to leave their identities at the door is unacceptable. Circle 

offers a counter-hegemonic practice, welcoming the lived experiences and identities of all students. 

Circle is a way to dismantle what Freire calls the banking model (2000), and what Sir Ken Robinson 

(2009) refers to as the factory model of education, in that Circle acknowledges the cultural strengths of 

all students and prioritizes students’ stories (lived experiences). With this outcome in mind, Circle can 

also create opportunities for examining implicit bias and privilege in all our lives. Circle can be an 

antiracist practice where the students’ or participants’ lived experiences are centered.     

The learning that occurs in Circle can affect the dismantling of one-way communication of content in a 

traditional classroom. Circle is multidirectional and relies on the presence and the contributions of each 

of its members. As students relate stories from their own lives, their cultures and backgrounds are 

brought into the Circle, and those narratives and lessons become part of the shared knowledge of that 

Circle. All participants hold the potential to be teachers and learners. The stories shared in Circle are not 

random; they are precious additions to the curriculum. These stories reveal students’ inner processes 

and speak to where students are developmentally. Learning expresses a more revelatory dimension and 

becomes more clearly visible.   



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

As Liz Kleinrock writes, “Your north star is always centering your most marginalized and under resourced 

students” (2020). Centering students’ lived experiences counters the traditional hegemonic space of the 

classroom community and moves us towards decolonizing those spaces.  However, simply organizing a 

Circle does not mean that teachers themselves are sensitive to their own need to be decolonizers, 

counter-hegemonists, or anti-racists. The dominant culture of the United States fosters and extends its 

own dominance through its institutions, of which a predominant one is the classroom. Becoming 

antiracist is the work of a lifetime, and Circle is not simply a performance, or proof against the need to 

work for greater change. However, Circle is a start because it centers all members’ lived experiences.  

What we experience in Circle affects how we perceive and interact with the environment outside of it. 

The hope is that participants begin to experience the world differently. When students’ experiences and 

perspectives, are centered, white educators, in particular, have the privilege to truly get to know their 

students. Then they can begin the process of debiasing themselves and their curricula.   

The format of Circle is designed to be non-hierarchical and originates with many First Peoples’ 

expressions of community (Brown & Di Lallo, 2020). The value of storytelling and listening closely to 

each other within a community, consensus-building, decision making, and knowledge building are 

shared experiences that help communities to cohere. These practices have been adapted to classroom 

and group settings; trained educators bring Circle into their classrooms. In particular, we acknowledge 

the work of Joe Provisor, who provides a strong foundation in the use of Circle, and upon whose work 

we are building (Circle  Ways, 2020). Acknowledging that these practices originated with Indigenous 

People, it must also be emphasized that when we employ Circle, we do so on unceded Indigenous lands 

(Chalmers, 2019; Christensen, 2016), and as such, begin with decentering Whiteness from the moment 

Circle begins.  

In the classroom, the community Circle is a versatile practice that can be utilized for a variety of 

purposes. Primarily Circles are used to create and build community, support academic learning, restore 

relationships after harm is done, and promote student inquiry; their uses are only bound by the 

imagination of the participants. Given the unique circumstances caused by the global pandemic, and the 

need for remote or distance learning, teachers are reimagining how they will begin the year and build 

community with their students. Strategies for building relationships that they have employed in the 

classroom will have to be adapted, and teachers will need to find alternative ways of getting to know 

their students. This paper focuses primarily on Community Building Circles. A follow-up paper on 

integrating academics and Circles will be written later.   

One note about Community Building Circles that the authors feel is important to point out is that these 

Community Building Circles are designed to foster relationships and teach Social and Emotional 

competencies. SEL is a discipline in its own right, and students need opportunities to practice these 

competencies. Community Building Circles are not to be used in a “Sneaky Pete” sort of way in the 

service of academic content. We have seen some teachers use SEL to let students get out their 

emotions, so they are ready to do the real work. It is the authors’ stance that SEL and community 

building is real work, and in the process of being in Circle, students learn and acquire skills that transfer 

to their lives. Especially at this time of global pandemic, it is important to “lead with love, not lessons,” 

as Wendi Pillars points out in Larry Ferlazzo’s blog in EdWeek (Figure 2).   



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

As we begin to consider implementing Circle, it is important to note that the process of creating 

community using the Circle format is one that must be done in a careful and considered manner. The 

format of a Circle is important to guide participants toward a state in which they are willing to open up 

Figure 2. 7 Tips for Remote Teaching (Ferlazzo, 2020). 

and share their experience and insights with the group, as well as be prepared to listen receptively to 

others. It is recommended to use a Circle Planning Template (see Appendix A) to ensure that all 

segments of the process are included. We always use this template to plan Circle, and we find that 

planning Circle with a colleague is most effective. We have found this to be true because there is so 

much to consider when planning Circle: the timeframe and purpose of the Circle, the students’ interests, 

and the quality of questions. Multiple perspectives remind us that we do not all bring the same 

experiences to this work. Having another person’s eyes on the Circle can offer a check and balance on 

the questions and process. This is especially true if the planning process is informed by diverse 

perspectives.    

Potential pitfalls, such as questions that may offend or cause harm, are more likely to be avoided when 

teachers work together to consider their students’ interests, strengths, needs, and challenges. 

Collaboration also builds community among practitioners and yields better Circle outcomes. The 

template is both your dribble (gets the group where it needs to go) and your backboard (prevents the 



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

session from leaving the safe place of the Circle). It provides a scaffold for teachers that supports their 

creation of Circle. We trust this process.  

In Section 2, we present the main aspects of how to prepare for Circle, including how to design the 

physical space, how to prepare for holding Circle in virtual spaces, how to lay the groundwork with 

participants, and how to set guidelines for the practice. We will also address how to use Circles to build 

community in different classroom settings, particularly for the beginning of the year and considering 

constraints of distance learning on relationship building.    

In Section 3, we review each part of the Community Circle template (Appendix A), providing a 

description and purpose of each part of Circle as well as examples, tips and cautions to consider while 

planning, and how to adapt the Circle for online environments as needed.    

Section 2: Preparing for Circle  

Set-up  
When preparing for Circle face-to-face, it is important to create the appropriate physical space. Circle is 

non-hierarchical; everyone, including the teacher, will sit in a Circle, either on the floor or in chairs. It is 

crucial that all members can see, and be seen, by all participants, creating a space wherein the potential 

for deep connections remain optimal. If the classroom space is inadequate, find an alternate learning 

environment like an empty classroom. Another option, especially if Circle is done regularly, is to teach 

students to rearrange the class to create the space. In the center of the Circle, the teacher will place 

various objects, including a small bowl filled with water, with stones or shells placed around it, and 

objects to serve as talking sticks (stuffed animals, etc). The bowl and stones/shells are used for 

dedications, while the other objects serve as talking sticks. Figure 3 shows such a layout, with furniture 

placed appropriately, and several options for talking sticks in the center of the Circle. Having a center 

point of a Circle gives students a place to rest their eyes and focus their attention. Circle begins as a 

conscious act of the group; some teachers like to use a gong or a rainstick to start the Circle, but it is not 

necessary. Just like with teaching, each teacher will personalize the Circle with their own style.  

 
Figure 3. Optimal layout for Circle, showing several “talking stick” objects, dedication bowl 
with water and stones in the center. Photo curtesy of D. Lomax 



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

While speaking is a significant aspect of sharing experiences and insights, silence is also a valuable 

addition to Circle. Each person may choose to speak or be quiet. There may be occasions when a 

student is not able to speak to a topic or is unable to speak due to personal experiences, or shyness. The 

goal of Circle is to build a community of trust, but we cannot assume that trust is already there; we want 

to give students the option to respond or not respond to particular questions. Having said that, as we 

build relationships with students, we may notice that some students never speak and their voices and 

lived experiences are missing from the Circle. We have sometimes, after many Circles in which they have 

not spoken, reached out to students to ask them why they are not speaking and encouraged them to 

share their stories, or even participate in a speed round. Ultimately, the decision is theirs and we need 

to respect their personal, socio-developmental journey in finding their voice.  

In an ordinary classroom, certain voices can dominate, including the teacher’s. To remedy this in Circle, 

students are seated in a circle, and a talking stick is passed person to person around the Circle to 

indicate who is able to speak. Lamm (2020) provides a brief history of the talking stick, and identifies five 

main reasons to use it:  

● Everyone has an opportunity to speak. 

This gives every person an opportunity to share as each person must touch and pass the talking 

stick whether they speak or not. Whoever is holding the talking stick has the right to talk; all 

others need to remain silent. 

● The process encourages everyone to listen more carefully.  

It is essential to explain that those who are not speaking have a role to play as well, that of 

active listeners. Explaining to the students how to be an active listener and to focus truly on 

each person’s response rather than planning their own is important. 

● When everyone has a turn, it reduces competition for time and attention.  

Each student has an opportunity to be seen and heard.  

● It builds trust and safety in the community.  

This is a way to ensure that Circle remains non-hierarchical. 

● Respect for the ideas and contributions of others is the process.  

This is how our stories get told, and it is also how stories are affirmed. 

 

The talking stick is only passed clockwise which honors the indigenous roots of this practice, so a student 

may not request the talking stick in order to speak out of turn. Typically, we have used a variety of 

meaningful objects that we use as talking sticks: rocks from a special place, charms that were given as 

gifts, beautiful feathers or sticks from nature, or stuffed animals from our kids’ youth; really any objects 

can be used especially if they have significance to you or to the class. One consideration is to have a 

variety of sensory textures and densities. Educators, particularly in secondary, have noticed that many 6-

12 classrooms do not offer students access to soft things. Objects like stuffed animals can be difficult to 

clean, yet soft textures can be of comfort to students.   

In K-12 students have enjoyed having multiple talking sticks to choose from the center of the Circle, but 

you certainly could hold a Circle with just one designated talking stick. In a face-to-face Circle, we allow 



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

students, who share in a particular round, the option to go to the center of the Circle and swap out 

talking sticks. If changing the talking stick becomes too much of a distraction, it does not have to be part 

of Circle.  However, in our experience, allowing students to move to the center of the Circle and be 

“seen” offers them an opportunity to get attention from the group beyond verbal participation and 

provides an opportunity for movement for all students.  

While this set-up and seating arrangement may seem time-consuming, unnecessary or distracting, 

altering the environment is a visual signal that a different type of learning will happen where everyone’s 

voice matters and all voices are equally valued. It is a way to match the physical environment to the 

mental shift that must occur for Circle to happen.   

How to move Community Circles into virtual spaces  
As some of us are forced by the pandemic and health concerns to conduct classes virtually, educators 

face many challenges, particularly the difficulty of building relationships at the start of a new year when 

we are only able to connect online. Our students are likewise adapting to continuing their education in a 

less than optimal setting to build community with their peers or connect with their instructor on top of 

having to learn without the usual collaboration and in-person feedback from body language, tone and 

vocalizations.  

Reading the room online is a very different challenge from face-to-face encounters. As many studies 

have shown (Brown, 2020; Loeb, 2020; Stommel, 2020; Wood et al, 2017) feeling supported and 

connected to the course, teacher and other students is a major predictor for student success and 

retention. It takes a while to feel competent in facilitating Circle; be patient. Facilitators grow in 

confidence as they practice initiating and orchestrating the experience so all attendees feel included. 

The intention of Circle is to build trust in the community, as well as pave the way for connections over 

the curricular content and making it meaningful in a holistic way.  

Moving Circle to a virtual setting requires alterations to the setting, but not the structure of Circle. The 

template of Circle remains constant, as does the goal of creating a space for all participants to engage in 

Circle safely and productively. Circles can be planned or impromptu to serve the needs of the 

community. When creating virtual Circles, practitioners are not afforded the same, often comforting, 

control over the physical space. Though this may be difficult, embracing this lack of control and trusting 

the participants to help each other create and hold a safe space for Circle virtually will help to 

strengthen the emerging community that you are trying to nurture. In fact, the priority is not to exert 

outward control, but to help foster in all participants the practice of creating calm and safe spaces 

within ourselves and our Circle learning community. 

Traditions and signals that Circle is about to begin are still needed but our control of the space is not. 

One effective method to create the visual cues of a Circle online is the use of a slide with participants' 

names surrounding a central image. The use of the slide is three-fold: it sets the spatial relationship of 

participants or the Circle, creates a visual signpost for your Circle practice, and gives a place to show the 

question being asked in that round.  

The simplicity of this visual solution also helps to mitigate several logistical and equity issues. Using one 

image in a slide is useful, as many online meeting tools do not display the same arrangement of 



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

participants on each screen, which leads to confusion in the flow of Circle. For example, Zoom™ changes 

the order of participants if they turn on their camera. It also serves as a way for everyone to learn each 

others’ names and creates a place for each participant even if they cannot or do not wish to use their 

video or audio feed. It may be tempting to require participants to use their video or audio feeds during 

sessions, but if part of the Circle process is to build trust and community that can be   

uncomfortable for some students and lead to alienation or disengagement. Students may not want to 

disclose aspects of their lives that a video or audio feed may force them to share. Again, Circle is 

nonhierarchical. By this we mean that each student is the expert of their own experiences and they 

themselves make decisions about how much of their story they are ready or willing to share.  

In Figure 4a (created using Bubbl.us), the image of a campfire was selected because it harkens back to 

the communal activity of sitting around a fire, and invokes the indigenous roots of Circle practice among 

indigenous peoples. Additionally, the fire could come to represent passion, learning or spirit. Other 

images that evoke a sense of community or unity could also be used, but starting each Circle with the 

a   b   

c   d   

Figure 4a. Participants names prearranged using a mind-mapping tool; b. Speed Round opening question; c. Single 
question per slide keeps participants in the moment; d. Witness Round acknowledges the stories that were shared. 



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

same image creates a visual cue that prompts participants to be present, just like when we meet in 

person.   

The authors have not typically removed participants who are absent, but hold their spot in the Circle. 

When it would be their turn, if they are not present, the turn passes to the next person.  This is generally 

a quick process as it becomes clear who is absent during a speed round, holds space for all participants, 

and saves disruption of changing the Circle if someone joins later.   

The final structural aspect of the Circle slide is to give a visual reminder of the question being asked in 

that round (Figure 4b). To help follow the agreements of being present, speaking from the heart, and 

deeply listening to the current speaker, it is recommended that only the question for that round be 

displayed. Listing all questions at once can distract participants, and prompt anticipation as to where the 

Circle is headed rather than participate in deep listening and community building. A copied slide deck 

also allows for back-up questions to be available, or the option to change the questions quickly to be 

adaptive to the needs of the Circle.   

To begin Circle, speed rounds are often used to check in and refamiliarize students with the process of 

Circle. These are generally low-stakes questions. However, a seemingly innocuous question like, “How 

are you feeling today?” can have a heavy cognitive load for some students. Generally, however, these 

speed rounds are simple and easy for students to answer. Visuals, such as a feelings list, and sentence 

starters, especially for our Emergent Bilingual students, can be helpful for students even in these speed 

rounds.  

In the subsequent rounds, the questions probe a bit deeper into students’ experiences. The question in 

Figure 4c asks students to identify a line in the text and then tell the story of why it speaks to them. 

Often these questions are at higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and require students to analyze or 

compare and contrast another person’s experience with their own.   

The final round in Circle is often a witness round. In this round, students simply say, “I heard someone 

say …” and they repeat what resonated with them (Figure 4d). Students do not comment on why what 

someone else said resonated with them. Simply students repeat what they heard and in this way show 

that they were listening and they bear witness to others’ experiences.  

Preparing Participants for Circle   
The first time that you implement Circle, we encourage you to use slides such as the Guidelines and the 

Zones of Comfort (School Reform Initiative, 2017) as shown in Figure 5.  

Before participating in their first Circle, students are introduced to the indigenous origins of Circle and 

the meaning of the talking piece. They also learn the guidelines. Finally, they have the opportunities to 

define the zones of comfort. The Comfort Zone is in the center of the three concentric circles. In this 

space we feel relaxed and at ease. When we are doing something that is easy for us, we often find 

ourselves in the Comfort Zone. The second circle is called the Risk Zone, also called the Learning Zone. In 

this space, we often have to stretch to engage with new learning. Finally, the third zone is called the 

Danger Zone. This zone represents challenge that may be beyond a student’s capacity. In this place, no 

learning is possible, and harm may be done. For example, if a student who is ready to learn multi-digit 



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

multiplication only practices single digit addition, they are in their comfort zone. It is easy, but they are 

not learning much. When they follow a lesson and try a new skill, they are in their Risk Zone. They may 

make mistakes, but new learning is happening. If we gave this student a calculus problem, they would 

be in the Danger Zone. No learning would happen, and the student would likely end up frustrated with 

the experience and their learning attitude may shut down altogether. When students hear this example,   

 

Figure 5. Example of slides to introduce participants to the guidelines and purpose of Circle 

they are often able to transfer this concept to their participation in Circle. If they only share superficial 

experiences, they remain in their Comfort Zone. When they take a risk and open up on a topic, they can 

learn about themselves and others. When they share parts of their story that they may not have been 

ready to share, they might be in their Danger Zone. This framework helps students realize their agency 

in their own Social and Emotional Development, and Circle provides an excellent opportunity for 

students to practice SEL competencies.   

Guidelines  
Like in all academic activities, students need to know the expectations for their participation and 

behavior so they are successful. The teacher will explain that the lesson will proceed differently with the 

incorporation of a Circle. The teacher will then review the following guidelines with students. (In our 

experience, it is helpful to have these guidelines displayed on a slide or a poster, but it is not required 

and may be unnecessary if Circle is a regular part of the class.)  

Centuries ago, Indigenous groups in the Northeastern part of the United States were at war with each 

other. A great leader, Deganawidah, known as the Great Peacemaker, encouraged the warring tribes to 

lay down their weapons. He buried the weapons and planted a tree on top of them. In order to make 

peace, the members of the various tribes, who later became the Iroquois Confederacy, had to listen to 

each other carefully. In order to do this, they used a talking stick.  

It is worth pointing out here, that Circle is not a dialogue. Students are sharing their stories as openly 

and honestly as they are able. Oftentimes, when someone is sharing, other students may agree with 

them or want to support them. In order to show their silent assent or support, students can wave “jazz 

fingers” by raising their hands and wiggling their fingers to the person. This is a way to actively listen and 

communicate with the speaker without interrupting them. They can also use snaps, touch their hearts, 



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

or any other form of expression agreed upon by the group, that maintains the focus on the speaker 

while signaling agreement or empathy.  

  

Face-to-Face  Online  

● Speak if you want to speak.    

● “Pass” if you don’t want to 

speak that round.   

● Speak if you want to speak.    

● “Pass” if you don’t want to speak that round.   

● Speak only when you have the  

talking stick  
● Speak only when it’s your turn    

○ Each person can have their own talking stick and “pass” it 
by showing it to the camera  

○ The speaker will say “I pass to the next speaker”  

○ The speaker will type “I pass to the next speaker” in the 

text box  

● Silence when someone else is 
sharing   

  

● Silence when someone else is sharing, including the chat 
box  

● Possibly the host can set chat to only go to everyone i.e. no 

private chat. That is not controlling but protecting the 

space. Note: Chat option may be set chat so messages go 

only to the Host.  

● You can exchange the talking 

stick/toy if you share that 

round  

● All participants can collect their own talking stick that 
means something to them. They can “pass” their stick to 
the next speaker using video or post an icon, like the raise 
hand in Zoom, if not using video.  

● Participants may simply say the name of the person who 

follows them in the circle so that the talking turn is passed 

to the them.  

● “Jazz” fingers if you agree with 

what someone else says   

● “Jazz” fingers if you agree with what someone else says (or 

icons in chat)  

Section 3: The How To’s of Circle  
In this section, we will explain each section of the Community Circle template and provide examples of 

activities, questions, and tips for adaptation to the virtual setting.   



Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

Agreements  
Part of the purpose of Circle is to build students’ capacity for agency. As a result, we begin with 

agreements. Students, of course, must agree to each. Agreements cannot be mandated; they must be 

agreed upon and revisited to see if they still function well in guiding the group. The following are 

proposed agreements. So far, in our experience, students have agreed to the 5 statements as accepted 

principles for appropriate student engagement in the practice. If a student were to disagree with any of 

the agreements, a discussion as to why would then take place.  

Prior to opening Circle, set the stage by reading the agreements with students. These are statements 

that the group needs to agree to in order to have respectful, honest dialogue.    

● Listen from the heart. (Practice suspending judgement.)  

● Speak from the heart. (Practice suspending judgement.)  

● Speak spontaneously. (Practice sharing in the moment.)  

● “Keep it lean.” (Say just enough.)  

● Confidentiality  

The first agreement returns to that idea of active listening, where we take someone’s experience and 

the way they share it for what it is without questions or judgements. We practice listening from the 

heart and suspending judgement to listen to understand how someone sees the world instead of 

listening to judge how they see the world. This is important to build trust as students can expect to be 

heard without being judged for their lived experience. The ability to listen while withholding judgement 

is an important skill in interpersonal communication, both personally and professionally, and rarely do 

we have a chance to practice this.    

The second agreement, speak from the heart, encourages students to share what they really feel or 

have experienced, without packaging an “answer” that they think the teacher or their peers would want 

to hear. Learning to speak honestly of one’s experiences is a lifelong skill that helps students develop 

self-awareness and identity, as well as suspending judgement of themselves. The goal is to get it real, 

not get it right. It is an active practice of naming their feelings and discerning what to share and what 

not to share.   

The third agreement, to speak spontaneously, can prevent students from planning their response the 

entire time rather than listening actively. It is important to value what is shared in Circle, and not be 

distracted by preparing a response to what is said. Speaking spontaneously is likewise a skill that 

students can practice in Circle, learning to trust their own words, and their ability to express themselves 

authentically.    

The fourth agreement, keep it lean, encourages students to share their story without taking up the 

whole time for Circle. This can be challenging for certain students, and it can be helpful to talk to 

students individually after a Circle if they have monopolized the sharing at the expense of others’ time. 

Of course, participation in Circle is a work in progress and it may take some students longer to learn how 

to listen more, just as it may take other students longer to speak out. One non-threatening way to 

remind students of this, is to say “be aware of airtime” to remind students to self-monitor. We have 

found having some phrases ready for common issues helps the community understand the expectations 



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and saves the teacher the emotional labor of having to think on the spot. In order not to put one 

student on the spot, you might say this at the end of a round.   

Finally, the last agreement is confidentiality. We remind the students that what is shared is not to be 

spread to other people. The issue of confidentiality teaches students that others’ narratives are not the 

property of the listeners. However, we usually caution students that they want to be thoughtful if 

sharing something that could be hurtful to them with the whole class. Additionally, teachers need to 

remind students that they are a mandated reporter and explain that if they did learn of something bad 

happening to a student, they would be responsible to get them help.   

Opening the Circle  
Circle can be opened with a variety of actions: using a rain stick, a gong or having everyone clap at once. 

The purpose of opening the Circle is to formally begin the process and also to mark the transition from 

preparing ourselves for Circle with a review of guidelines and agreements to actually begin the process.    

Dedications  
We all come to our work with things that weigh on our mind, including people who are important to us. 

To honor that, we set aside the beginning of Circle for dedications. Participants can “bring someone into 

Circle” who is on their mind by going to the center of the Circle and placing one of the pebbles or shells 

into the bowl. For example, students might say “I am thinking of my Grandpa because he is sick,” or “I 

want to dedicate this Circle to my mom because she is a single mom and always takes care of me.” This 

is an option, and not every student needs to participate. Usually, the teacher can model this, but then 

leave a period of silence for students to choose whether to dedicate the Circle to someone.  

When practicing Circle, each educator can modify the process so that they feel comfortable. Context is 

everything, and educators will need to create Circles that fit their teaching style and pedagogical 

philosophy. In our district, a colleague who practices Circle regularly, shared that she is not comfortable 

with starting with dedications. She prefers a “bare bones” Circle approach. No elaborate center, no 

dedications; she opens Circle, asks questions, and closes Circle. As with any lesson, you will need to 

develop a practice that aligns with your style.   

Speed Rounds  
Speed rounds are a short way to warm up the process by asking questions that would have immediate 

and brief answers that do not require any in-depth responses. An example of a question might be: How 

are you feeling today (in one word)? (We usually provide a feelings chart for students - see Appendix E). 

Additional questions would start the students thinking about the topic, whether it is success, friendship, 

love etc. For example, “Who or what comes to mind when you hear the word __________?” Speed 

rounds are a low-stakes, non-threatening, opportunity for participants to listen to each other, and to 

introduce their own voices to Circle, especially when participants are new to the practice. The talking 

stick is used throughout the Circle to ensure fairness in airtime. For each round, the teacher introduces 

the question, then the talking stick is passed around the Circle giving students a chance to respond. 

When the talking stick returns to the teacher, they introduce the next question and the talking stick 

travels around again.    



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Games can also be a low stakes activity to introduce Circle and familiarize students with the process and 

skills necessary to participate fully. Games that encourage participants to create a gesture along with 

their words is a particularly useful practice for Emergent Bilinguals. For younger children, but not 

exclusively, movement and drawing can be included in to a Circle. Students can “pass” dance moves or 

draw to a prompt on a paper plate, then on a signal, everyone can pass around the plates till it gets back 

to the artist. Please see the Appendix C for Introductory Circle Games. Again, this depends on the group 

and how familiar students are with Circle.   

Text  
When planning Circle, the teacher may choose a “text” to focus the Circle on. The text may be an actual 

article, photograph, video, etc., or the topic may refer directly to the participants’ lives. It is important to 

be clear about the purpose of the circle in order to plan accordingly. For ‘getting to know you’ circles, 

the authors have found both types of circles helpful.   

If a text is chosen, the “text” needs to be short enough to process in about 5-10 minutes. Teachers could 

choose something completely new to students, a text that builds on what is being learned in class, or 

even an excerpt of a larger text the class has already read. Choosing high interest and culturally 

sustaining texts helps ensure engagement.   

After speed rounds, the teacher will introduce the text. Students can be provided a copy of the text to 

read silently, or the teacher can read the text aloud. We recommend passing out the text at this point in 

Circle so that students are not reading it ahead of time and can focus on each part of the process. 

Usually, the teacher passes a stack of texts to either side of the Circle and students pass them around 

and take one.    

When conducting online Circles, the teacher may put a link to the text in chat, create a slide with the 

text, or read the text aloud. Offering multiple modalities in which students can engage with the text, for 

example displaying the text on a slide while it is being read, supports all students including those who 

are English Learners or have special needs. In some cases, students can be given the text ahead of time, 

but this usually occurs in Circles that support academics.   

Questions About the Text  
Once students have “read the text”, the next series of questions will ask them to connect their 

understanding of the text to their own experiences and beliefs. There are typically three questions 

about the text: identifying something in the text, compare/contrast and going deeper.    

The first question will ask students to identify a part of the text that resonates with them. This can be a 

word, phrase or sentence. If using a video or image, teachers can ask students to point to a part that 

touched them and say why (color, music etc). Teachers can use sentence starters to help students 

explain their choices:  

The part that stood out to me was when the author said __________ because ________. or:  

I chose the quote ____________ because _______________.  

  



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This provides an opportunity for students to step into the discussion by referencing the text directly.    

The next question asks students to tell their story about why that word or phrase resonates with them. 

They compare and contrast the text to something they already know in their own experience. Again, 

using sentence starters helps the students step into the process of sharing:   

  

I can connect this text to ____________ because ____________. or:  

This reminds me of ___________ because________________. or:  

This connects to ____________because ________________.  

  

The idea behind this question is for students not to be able to just regurgitate what the text is saying, 

but to be able to understand it through the lens of their unique experience. We often remind the 

students that there is no right answer and that every person reads a text differently because of what 

they know and understand from their experience. And it is this very diversity of experiences that 

contributes to widening perspectives through Circle.  

The last question asks students to go deeper by thinking about how to apply what they learned from the 

text or each other. This question asks students to either imagine, evaluate or apply the text. For 

example, if you are discussing success at the beginning of the school year, we can ask students “What 

would success look like for you this year?” Students can create a new idea with this question that is 

based on the topic, but extends beyond.    

It is helpful for teachers to use Costa’s levels of questioning to help write the questions.  We have found 

it helpful to reference Appendix D when writing a Circle. The first question (identify something in the 

text) will use one of the verbs in level 1 - gathering, the second question (compare/contrast) will use a 

verb from level 2 - processing, while the final and most difficult question (going deeper) will use level 3 - 

applying verbs. By using this progression of questions, students are being tasked to think about more 

and more difficult questions; if students are able to articulate their thoughts verbally, they are much 

more able to translate that higher-level thinking into writing later on. Their contributions, both in 

sharing and listening, help them master the speaking and listening skills required for 21st century 

learning.    

Question creation is a key aspect of Circle. For more on question creation, see Section Three.  

Witness Round  
The purpose of the witness round is for the class to coalesce the Circle by bringing together all of the 

things the class heard and saw throughout the Circle. Typically, we ask all students to participate in this 

round, because they are able to honor the people who shared and demonstrate their understanding of 

what they heard their peers state. Students are asked:  

What’s one thing you heard here today that stayed with you?  

  



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Again, teachers can provide a sentence frame to help students get started:  

One thing that I heard today is _________________.  

 

This helps develop their listening skills and restating what other students have said. It also allows each 

student to report back on what most resonated with them and for students whose comments are 

mentioned to feel recognized and heard. This is the final time that the talking stick will travel around the 

Circle.    

Closing the Circle  
Just as it was important to open the Circle to establish a separate space for this type of sharing, closing 

the Circle acknowledges that we have been in a separate space listening and learning from one another, 

but are now transitioning back into class. Circle can be closed in a variety of ways, but usually we have 

participants send a clap around the Circle. Each person extends their hands to their neighbor; their right 

hand will rest on top of their neighbor to the right’s left hand, while their left hand will go under their 

neighbor to the left’s right hand. Then, the teacher will move their right hand to “clap” their neighbor to 

the left’s hand and that person will pass it on around the Circle.  

Debrief the Process  
After Circle is completed (with a clap, or other closing gesture), there is a need to examine how the 

process was carried out. This helps students learn what went well in Circle and how they can improve in 

subsequent Circles. It is also a time for the teacher to point out any concerns that came up in the Circle, 

but primarily led by students/participants. The teacher can ask questions like: “How well did we keep 

our agreements?” or “What did we do well in Circle and what can we improve on next time?” The 

students do not all need to respond and can volunteer responses in the format of a normal classroom 

rather than passing the talking stick.    

It is made clear that this is not a form of judgment but rather an apprehension of process to improve it. 

As with all human interactions, matters can always use improvement to ensure that all feel safe, and are 

aware of what is happening, and also underscore that there is room for everyone in Circle.  

Harvesting Round: Applying What is Learned in Circle  
One thing to consider in planning the Circle is what the next steps after the Circle will be.  This will 

change based on the type of Circle and text used. The goal is for what students learned in Circle by 

listening and speaking from the heart to be translated into “head” or academic work. For example, if 

students are sharing a personal story in preparation for writing a narrative, the “harvesting” might 

include some prewriting questions and a lesson on how to plan out a narrative. If a poem was the focus 

text, the harvesting round may move to analyzing it through elements of literature, still keeping what 

was learned in Circle in mind. For example, we might ask, “Now that you have heard the lived 

experiences of the people in the Circle in response to this poem, what can we say about this poem?”  

Note on Harvesting: Joe Provisor (Circle Ways, 2020) cautions teachers to avoid “teaching content” 

during this part of Circle. We are connecting the text to our lives. This practice is more about the heart 

than the head. Joe tells this story of when he was first teaching. Joe was excited to begin a poetry unit 



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with the middle schoolers in his class. When he told the students they were going to learn about poetry, 

the students groaned. He felt so surprised and disappointed. A lover of poetry himself, Joe wondered 

where this response came from. He maintains that the traditional approach to teaching poetry takes the 

joy out of the form.  

Conclusion  
 Circle is a counter-hegemonic practice for building community that puts students’ stories at the center 

of the learning experience. Teachers need a variety of strategies to build community online with 

students who are in isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Circles provide a model for fostering 

relationships, practicing Social and Emotional Learning competencies, and building a classroom 

community in both face-to-face and virtual settings. We strongly encourage the practice of Circle as a 

way to build community and de-bias the curriculum.  

About the Authors 
Danna Lomax is a teacher on special assignment for Ventura Unified School District, a lecturer at CSUCI, 

and a member of Educators Doing Justice (EDJ). 

Shannon Lopez teaches English at Anacapa Middle School in the Ventura Unified School District and is a 

member of Educators Doing Justice (EDJ).  

Brittnee Veldman teaches chemistry at CSU Channel Islands and is a member of Educators Doing Justice 

(EDJ). 

Monica Pereira is a librarian at CSU Channel Islands and a member of Educators Doing Justice (EDJ). 

References  
Blanchard, T. (2020). Supporting English learners: Tips & strategies for distance learning. Sanger, CA, 

Sanger Unified School District. https://bit.ly/distanceELD  

Boyes-Watson, C., & Pranis, K. (2015). Circle forward: Building a restorative school community. Living 

Justice Press.  

Brown, B. (2013, Dec. 10). Brené Brown on empathy, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, 

Manufactures and Commerce. https://www.thersa.org/discover/videos/rsashorts/2013/12/Brene-

Brown-on-Empathy; Spanish subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD28k7dR8D4  

Brown, M. A., & Di Lallo, S. (2020). Talking circles: A culturally responsive evaluation practice [Article].  

American Journal of Evaluation, 41(3), 367-383. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214019899164  

Chalmers, J. (2019). Settled memories on stolen land: Settler mythology at Canada's National Holocaust 

Monument. American Indian Quarterly, 43(4), 379-407.  

http://summit.csuci.edu:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2303742250?acc 

ountid=7284  



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Christensen, D. R. (2016). "The ground you walk on belongs to my people": Lakota community building, 

activism, and red power in western Nebraska, 1917-2000 [Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas]. Ethnic 

NewsWatch. Ann Arbor, MI.  

http://summit.csuci.edu:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1812328885?acc 

ountid=7284  

Circle Ways. (2020). Circle Ways. Circle Ways. Retrieved August 19 from https://www.circleways.org/  

Ferlazzo, L. (2020, Apr 14). Infographic: '7 Tips for Remote Teaching'. Classroom Q & A with Larry 

Ferlazzo.  

https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2020/04/infographic_7_t 

ips_for_remote_teaching.html  

Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). Continuum.  

Kleinrock, E. (2020). Anti-racist work in schools: Are you in it for the long haul? (64). 

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/antiracist-work-in-schools-are-you-in-it-for-the-long-haul  

Lamm, C. (2020). The story of the talking stick. EPCC, Inc. Retrieved August 23 from 

https://www.educatorsforpeacefulclassroomsandcommunities.org/resources/peace-tools/thestory-of-

the-talking-stick/  

Loeb, S. (2020). How effective is online learning?: What the research does and doesn't tell us [Article]. 

Education Week, 39(28), 17. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/03/23/how-effectiveis-online-

learning-what-the.html  

Robinson, K. A. L. (2009). The element: How finding your passion changes everything. Viking.  

School Reform Initiative. (2017). Zones of comfort, risk and danger for youth engagement. School 

Reform Initiative. Retrieved Mar 3, 2020 from https://www.schoolreforminitiative.org/download/zones-

of-comfort-risk-and-danger-for-youthengagement/  

Stommel, J. (2020). How to build an online learning community: 6 theses. Retrieved August 15 from 

https://www.jessestommel.com/how-to-build-an-online-learning-community-6-theses/  

The Ojai Foundation. (2020). The Ojai Foundation. The Ojai Foundation. Retrieved August 13 from 

https://ojaifoundation.org/  

Wood, J. L., Harris III, F., & Delgado, N. R. (2017). Struggling to survive, striving to succeed: Food and 

housing insecurities in the community college. https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/struggling-

to-survive-striving-to-succeed/  

  

https://www.circleways.org/
https://www.circleways.org/


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Appendix A: Community Circle Template*  
Agreements:  

Listen from the heart. (Practice suspending judgement.) Speak 

from the heart. (Practice suspending judgement.) Speak 

spontaneously.  

“Keep it lean.” (Say just enough.)  

Confidentiality  

1. Open Circle - Clap together./Rainstick./Other  

2. Dedications - Who is on your mind? Is there someone locally globally/from your past, present, or 

future that you would like to bring into the Circle?  

3. Speed Round #1 - Simple question. How are you feeling today?   

4. Speed Round #2 - Name one word about __________________  

5. Going Deeper - Identify something in the text.   

6. Going Deeper - Compare and contrast. (text to self, text to text, text to world)  

7. Going deeper - Imagine, evaluate, apply.   

8. Witness Round: What’s one thing you heard here today that stayed with you?  

9. Close Council:  Cross handshake.  

Debrief:  How was this process for you? How well did we keep our agreements?  

Harvesting activities outside of Circle.  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

*For a variety of pre-made circles, please refer to Boyes-Watson, C., & Pranis, K. (2015). 



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Appendix B: Getting to Know You Community Circle Example  
Agreements:  

Listen from the heart. (Practice suspending judgement.) Speak 

from the heart. (Practice suspending judgement.) Speak 

spontaneously.  

“Keep it lean.” (Say just enough.)  

Confidentiality  

  

1. Open Circle - Clap together. /Rain stick. /Other  

2. Dedications - Who is on your mind? Is there someone locally globally/from your past, present, or 

future that you would like to bring into the Circle?  

3. Speed Round #1 - Simple question. How are you feeling today?   

4. Speed Round #2 - Name one word about online learning.  

5. Going Deeper - How did March 13, 2020 (stay at home orders) affect your life?  

6. Going Deeper - Imagine, evaluate, apply. What is one thing that you would like to be true once 

this pandemic is over?  

7. Witness Round: What’s one thing you heard here today that stayed with you?  

8. Close Council:  Group hug.  

Debrief:  How was this process for you? How well did we keep our agreements?  

Harvesting activities outside of Circle.  

  

    

  



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Appendix C: Samples of Games for Ice-breakers and Openers  
Group Juggle (adapted from http://schoolreforminitiative.org/doc/group_juggle.pdf)  

Purpose To provide a playful opportunity to learn each other’s names and build community  

Process   

1. As the facilitator, explain that you want to create a pattern of tossing the ball as a team by 

calling out a person’s name and then pretending to throw an  object to her/him. It is important 

to remind participants that they must remember the person whom they choose to throw the 

imaginary object because the pattern will remain the same. The facilitator begins the process 

and times the rounds.  

2. After the person whom the facilitator has called on by name pretends to receive the object, 

she/he thanks the thrower by name, then throws it to someone else in the group until everyone 

has thrown and received the ball only once.   

3. Ask the group to remember the pattern and try the pattern again to make sure that they know 

to whom they throw and from whom they receive the ball.   

4. After the object is passed through the group the time is noted. Usually the first round is 

substantially longer than the subsequent rounds.  

5. After 2 or 3 rounds, ask the group to set their own goal of what they believe they can 

accomplish and then invite them to try again. (Ex. Can we toss to everyone in under a minute?)  

Processing Questions   

• How would you describe your feelings related to the juggle from the beginning, middle, and 
end?   

• How would you describe the group’s effectiveness from the beginning, middle, and end?   

• What did it take for us to be successful as a group?   

• As we work to strengthen our learning community as a staff, what do we need keep in mind?  
What might we do differently with our students as a result of this experiment?   

• What problems were we trying to solve?   

• How did we solve the problems we faced?   

• Was there any fear of failure minimized by the activity and/or the group?   

• How did the establishment of a goal impact on our ability to work together and solve the 
problem?   

• What kinds of reflection, intervention, staff development/remediation, or redirection took place 
to improve your effectiveness?   

• Are there connections between group success in this activity and your work?  

http://schoolreforminitiative.org/doc/group_juggle.pdf
http://schoolreforminitiative.org/doc/group_juggle.pdf


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Zoom, Zoom, Skirt  

Purpose: To playfully opportunity for students to get used to speaking online and taking turns in a circle   

Process  

1. Teacher displays an online visual circle with students names listed around the circle  

2. To begin, the teacher explains that students have the option of saying “Zoom” which passes the  

3. Zoom to the next person listed on the circle image in the clockwise direction or they may say 

“Skirt” which means that the direction is reversed and the turn is passed in the opposite 

direction  

4. Students pass the Zoom and Skirt, until invariably two students say, “Skirt” back and forth at 

least two times. When this happens, the teacher says, “Traffic jam! Take it ____.”  

5. The teacher then passes the turn to another student on a different side of the circle.  

6. The teacher continues the game until students’ interest seems to wane just slightly (usually 5-10 

minutes)  

  

Processing Questions  

How did you feel in this learning experience?  

What were some strategies you used to keep the game going?  

Was it more of a risk to you to say “Zoom” or to say “Skirt”?  

What are some skills that you used in this game that you can apply to online learning?  

  

  

 

  



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Appendix D: Notes on Question Creation and Troubleshooting  
While it is tempting to craft a Circle quickly, the creation of good questions lay the foundation for the 

meaning making done in the Circle.  Questions push the Circle community to consider their feelings and 

personal stories more than their thoughts about a topic.  This is a primary way in which Circle differs 

from Socratic Seminar and other approaches to classroom discussion.  

Questions are multifaceted. Questions present opportunities for students to share either a light 

(positive) or shadow (negative) side of their experiences.  For example, “Give a shout out to someone 

you are grateful for (light/positive) OR apologize to someone you have hurt (shadow/negative).”  In this 

way, the range of emotions expressed is broadened. Traditionally, a relatively narrow band of emotions 

is available to students in a school setting. How often are students invited to share the totality of their 

experiences at school? For example, when do we see students express grief or joy at school? If 

educators say they are dedicated to teaching “the whole child,” then we have to hold space for the atlas 

of human emotions to be expressed at school.  

We use Costa’s Levels of Questioning when crafting questions. The level of cognitive load increases as 

we move up Costa’s Levels; at Level 1, we begin with questions that are easier to step into, and, as we 

move on to Levels 2 & 3, the questions increase in difficulty.  Typically, we want questions that move 

student responses from “I feel _____,” to “I fear _______” to “I found ______.”  In this case, what 

students find about themselves and the world around them requires a higher cognitive load and 

therefore come at the end of the progression.    

Students begin by identifying feelings within themselves, move to a deeper understanding of emotion 

regarding their interaction with others and the world, and end with discovering something about 

themselves. This helps students articulate how their emotions are connected to the actions they take; 

helping them recognize this allows for a deeper self-analysis and creates an opportunity for students to 

have more agency in their actions.   

Additionally, if Circle is used throughout the year, questions can increase in cognitive load through 

various Circles as students become more skilled in the sharing process and more open and vulnerable as 

a community.  Similar to spiraling in curriculum, Circles can also have macro and micro spirals built 

into the question sequence; each individual Circle goes deeper with each question and the sequence 

of Circles over the course of a year invites students into deeper and deeper reflection.   

As stated within the article, the best way to write a Circle is in collaboration.  Circle’s intention is to build 

community, and creating the questions with other teachers is another type of community building and 

results in better questions and therefore a better Circle.  Each teacher brings their own expertise and 

experiences to bear in writing the questions and those nuances lead to questions that address all 

students’ needs.  For example, in writing a chemistry Circle, a science teacher brought up that for some 

students that are drawn to the sciences might find a standard speed round question such as “How are 

you feeling today?” to be threatening.  Working in collaboration also really allows the teachers to 

uncover the deeper purpose of the Circle - what is it that the teachers hope the Circle achieves?  

Without the conversations that arise in developing the Circle together, the Circle might not actually 

center on the purpose of the Circle.    



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The next step is to clearly identify the purpose of the Circle. What competency are you working to 

develop in your students as a group?  For example, the goal can be to create a space for people to be 

vulnerable, with their feelings and with the things they don’t know yet.  

In writing the questions, we rely on the Costa’s Levels of Questioning.  While there has been some 

pushback against the levels as being too rigid, we find that the levels of questions provide structure for 

Circle, and support both emotional and academic learning.  In the taxonomy of building community we 

start out with identifying our one’s feelings and one’s self our self.  The five levels of socio-emotional 

competencies are: Self-awareness, Self management, Social-awareness, Relationship skills, and 

Responsible decision making.  These competencies support and intertwine with the social justice 

standards as well, which help students move from understanding their identity and the identities of 

others to understanding just and unjust systems and actions and finally moving to taking action.  Just as 

we move from the concrete to the more abstract to support student understanding, we also move from 

the present - how are you feeling now, what is happening now, to expanding to experiences and finally 

to imagining other possibilities.  

Having a framework supports teachers knowing that their questions are building toward student 

learning.  It also helps students if they have a framework: What is gender equality? This concept pairs 

with the Bechdel test (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF6sAAMb4s). How do we deal with 

trauma?  This concept pairs with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.  Similarly, using Costa’s levels of 

questioning also supports students learning how to process and therefore answer different kinds of 

questions.  We prefer Costa’s over Bloom’s due to its simplicity.  We know that writing questions is more 

cognitively demanding than answering questions, and this framework helps students.  Similarly, in 

writing, students need to be able to ask questions as that leads to revisions and deeper understanding 

of what they wrote.    

In writing the questions, it is important to discuss with each other why we are asking each question.   

Good questions bring participants’ stories and their connections to the surface rather than having an 

“answer.”  There may be academic learning elements (such as what is the theme), but this is not the 

primary goal of Circle.  The goal of harvesting after the Circle is to connect those individual stories and 

experiences to the academic learning.  In writing the questions, teachers also need to trust that the  

Circle’s format will hold whatever students bring to it and that the teacher will know how to guide and   

If Circle isn’t working: (behavior or all students passing)  

• ratchet down the levels of questioning (return to lower level of questions)  

• exchange the question for a question that connects to the students in the room (what is your 

favorite song)  

• if you don’t know students - ask a non-threatening question every student can participate in 

(food etc.) Possible modification: who in your past or present has made it possible for you to be 

in this place today?  Whose shoulders do you stand on?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF6sAAMb4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF6sAAMb4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF6sAAMb4s


Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build 

Relationships in Online Learning 
Danna Lomax; Shannon Lopez; Brittnee Veldman; Monica Pereira 

Allies for Education 2020, 3, 1 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

Appendix E: Bilingual Emoji Emotion Sheet/Feelings Chart  

 


	Connecting in Isolation: Utilizing Community Circles to Build Relationships in Online Learning
	Introduction
	Section 2: Preparing for Circle
	Set-up
	How to move Community Circles into virtual spaces
	Preparing Participants for Circle
	Guidelines

	Section 3: The How To’s of Circle
	Agreements
	Opening the Circle
	Dedications
	Speed Rounds
	Text
	Questions About the Text
	Witness Round
	Closing the Circle
	Debrief the Process
	Harvesting Round: Applying What is Learned in Circle

	Conclusion
	About the Authors
	References
	Appendix A: Community Circle Template*
	Appendix B: Getting to Know You Community Circle Example
	Appendix C: Samples of Games for Ice-breakers and Openers
	Appendix D: Notes on Question Creation and Troubleshooting
	If Circle isn’t working: (behavior or all students passing)

	Appendix E: Bilingual Emoji Emotion Sheet/Feelings Chart

