Spectrum News 1
August 19th, 2019 10:03 AM
“LOS ANGELES – Students were still on summer vacation when a group of educators met in an empty classroom in South Los Angeles.
Gathered in a circle, the teachers trained for a different kind of lesson plan. One that has nothing to do with academics and everything to do with empathy.
“With kindergarteners first you may just be able to sit in a circle and say names the first time,” said facilitator Christine Elder, “and then you think them for coming and sitting in circle.”
The practice is called “Ways of Council” and started with the Ojai Foundation. Facilitators like Christine Elder have brought the technique to schools, tech companies and prisons. Participants share stores and learn to listen without judgement. Now she is bringing it to Learning by Design, a charter school in South L.A. that is about to begin its second year…”