Introduction

Participation in a Learning Circle can be a very rewarding experience for both students and teachers.

For teachers, it provides a way to team-teach with many different teachers in a virtual classroom. Developing working relationships with teachers all over the globe enables teachers to develop a very strong sense of the field of teaching. This professional development is more current and dynamic than more traditional avenues of education.

For students, working in a collaborative setting with peers around the world gives them a wider perspectives on issues and a greater understanding of similarities and differences. The work with others can be a powerful mirror that will help them see who they are, where they live, and who they live with in new way.

Now is a great time to have a discussion about expectations and procedures so that you and your students will have a successful experience in their Learning Circles.

Learning Circle Interaction
You and your students will need to coordinate classroom activities with your Learning Circle partners. You can prepare for this interaction by reading this Learning Circle Guide carefully. Part of the excitement of working in a Learning Circle is that it is an open learning environment created by the group. No one can predict exactly what you and your students will be learning over the next few months. Your learning experience evolves from the cooperative work of all.

A little bit of uncertainty is what makes the educational experience so exciting. But there is also a strong need for predictability in networking. It helps if you let your Learning Circle partners know when and how often to expect messages from you and from your students. You may have a short holiday or important school event in the middle of the project and you will need to inform your partners about this. You will see how important this is the first time your students send a message. They will ask you when they should expect a response. You tell them a few days, or a week, or even a few weeks and they will wait. But if there is no reply once that period is up, they will be very disappointed. So you need to be careful about the predictions you make and recognize that others will be counting on you and your students to respond. Try to set a regular schedule for checking and sending mail and share this information with your partners.

Note: During this course your course activities will be in italic. Complete all these activities.

Teacher Preparation

Prepare your class Hello message.

Your Learning Circle session time line lists the specific dates for each of the phases of your Learning Circle interaction. You should know the Learning Circle time line for the Bridges of Learning Project before you start.

Make a note of the dates when you will be on holiday or away from computer communication in order to share this information with others in your Learning Circle.

Reading through this Learning Circle Teacher Guide before the start of your Learning Circle will prepare you for working in your Learning Circle.

It is a good idea to have your first Class hello message ready to send as soon as your Learning Circle conference is ready so that everyone will have an opportunity to meet you.

Student Preparation

Inform your students about Learning Circles.

Your students also need to get ready for this new learning experience. Before the session begins, spend some time talking with your students about the concept of a Learning Circle and the specific curriculum focus of your Learning Circle. Informing parents of your Learning Network activities is also a way to get them involved and gain support for your school's participation.

Your students will be working with students in other locations. Place a map large enough to show all of your partners' locations on a bulletin board. Have students identify the location of each of the sites with a brightly colored pin. Use the World Almanac, references, or encyclopedias to gather information related to your special Learning Circle theme. Help students use the map to make predictions about their partners. Encourage students to think of questions that they would like to ask the students in other places. You may want to save these predictions to share with your students at the end of Learning Circle Interaction.

Informing parents is a way to encourage their involvement in their child's education. Students could take a letter home to their parents when you introduce the Learning Circle concept to your class. This letter also serves to invite parent participation in the Learning Circle activities. Engaging members of the community in your Learning Circle project will enrich the learning environment for everyone.

Your Learning Circle Theme and Project

Start introducing the Learning Circle theme to your class.

Students in your classroom will be working on a common theme that defines your Learning Circle. It might be helpful to begin by thinking about what community and network resources you can draw on to help your students in the specific theme you selected. These ideas are arranged by Learning Circle theme.

Read more about the Learning Circle themes...

ICT in Education ThemesClassroom guests and field trips can broaden your students' perspectives on your Learning Circle theme. There are many social services, businesses, and community programs that have speakers who would be happy to come and talk to your students. There are also likely to be many places in your local community that could become interesting sites of field trips. Developing relationships between the school and community organizations can result in many positive benefits for everyone involved.

As you think of ways to help students explore your Circle theme, remember to share them with your Learning Circle. While your local resources are likely to be different, your explorations may give ideas to teachers in other locations about how they can use their local services to enrich their students' experiences.

It may help to think about the following as you prepare for your work in Learning Circles:

• What do you think your students will want to know about their peers?
• What do you want to know about the teachers and their schools?

Managing Electronic Mail

Send a test message with your class number and the words "Test Message" in the subject line.

Now is a good time to decide how you will be handling the mail that you receive from the other schools. There are many different strategies and you will find the one that fits best within your teaching style within the structure of Learning Circles that you have selected.

Only one e-mail address is registered per class. It is recommended that you participate in the Learning Circle through your e-mail address. How will your class cokmmunicate their ideas to you? How will you make the e-mails that you receive from the Circle partners available to the students?

You will have been given the details of a group e-mail address and web site for your group communications. Test your e-mail to the group by sending e-mail to that address. Remember to place your class identity in the subject line. For example, if you are Class 1, your subject line for this test message should be

Class 1 Test Message

Go to phase 2

Phase 2 - HelloAdapted for ASEAN Schoolnet from Learning Circle Teachers' Guide by Margaret Riel