Inside Outside Circle Student Training

This is a teaching/learning strategy. Divide the class in half. Ask one half of the class to form a circle that faces out. The second half of the class actually will be forming an outside circle that faces the inside circle. All students in the outside circle should be paired with a classmate on the inside circle. Explain to students that you are going to ask a question and you would like them to think to themselves for about 10 seconds. After students have had time to think to themselves, ask that the “outside” circle speaks first. They will tell their partner their ideas and then ask that the inside circle adds to their ideas. Ask if there are groups that would like to share their responses with the larger group. Ask students on the outside circle to move two spaces right. Continue with the same process as outlined above by asking additional questions, taking them up each time, and then having students move before the next question.