Concentric Circles
Instructions:
Half of all participants (Group 1) will be on the inside, while the other half (Group 2) creates a circle around Group 1
Group 1 will be given a series of prompts (specifically designed for the group based on the reading material, group needs, etc.) they can use or not use, while Group 2 will listen, take notes, and observe.
Group 2 (the outer circle) is not allowed to mediate, interrupt, or respond.
After a pre-established amount of time (e.g. 12 minutes), the groups switch.
Group 2 can pick up where Group 1 left off or take the conversation in another direction
The process repeats until both groups have been in the center circle twice.
The convener does not mediate this conversation—so there may be dead time, but the exercise is designed for the groups to talk directly to each other.
Then the groups shift into one large circle to reconvene and debrief.
Take some time to draw out conclusions as an entire class
Praxis (why + theory):
I use this exercise to highlight the significance of proximity. Proximity, as Bryan Stevenson has famously explained, is essential for change; we must remain close to the issues of injustice and to those who are suffering in order to be made uncomfortable and confront prevailing narratives.
The inner circle, tasked with generating responses to prompts or each other, are spurred to act while those on the outside must observe and note. Seemingly “put on the spot,” vulnerability is exacted from participants on the inside circle. As a result, they must consciously engage each other as colleagues and peers trusting that they will be received rather than engaging each other perfunctorily as classmates.
Those on the outside–the margins–are not allowed to contribute to the discussion or solve for the question at the center. The experience in the outer circle, for some, is not unlike that of those who have been marginalized and labeled “outsider.” Despite possessing firsthand knowledge that may evolve the agenda or solve the problem, they are disallowed the opportunity to participate in the conversation.
When debriefed collectively, the exercise is typically revealed to have fostered heightened levels of empathy as participants realize the tension they held in their bodies throughout the exercise. We discuss and explore possible reasons for that tension before shaking, stretching, and dancing that pressure out and off our bodies.
As an international student of mine once explained: “This course not only improved my writing skills but also my communication skills. The most impressive game played during the classes is the activity about insider and outsider. This activity forces me to speak publicly... Such experiences encourage me to speak more during classes and join the discussions more." I paired this game with a reading about insider/outsider positionalities, and used the experience to illustrate the profundity of individual proximity and positionality pertaining to privilege, power, identity, and oppression.
Because the instructor is not the primary facilitator and mediator, the Concentric Circles activity enables students to experience the pressure of simultaneously fostering and maintaining engagement while translating and comprehending core concepts in real time. Students must teach each other. As they experience certain challenges particular to classroom-based instruction, they begin recognizing themselves in other people and flattening the hierarchical tension that is inherent to instructor-student dynamics in the learning space. Students understand themselves as empowered as they shape and share their learning space with peers and instructors. In the process, they establish connections with whom they can define themselves, as opposed to defaulting to self-definition against their instructors, many of whom are typically viewed as figures of the institution. In the camaraderie, we as instructors feel less lonely, too.
