The instructional practice of asking a series of questions about a statement, all in the target language.
01
What is it?
Circling is the art of making a statement, then asking a yes/no
question, either/or question, or other simple question about the
statement in order to help your students understand the message. Circling provides students with contextualized repetitions of the
linguistic structures contained in the utterance to build their
comprehension.
02
Why & How?
Coined by Susan Gross, this fundamental skill is used in everything from any of the
"Talks", TPRS, MovieTalk, and more. It is easy to get caught up in
counting repetitions and loose sight of keeping the input compelling.
Recently there has been a shift towards the art of asking compelling questions and less insistence on keeping to a strict formula.
CIRCLING in action
Featured video:
See Martina Bex's brilliant video explaining how circling has evolved and how she uses it in her classroom.
Susan Gross has a comprehensive TPRS handout that includes a how-to of circling on the last page
More Thoughts and in-depth Discussion
Circling seems very simple.
It is a simple idea, yes. But it can be a powerful way to recycle comprehensible input while keeping students engaged in a compelling conversation. This is a staple part of TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading & Storytelling) and a great skill for teachers new to proficiency-based instruction to familiarize themselves with.
What are the Steps?
The teacher elicits a statement, then proceeds to ask questions about the statement. It's important to mention that Circling should never become monotonous. It can feel very formulaic. So move on as soon as it feels stuck. The goal is NOT a certain number of repetitions. The goal is to keep your students engaged through providing compelling input.
How long do you spend Circling?
That depends of course. With true beginners, these students need to hear a small number of words and phrases, as well as questions, over and over again. Circling is an efficient way to provide that input. Beginners are learning to separate words from the noise of the target language. Answering circling questions correctly with simple, one word answers is highly motivating!
So Circling is just for beginners?
Not exactly. More experienced students benefit from circling too. When a teacher starts with new input, some form of circling will always take place. With practice, the questions will feel more natural, less like you are following a pattern, and fit into your toolkit of skills as one of many to choose from for any given situation.
CIRCLING in your classroom
Do you circle in your classroom? Do you have tips, resources, a story or video demonstration to share? Drop me a line!
