Concentric Circles (UK)
About This Teaching Strategy
This discussion strategy invites every student in the class to participate as an active listener and speaker. Students stand in two concentric circles facing one another and respond to a question in a paired discussion. When prompted by the teacher, one of the circles moves to the left or right so that each student now faces a new partner, with whom they discuss a new question.
This activity works well to debrief a reading or video and mixes up students so that they have the opportunity to share with a wide range of students. Furthermore, because they are speaking with just one other person at a time, reticent students might feel more comfortable sharing their ideas than they would in a group or class discussion.
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