Transcript Workshop B ~ Circle Time

Listening through
Circle Time: Workshop
Dr Hannah Mortimer
Educational Psychologist
Time to play!
In this Workshop we will:
• Think about how we can adapt a
regular circle time to focus on
‘Listening’
• Have a go at planning a session and
practising some activities
How Circle time can help
Children’s Self-esteem and
self-confidence
• Learning to recognise, name and describe
feelings
• Learning to understand others’ feelings
• Learning to manage one’s own feelings
• Learning to talk about feelings and be a
good listener
• Learning to set goals and solve problems
What happens in circle
time?
• Awareness – knowing who I am – and
that I can be listened to
• Mastery – knowing what I can do –
listening and communicating
• Social interaction – knowing how I
function in the world of others
Adapted from Ballard (1982)
The power of the circle
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Sharing – listening and being listened to
We all matter – and can all be listened to
Eye contact
Relating individually and listening to each
child in a large group
• Being able to see how each child responds
• Giving the children models of success
Starting out
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Getting into the circle
Establishing rules
Warming up
Signing on
The filling in the sandwich
Signing off
Getting into the circle
• Share with your neighbour your best
‘tricks of the trade’ for getting the
children into a circle ready for circle
time
Establishing rules
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Teach turn-taking
Teach looking skills
Teach listening skills
In circle time we take turns, watch
each other and listen to each other
• We respect and value what each one
has to say
Tricks of the trade
• The talking bear
• Sentence completion
• Supporting younger children or those with
additional needs: e.g. musical interaction
• Relationship play
• Puppets and persona dolls
• Props, photos and shared ‘talking points’
A musical circle time: a
possible structure
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Warm up and greeting song
Action rhymes
Looking and listening game
Talk time
Band time
Marching
Goodbye song
Your turn
• Within this structure, plan one
activity that will allow you to tune
into and ‘listen’ to a child/group of
children, based on everything we
have covered today
• And one to teach listening skills
And to finish
• Be ready to share your activities with
Hannah so that she can build them
into a final Musical Listening Circle
• Any problems with this (or need for
back-up) – please let Hannah know
• Have fun!