Learning Log 3 – The Circle of Courage and Participatory Culture

Learning Log 3

Discuss how the integration or embrace of indigenous ways of knowing into teaching practice can enable learning to be accessible for all students.

Participatory culture means students can express themselves, can create and share, can mentor and be socially connected, and feel secure in their voice.  What structures could you put in place in a school library to support participatory culture?

In my current school division in Manitoba, we have adopted the Circle of Courage (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 1990) as our philosophy to encourage the well-being of all our students. The philosophy encourages each student to thrive in a nurturing environment. The Circle of Courage model uses Indigenous philosophies of youth development to develop the mind, body, and spirit. The Circle of Courage is designed to show us how to build respect and teach inner discipline. Although the Circle of Courage is often used to help at-risk students, all students can benefit from the teachings because it teaches the mindset that every student can thrive. Through the Circle of Courage, diversity and cultures are respected, a sense of belonging is created, students feel valued, they are encouraged to problem-solving and to build relationships.

“The Circle of Courage is a model of positive growth development based on the universal principals that to be emotionally healthy, all youth need a sense of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity.” (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 1990)

The Circle of Courage’s four unifying values (belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity) can be used as a teaching model to allow learning to be accessible to all students. The four values apply to all students to help them experience success. Each of the areas of the Circle of Courage provides important values, lessons, and concepts for students. Through my description of each section of the Circle of Courage, I will explore various teaching strategies based on the four universal principles that allow students to thrive.

Participatory culture is described by Rheingold as “an outgrowth of our natural human instinct to work as a group.” (Inquiry course, module 4). My exploration of the Circle of Courage will describe how the Circle of Courage and participatory culture relate. I will also list ideas and structures, that can be put into place to create a participatory culture where students can express themselves, feels secure in their voice, and thrive personally and academically.

image by johansonconsulting.ca

Belonging

Belonging is described as a person related somehow to everyone they know. It means that the students need to develop a connection with their peers and teachers to then create strong social bonds. These social bonds encourage relationships of respect and the student develops a sense of significance and self-worth. To build a sense of belonging and respect, the teacher can try to create appropriate physical spaces that meet the needs of all the students. Teachers can consider what would be the best classroom arrangement or SLLC arrangement for the whole group, small group, and individual activities. The arrangement should allow for movement and a quiet space for those who need it. The article entitled The Aboriginal Lens – Education for Reconciliation suggests:

“Respect requires: Creating a safe space where everyone belongs on the circle.” (BC Teachers Federation, 2017)

Lessons and activities should include all students regardless of their circumstances and abilities. Students of different abilities and backgrounds are encouraged to work together which will allow the student to make connections and get to know each other. To create a participatory culture the teacher can offer the students the opportunity to create their own clubs based on their interests. This will allow the student to make connections with students who have similar interests. Students are encouraged to organize the club, visit classrooms to promote it, and create an outline of the activities. Students can facilitate the club with the help of the teacher or teacher-librarian.

Mastery

To build mastery, we teach the students that they cannot be good at everything but that they must always try. Mastery focuses on observing adults as role models. The goal is to help the student to grow into contributing adults. Through Mastery we encourage achievement, success, creativity, problem-solving, motivation, and persistence. To help the student achieve mastery, teach using differentiated learning that is authentic and relevant. Model expectations, clarify what the students will be learning, offer them clear criteria (rubrics and checklists), and instruction. Allow them to solve problems collaboratively and provide them with meaningful feedback. To create a participatory culture, teacher and teacher-librarians can facilitate Indigenous story-telling sessions with students. Aboriginal stories and legends contain many life lessons that students can relate to. In my current school division, the Indigenous Education Team and the Indigenous Youth Leadership Team organized a four-session event where indigenous knowledge keepers and storytellers tell stories and legends to honor Indigenous voices and promote wellness. The storytellers are members of the Grandmother and Grandfather Council and serve as excellent role models for the students.

Independence

The aspect of independence through the Circle of Courage relates to building independence through trust. Students are encouraged to be responsible for their own learning. This can be achieved through goal setting. Being an independent learner comes from empowering self and self-motivation. Students gain the confidence to persevere through different learning experiences. Students are encouraged to develop their leadership skills. Students can take ownership of their classroom when instructors allow them to take part in decision making. Teachers can offer curriculum choices, and students can collaborate with others to create suitable classroom rules and routines. Personal independence provides a sense of inner power. To create a participatory culture the teacher or teacher-librarian can offer inquiry-based learning projects. The student has control over the topic and the questions they may want to be answered. Participatory culture also stems from the use of technology. The use of technology allows the students to fully engage in the task. In my current school division, Microsoft Canada, Minecraft: Education Edition recently announced the completion of Manito Ahbee Aki, the first Minecraft teaching resource in the world that honors, celebrates, and explores a Manitoba Anishinaabe community. This is an excellent resource for teaching Indigenous perspectives in an extremely engaging way.

Generosity

Building generosity involves making meaningful contributions to the community and the people around you. Students are led by teachers and teacher-librarians to build their connection with the community and to develop their sense of pride and joy. Students can develop a sense of responsibility to care for others in their community by participating in meaningful citizenship activities. To create a participatory culture, teachers and teacher-librarians can facilitate opportunities such as the Library Club where students take turns to help the librarian with routine tasks. This helps the whole school community and the student’s efforts are meaningful and appreciated. Students can participate in volunteer activities at the local care homes. Students can create cards for residents who feel isolated. This allows them to contribute to the well-being of the community. Students can practice collaborative problem-solving skills to experience giving and receiving help.

In conclusion, Henry Jenkins (2006) identifies the following five aspects of participatory culture which can be related to the four unifying values of the Circle of Courage. Using the Circle of Courage, participatory culture can be created, and students feel that they can:

“express themselves creatively and be engaged” – This relates to the Circle of Courage, Belonging, and Independence sections.

“understand that in this place they can create learning products and share these with others” – This relates to the Circle of Courage, Independence section.

“[That] mentoring happens in this place” This relates to the Circle of Courage, Mastery section.

“feel that what they think, feel and do matters” This relates to the Circle of Courage, Generosity section.

“feel socially connected to each other” (Jenkins 2006, UBC, LLED 469) This relates to the Circle of Courage, Belonging section.

 

 

BC Teachers’ Federation. (2017). The Aboriginal lens: Education for reconciliation (Links to an external site.). In Aboriginal Education. Vancouver, BC: BCTF.

Hamilton, B. J. (2011a). Creating conversations for learning: School libraries as sites of participatory cultureLinks to an external site.. School Library Monthly 27(8): 41-43.

Franklin, P., & Stephens, C. G. (2009). Equitable access, the digital divide, and the participation gap!Links to an external site. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 25(5), 43–44.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2008b). The goals of differentiationLinks to an external site.. Educational Leadership 66(3): 26-30.

Brendtro, L., Brokenleg, M., & Van Bockern, S. (1990). Circle of Courage. Retrieved February 14, 2014, from Reclaiming youth international: http://www.reclaiming.com/content/aboutcircleofcourage

“Circle of Courage.” Every Student Can Thrive., www.everystudentcanthrive.weebly.com/circle-of-courage.html

Librarian, Karissa Fast -. “Teen Programs.” Ontarian Librarian, 2 Aug. 2020, ontarianlibrarian.com/category/teen-programs/

“Participatory Culture in a Candy Shell.” Public Libraries Online Participatory Culture in a Candy Shell Comments, publiclibrariesonline.org/2017/10/participatory-culture-in-a-candy-shell/

McLeod, S. (2018). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved May 5, 2019, from Simply Psychology: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Peterson, J. M., & Taylor, P. D. (2009). Whole Schooling and the Circle of Courage. Retrieved May 8, 2019, from Whole Schooling Consortium: http://www.wholeschooling.net/