Summary
The carousel invites half the participants to form a standing circle facing outwards with their backs to each other. The other half form a circle around the first group and face inwards so that you have two circles of pairs facing each other. A question for discussion is offered and each pair discusses the question for 2 minutes before a bell sounds and there is a pause to check in (body and mind). The outer circle rotate to the right so that a new pair is formed. At this point the question can remain the same or change for a new focus of discussion. This rotation can continue until all students in each circle have had the opportunity to speak with each student in the outer circle.
Feedback can be taken on the process of the activity (how it was to discuss the topics in this way and what was inspiring or challenging?) or the content of the discussion with key learning drawn out.
Theory
The carousel provides an opportunity to bring physical energy into the learning experience through inviting standing and movement. The pause moment in between sessions supports students to develop skills of meta cognitive awareness of their thoughts, feelings and sensations within the process which is a pillar of wellbeing. The physical rotation enhances kinaesthetic learning and inclusivity inviting full participation in pairs which are more accessible to those who are anxious about speaking in a larger group.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/835a/f568f223fbc4b92be6b452aeb9a9e723f897.pdf
This exercise needs to be delivered with confidence and a sense of fun to invite to inspire confidence in trying something new perhaps. Another form of the carousel is described here.
Measurable Benefits
- It breaks down barriers.
- It incorporates kinaesthetic learning practice
- It brings energy and encourages the development of meta cognitive awareness.
How it Works
- What are the learning aims and objectives and specific linked questions for discussion.
- Give clear instructions sequence to arrange the participants in the carousel positions. A bell or some other sound device to signal the pauses and changeover process.
- Offer the instructions with energy and a sense of fun and move around the classroom with the participants helping them get into position.
Practical Example
Postgraduate Mindfulness Teacher trainees were invited into a carousel practice to explore the question of what was inspiting their personal practice, what challenges their personal practice and how this learning could be woven into their teaching practice to support participants in their mindfulness based intervention programmes.
Another form of this was used to move between “assessment domain stations” in small groups where the students used post it notes to identify where they had observed good practice in their supervisor or their own teaching on placement. The domains each had a poster with the key features for each domain of assessment. http://mbitac.bangor.ac.uk/mbitac-tool.php.en
Individual Perspective
The first time I attempted this I wasn’t clear in my instructions and the students were wandering around looking a little perplexed! We paused and I moved amongst the students helping them to move into position and working together to put the circles in place. The students knew that we were experimenting and with good humour they got involved in the experiment. It was very rewarding to see and hear the level of animation, participation and learning in the room. I asked for feedback and the students reported finding it enjoyable, memorable and energising. Experimenting together and adapting the process to work for the group and learning task through collaboration bonded the group further.
Supporting Example:
Dr Alastair Smith
Changing Places to Promote
Mixing During Seminars
This example requires the movement of students to different places than they would naturally sit in during regular seminars, over the course of a module. I have found that students will effortlessly place themselves in a regular position in the class, often next to students that they are comfortable with. This will regularly happen by the 4th/5th class; at this point, I will politely invite the students to sit in a different place as they are coming into the classroom. This is not a mandatory exercise at this stage, but an invitation for them to sit outside their comfort zone and integrate within a wider audience in the learning environment. Largely, students may not do this or will sit in their original places the following week; therefore, in week 7, I make a compulsory task at the start of the seminar for everyone to move and sit next to someone they haven’t discussed with up until this point.
Method
- Allow Students to sit where they wish (Weeks 1-4)
- Invite students to sit somewhere else (Week 5)
- Make it compulsory to sit next to a new peer (Week 7)
Individual Perspective
This pedagogy promotes integration in a general sense but permits the opportunity for intercultural and international integration. Students are given the chance to settle into a new environment, before being invited to sit somewhere else. I think it’s a great technique to utilise the existing pool of knowledge within a classroom; it promotes student-to-student learning, especially in classrooms and modules that require a significant amount of discussion or problem-based learning.