INITIATING RESPONSIBLE EDUCATION

The Tribes Community Circle

The familiar life horizon has been outgrown, the

old conccepts, ideals and emotions patterns no

longer fit-the time for the passing of a treshold

is at hand. - Joseph Campbell

• What really is most important in preparing young people to become active and constructive caring citizens?

• Tougher course in science and math?• Computers for every child?• Smaller class sizes?• A longer school day or year?• Stronge dicipline polices?• Awards?• Uniforms?• More federal $$$?

• These are the favored topics that consume most of the time and anxiety in school meetings rather than the central question from whuch all teaching should rightfully flow.

• Social intellingence is the capacity:• To relate well to others • To conceptualize and manage social

relations, interpersonal problems and comflict.

• To be empathetic, patient and considerate of cultural, racial and gender diversity

• To colaborate• To enjoy working for the common good.

• Social intelligence, to a great extent, depends upon the degree of one´s emotional literacy:

• Self-awareness • The ability to handle emotions.• Self-motivation• Empathy• Social skills

• Can social and emotional intelligence be taught?

Yes and no! Social skills and character values are being taught as

currivula throughout many schools today. However, acquiring social and emotional intelligence

depends on many factors in developmental years of

a chil´s life.

The factors are:• Caring relationships• Opportunities for participation and

contributions, and positive expectation messages and beliefs.

• This is why Tribes Learning Communities, unlike many other cooperative learning approaches, first establish a culture of caring.

•Everyone needs reflections The benefits of learning throught

cooperations with others are:

cooperation

Constructive thinking

Social competency

Motivation To learn

Social support

PsychologicalhealthSelf-esteem

Positiverelationships

Intergrouprelationships

Academicachievement

RESPONSIBLE EDUCATION

Human development

AndLearning

A caring culture

The community Of leaders

Responsive education

Student-centeredActive learning

THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF TRIBES

• Responsive education is an active learning process that supports the intellectual, social, emotional, physical and spiritual or inner development of young adolecents. The four essential tasks of adolecent-autonomy and independence, social competency, a sense of support and the capacity to problem solve-are the compass points for teachers in tribes middle level school.

Stages toward excellence through group learning

Teacher:

Directs lectures facts and concepts

Teacher:

Directs initites activity

Teacher:

Plans initiates strategy

Teacher selects topicor problem

asks questions Asks questions Student tribes: discuss and work on tasks or problem seek ideas and report solutions to class.

Student tribes:

1.Define inquiry questions and process, selecgt question to explore.

Seeks correct answers assigns desk work

Affirms multiple answers Manage task and interaction build inclusion and influence

2.explore: implement activities to explore inquiry manage and assess group interaction

Manages behavior Manages behavior builts inclusion

Monitor agreements use appreciation

3.explain: articulate observations and ideas share and clasify terms. Present learning.

Tests for facts Students: use agreements lesrn collavorative skills work in collaboration reflect on interaction

Reflect on learning and group interaction asses for knowledge and learning

4.Elaborate: expand on concepts and make connections to real world

Students:

Learn alone

Learn together Learn together 5.evaluate: reflect on performance outcomes. Share appreciation.

Whole class instructions

The tribesCommunity circle

Cooperative learningIn tribes

Discovery learning In tribes

• The chart, illustrates the continum of change in teaching practices that thousands of tribes teachers are making to reach and teach students more effectively-and to improve test scores! The “stages towards excellence” are initiated as teachers moderate their use of whole class instruction and gradually use the community circle, cooperative learning and discovery learning.

• As soon as the teacher of a school have become trained in the basic tribes learning community course, they are ready to implement the process by enganing students daily in a tribes community circle. Once students are familiar with the Tribes community process, the agreements, and some of collaborative skills, the teacher and students organize tribes for cooperative learning.

The first stage-tribes community circle

• The special spirit of community doesn´t just happen in a classroom or organization by dividing people up to work in small groups, or by using randomly selected group activities.The daily community circle is step one in actualizing the culture of tribes and the environment that builds resiliency…namely: caring relationships, positive expectation message, and beliefs and opportunities for participation for participation and contribution.

• It begins by creating inclusion for every person within the intended learning community and by practicing the set of positive tribes Tribes agreements:

• Attentive listening• Appreciation… no put-downs• Right to pass• Mutual reaspect• Inclusion example: “find two people you still do not know

very well and for five minutes share why you enjoy a favorite outdoor activity”

• Academic Example: “Turn to a neighbor and for a few minutes talk about what you would do if you ever became the President of the United States.

Giving instructions

• Describe the activity or task that the community will be doing, and give the purpose for doing it. Use initial atrategies that promote inclusion. Some that may be appropiate are: Community Circle Topics, Something Good, or wishful Thinking.

Initiating Sharing

• Initiate sharing by being the first to speak on the selescted topic, and then invite others to do so by going around tha circle. Remind everyone that they have the right-to-pass. After going around the circle onece, facilitate a sedcond go-sround to give those who hesitated to speak the first time a second opportunity.

Keeping Things Moving

• It is best to refrain from repeating, paraphasing or commeting on anyone´s contribution. Make mental notes on what you may want to bring un alter. However if someone does get put down deal with the incident in a direct but

• matterof-fact way.

Learning And Practicing The Tribes Agreements.

• The second pupose of the community circle is to teach and practice the Tribes agrrements and other collaborative group

skills.

Defining community Agreements

• It is important for early teenagers to ester in a discussion of what they need in order to feel safe or trusting in a group.

• People will say things as:• “I dont like when people call me names• “i dont want to get pushed around”• “I dont want to do something just because

everyone else do”• “I dont want our group to fight and hassle all the

time”• “I want people to like me

• Attentive listening is a gift to be given. It depends upon:

• Acknowledging the person who is speaking-giving him full attention and eye contact.

• Withholding ones own comment, opinions, and need to talk at the time.

• Paraphasing key words to encourage tha speaker and to let her know she has been heard.

• Affirming through body language that the speaker is being heard.

• Paying attention not only to the words but also to the feelings behind the words.

Seven steps in teaching colaborative skills

1. Engage students in identifying the need for the skill

2. Tach the skill3. Practice the skill regularly4. Transfer the responsability to the tribes to

remain each other to use the skill.5. Ask the reflection questions about the use of

skills in tribes.6. Point out times when you notice people using

the skill well.7. Notice and celebrate when the skillis owned

aas a natural behavior.

Looks like Sounds like Feels like

Heads together

Eyes looking

People nodding

Leaning forward

smiling

Talking one at the time

Encouragement

Good idea

Uh-huh

Yes!

Great

I´m imprortant

People care

I´m smart

We´re friends

Agrrements: listening

Three types of reflection questions

CONTENT(COGNITIVE LEARNING): Questions that are focused on the academic concepts, ideas and knowledge gained from the learning experience; also the constructive thinking akils that are used.

COLLABORATIVE(SOCIAL LEARNING): queations that focus on the interaction and participation of members in the learning group; also the colaborative skills that were used.

DISCOVERING GIFTS(PERSONAL LEARNING): Queations that help to identify skills contributed to complete the task; also the special gifts, talents, interests noticed by the tribe student individually.