PLAY PLAYFULNESS AND CIRCLE TIME by Anne Boardman
Mon, Apr 7th 2008
The Whole School Quality Circle Time Model provides practical strategies (which incorporate joy, vivacity, play and playfulness) for promoting moral education, social inclusion, positive behaviour, social skills, PSHE and Citizenship in schools. It contributes to the type of school ethos most appropriate for the development of spiritual, mental, social and emotional health of all members of the school community, where each person feels safe, listened to, cared for and valued i.e. respected, and where all can become the best they can be. The model places a major emphasis on play and playfulness recognising the ecstatic performance aspects of play and valuing it ‘in and of itself’ in the ‘here and now’. It develops a ‘playful state of mind’ in teachers and pupils (Elisabeth Wood). It also breaks down the oppositional polarity between work and play…. both are complementary to each other.(Biddy Youell) The model develops gender neutral working environments which militate against Machiavellianism (where focus is on manipulating others), chameleonism (with focus on becoming what others want us to become), and narcissism(Oliver James).
Circle Time is widely practised in Primary Schools throughout the UK and is increasingly being time-tabled into the curriculum in Secondary schools. (Many Circle Time strategies and materials have been incorporated in the SEAL materials for schools issued by the DFES.)
The model places a major emphasis on the holistic health of adult teams in the school by advocating the development of personal and professional care plans for all staff. It recognises that teaching is a profoundly spiritual job which requires teachers to be endlessly giving of themselves to pupils and colleagues, to be unconditional in their warmth to pupils, to be energetic and creative, to be professionally competent and to be good relationship role models. The model therefore advocates the development of personal and professional care plans which help staff to focus on their own emotional, creative, physical, cognitive and spiritual well-being and that of their colleagues. Only by looking after all these aspects of well-being can staff build up and maintain the inner strength and reserves to model a morality which will impact on pupils and colleagues because it is full of respect for self, for others and for life, love and laughter. Staff are encouraged to play together and with their pupils.
The model is underpinned fundamentally by a visible system of moral values known as the Golden Rules alongside a system of situation specific safety routines, these are reinforced with a highly motivational system of rewards and sanctions democratically shared by all adults and children and often derived cooperatively through play. The Golden Rules are non-negotiable moral imperatives which reflect respect for self, respect for others and respect for environment, they are agreed by everyone in the school, displayed everywhere, and are a clear statement of the school’s code of practice and moral values. They provide a secure framework for positive behaviour reinforcement – everyone speaks the same language- everyone can catch pupils keeping the rules- they can say precisely what they are getting right, precisely when they get it right so that pupils recognise the positive feedback they get as ‘their truth’ and internalise positive messages about themselves. They provide a frame of reference for all moral choices at the moment of choice. The focus of the model is on the development of personal autonomy and the inner locus of control, so that the more moral choice becomes the pupils preferred choice – pupils become able to say of themselves ‘I am a kind person, not all the time because I am only human, but I like myself better when I am, and I know how to be and how to continue to be’ Mary Warnock comments – ‘Without this underlying private want, they cannot be relied on to try for the ethically best in the public sphere. The morality that lies behind all efforts to improve the world at large, to defend human rights, to pass generally acceptable laws, to seek peace and justice, is essentially that of private standard setting, and of private ideals to be pursued. And this is why children from the earliest age must learn that ,being human ,they are subject to temptation, and being human, they can, if they want to, triumph’ (Warnock An Intelligent Persons guide to Ethics DUCKBACKS 2002)
At the heart of the Circle Time model for pupils is a weekly structured class meeting. The circle meetings aim to provide a forum in which all pupils are respectfully encouraged to participate and feel safe having their say. The meetings promote the development of
positive relationships, self discipline, negotiation, assertive communication, and a democratic group process alongside the skills of attending, speaking, listening, observing, thinking and concentrating. Very clear ground rules ensure the forum is safe, including listening to others without interrupting, avoiding sarcastic and negative put downs, no naming anyone negatively, agreeing a signal to speak and having an understanding of the limits of confidentiality. Children meeting in a circle engage in exercises, games and discussions designed to promote trust, respect, empathy and understanding and generate fun and cohesion. Ideally a Circle Time session follows a clear 5 step structure over approximately 40 minutes:
- Step One –Meeting up – involves an opening game, which pulls the group together, provides a sense of fun, and can be used to reinforce learning skills and moral values. Develops skills of participation and communication.
- Step Two – Warming up – involves a ‘round’ which gives everyone a chance to speak. A speaking object is used to focus on the speaker and a ground rule emphasises that all others must listen. Participants are given the right to ‘pass’.Develops the skill of participation and provides an opportunity for all points of view to be voiced and heard.
- Step Three – Opening up – An open forum phase which can be used to deliver aspects of the curriculum, discuss and solve problems, devise individual or group action plans and set targets. Develops skills of discussion and debate, participating and taking action together. Pupils help each other to tackle complex problems - generating alternative solutions and setting goals and targets.
- Step Four - -Celebrating success – gives participants a chance to acknowledge their own and others successes – an opportunity to give positive feedback. Allows reflection on the process of participation and evaluation of personal and group decisions and actions.
- Step Five – Calming down – brings a sense of closure and bridges to the next part of the school day. Can involve relaxation and visualisation techniques to reflect our increasing understanding of the power of the mind to heal
Throughout all steps of the session the Golden Rules are reinforced
Circle Time sessions contribute to the development of mentally healthy children as they promote their psychological, emotional, creative, intellectual and spiritual health. They help children to develop the capability to initiate, develop and sustain mutually satisfying personal relationships. They enable and facilitate awareness of others and the ability to empathise with them, to play and learn, to develop a sense of right and wrong.
They also help children to face problems and setbacks and learn from them, in ways appropriate for that child’s age (The Big Picture- The Mental Health Foundation 1999)