Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 11, 2004 Page: 25
36 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Learning Circles
Lynn Smith and Annette Albrecht
Learning Circles evolved from training in the Effective Schools
Project dating back to 1992. Through applying presented infor-
mation on Learning Circles in an experimental program, a teacher
in a rural setting discovered the value of engaging students' hearts
and minds. Meeting weekly with underachieving students from
kindergarten to fifth grade, the teacher and students built a close
relationship. The problem solving counseling model proposed
by Dr. William Glasser's Reality Therapy and the principles of
Choice Theory were taught to students at their developmental
levels. Groups continued for six months and produced a 91% ef-
fectiveness rate in changing behaviors identified as hindering
successful academic and social development. An outline of Learn-
ing Circle themes was presented in Los Angeles, California during
a William Glasser Institute certification week and the Institute's
International Reality Therapy Conferences in Dublin, Ireland,
1994, and San Antonio, Texas, 2002. Learning Circles initiated by
teachers and counselors who touch students' hearts and minds
can be used in all schools to help motivate students to higher
levels of learning.While they sat on the group time
rug in the kindergarten classroom
that December, before the first of
many meetings, their eyes told
their story. Some children were
poking their neighbors, some were
looking at the centers hopefully,
glad for the break from their own
classes, and others were just sit-
ting quietly. All showed signs of
needing a sense of belonging,
power, fun, and freedom, all of
which are psychological needs
outlined by William Glasser
(1984). The referral sheets from
colleagues in the school had been
reviewed. Academically and so-
cially behind their peers, school
was clearly not part of these
children's quality worlds (Glasser,
1986). The small classes and
community support of the rural
district were not enough to mo-
tivate them to be successful.
Intervention
An Effective School Project
(ESP) program provided byTarleton State University pro-
posed implementing the
strategies in Glasser's (1992)
book, The Quality School. The plan
included setting up informal
class meetings to identify and
meet the psychological needs of
students in order to improve the
quality of their work in school,
and training teachers in the use
of Reality Therapy core questions:
"What do you want?", "What are
you doing?", "Is it helping?", and
"What do you plan to do?"
Teachers also encouraged students
to evaluate their (the students)
own levels of the psychological
needs that Glasser (1992) identi-
fied as motivating all people.
These basic needs included be-
longing, power or feeling valued,
fun, freedom, and survival
(Glasser, 1986, 2001). In theory,
support provided without criti-
cism encourages students to
choose more responsible behav-
iors (e.g., high quality
schoolwork). During the
25Academically and
socially behind their
peers, school was
clearly not part of
these children's
quality worlds.
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 11, 2004, periodical, 2004; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201687/m1/27/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.