Intro to the Circle

The two of us sat at the fire pit. I could feel myself getting anxious. We had been sitting for about ten minutes. The students, playing on the grass, finished lunch about thirty minutes ago. Certainly, they had enough free time.

“I can gather them together and get ready for the next activity,” I suggested to Dale, the camp director who was lounging on one of the seats. He calmly looked around the camp, out at the water, up at the sky, to the students running, walking, sitting, talking and back up to the sky.

“They are in a good place. Let them stay in the Southwest a bit longer.”

I took a quick look across the lake to the North. I looked at Dale in confusion. He responded, “The Southwest is the ‘break’ time of the cycle. They are not ready to get back to the South, to working. Look at them running and having fun, letting go some energy. They’ll naturally switch back when they are ready.”

We waited. Over the next five to ten minutes students put away the soccer ball. Others got up from their small group talks and walked over to the fire pit. They eventually were sitting with us. Dale calmly sat up and introduced the next activity, the next challenge for the group.

That was my introduction to the Natural Learning Cycle and Diagram of a Person. 

The natural learning cycle is based on the circle, the sacred shape of many aboriginal cultures. The meaning of the circle is obvious. It represents a cycle that repeats. This is in contrast to the more linear model that is common in Western/European culture and thought. Time is not just a line of events. In the circle, time is made of events that come and go and return. The circle is a picture of the seasons, the motion of the planets, the movement of the stars and constellations, migrations of the animals and the spinning of the Earth. A circle is unity in that is supports itself and binds itself.

The Natural Learning Cycle, based on the circle using the compass directions is well described by Warren Moon. In his description, each part of the circle and its corresponding part of the compass is associated with a part of learning. I’ve come to see this in many parts. I first saw it on a wilderness/spiritual retreat. It was in the whole program. Then I began to see it in my students in my classroom. I used it to plan my day, my week and even my lessons. With growing awareness it is more evident. And, as we are aware of something, we are more ready to help people. Does a student need support? Are they ready to talk or to work? Perhaps they need support to move to the South?