circle of courage model
Larry Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg and Steve Van Bockern are co-founders of an organization titled Reclaiming Youth International. They train people in and work directly with the Circle of Courage model. Shown above is a visual representation of the Circle of Courage which was created by a Lakota Sioux artist George Blue Bird and can be found on the Reclaiming Youth International website. It introduces the four different elements of this model. This model was introduced in order to provide structure for educators to have a foundation when working with children or youth at-risk. Instead of labelling these students as 'lost causes', they suggest reclaiming the at-risk environment these students come from and provide them with hope for the future. This model provides educators with an approach with research behind it for reaching these students that seem unreachable. It integrates research on positive youth development with educational practice and is backed up by continuous research. The four areas of the Circle of Courage include, belonging, mastery, independence and generosity. These are the four unifying themes for working with at-risk students in your classroom or youth program and will notice that they are constantly over-lapping as you apply them. These four values do not just apply to the Aboriginal students in your classroom but can be used as a base for working with any student. They are especially beneficial for those students that are at-risk in your classroom but can be applied to your whole classroom for every student to experience success through!
Belonging
Just like the Circle of Courage model, Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs' also deals with the idea of belonging. Below is a diagram of the pyramid model that Abraham Maslow identified as the levels of needs that are needed to be met in order to reach the self-actualization stage. Every human has the ability and inward desire to move up the levels but sometimes there are barriers in the way or progress can be disrupted by a change in meeting the lower needs. An example of this disruption is divorce or losing a job.
The second level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is Love and Belonging, or Safety as it is also know as. All children have the desire to be loved and find a place where they fit in. This includes at school. The Circle of Courage begins in belonging. The spirit of belonging as described in Brendtro, Brokenleg and Van Bockern's book Reclaiming Youth At Risk: Our Hope for the Future is the job of all adults in the Sioux tribe (1990, p. 46). Today in Winnipeg many of the at-risk children and youth are not receiving the affirmation of belonging that causes them to thrive.
Destructive relationships are the killers of belonging. These types of relationships are what causes students to no longer trust adults or allow themselves to be vulnerable with their peers. It is so important for students to feel like they have a supportive community around them at school. The sense of community will give them a sense of belonging in the class. This is the first step to helping students that are at-risk. We as educators should provide them with a place where they belong. Students who are at-risk are seeking a sense of belonging that they are not finding at home or in their community. In my experience building a sense of belonging does not happen instantly but when students start to be open to the idea and show it through their behaviours it is the best reward you as a teacher can receive.
I believe belonging is where we should start when implementing the Circle of Courage into our classrooms. The other three areas seem to thrive better when the student is aware that they have a place where they are wanted, encouraged and challenged. When students have a sense of belonging at school they are less likely to go searching for that sense of belonging elsewhere. In my experience I have seen youth find their belonging in gangs and abusive relationships. When developing a sense of belonging in the classroom you are not just helping them succeed in their school work, but also providing them with a reason not to get involved in destructive relationships. In Winnipeg specifically intergenerational poverty is something that many have been dealing with for years. One way to break this cycle is through graduation! Providing a sense of belonging is an important aspect for students staying in school.
The second level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is Love and Belonging, or Safety as it is also know as. All children have the desire to be loved and find a place where they fit in. This includes at school. The Circle of Courage begins in belonging. The spirit of belonging as described in Brendtro, Brokenleg and Van Bockern's book Reclaiming Youth At Risk: Our Hope for the Future is the job of all adults in the Sioux tribe (1990, p. 46). Today in Winnipeg many of the at-risk children and youth are not receiving the affirmation of belonging that causes them to thrive.
Destructive relationships are the killers of belonging. These types of relationships are what causes students to no longer trust adults or allow themselves to be vulnerable with their peers. It is so important for students to feel like they have a supportive community around them at school. The sense of community will give them a sense of belonging in the class. This is the first step to helping students that are at-risk. We as educators should provide them with a place where they belong. Students who are at-risk are seeking a sense of belonging that they are not finding at home or in their community. In my experience building a sense of belonging does not happen instantly but when students start to be open to the idea and show it through their behaviours it is the best reward you as a teacher can receive.
I believe belonging is where we should start when implementing the Circle of Courage into our classrooms. The other three areas seem to thrive better when the student is aware that they have a place where they are wanted, encouraged and challenged. When students have a sense of belonging at school they are less likely to go searching for that sense of belonging elsewhere. In my experience I have seen youth find their belonging in gangs and abusive relationships. When developing a sense of belonging in the classroom you are not just helping them succeed in their school work, but also providing them with a reason not to get involved in destructive relationships. In Winnipeg specifically intergenerational poverty is something that many have been dealing with for years. One way to break this cycle is through graduation! Providing a sense of belonging is an important aspect for students staying in school.
Mastery
It is very important for students to be able to take pride in what they accomplish. You also need to have supports in place to encourage and appreciate when a student does exceed beyond expectations. This is where the importance of mastery in the classroom comes in. In Reclaiming Youth at Risk the authors state, "when the child's need to be competent is satisfied, motivation for further achievement is enhanced; deprived of opportunities for success, young people express their frustration through troubled behaviour or by retreating in helplessness and inferiority" (Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern, 1990, p. 49). I find truth in this statement. In my experience I have seen this play out in the classroom. In most cases that I have experienced the students have been deprived of an opportunity for mastery and it has resulted in boredom, misbehaviour and rebelling.
In classrooms today there is an overwhelming sense of pessimism towards the behaviour of at-risk students (Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern, 1990, p. 16). The "Pygmalion Effect" or the idea that you get what you expect should warn educators that this attitude is not beneficial for the success of their students. When teachers come into the classroom expecting bad behaviours from at-risk students they are likely to receive it. When teachers place negative expectations on students it causes futility (Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern, 1990, p.16). Futility is the feeling of pointlessness or uselessness. Every teacher out there could probably voice one experience that they had with a student who felt this way.
In order to fight against this feeling in students, teachers need to have positive expectations and attitudes towards them. As a teacher you should honestly believe that every student in your class is capable of success. A positive school climate will only benefit the students in your class regardless of whether they are at-risk or not.
When a student takes pride in their work they are more willing to learn new skills and face new challenges. Mastery begins with competence and builds to confidence in your ability to complete a task. Mastery does not mean achieving perfection but instead being willing to try regardless of the possibility of failure, looking silly or being made fun of by their peers. They see every opportunity as a learning experience and a challenge. Mastery is often best worked on through mentorship or partnership in the classroom.
In classrooms today there is an overwhelming sense of pessimism towards the behaviour of at-risk students (Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern, 1990, p. 16). The "Pygmalion Effect" or the idea that you get what you expect should warn educators that this attitude is not beneficial for the success of their students. When teachers come into the classroom expecting bad behaviours from at-risk students they are likely to receive it. When teachers place negative expectations on students it causes futility (Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern, 1990, p.16). Futility is the feeling of pointlessness or uselessness. Every teacher out there could probably voice one experience that they had with a student who felt this way.
In order to fight against this feeling in students, teachers need to have positive expectations and attitudes towards them. As a teacher you should honestly believe that every student in your class is capable of success. A positive school climate will only benefit the students in your class regardless of whether they are at-risk or not.
When a student takes pride in their work they are more willing to learn new skills and face new challenges. Mastery begins with competence and builds to confidence in your ability to complete a task. Mastery does not mean achieving perfection but instead being willing to try regardless of the possibility of failure, looking silly or being made fun of by their peers. They see every opportunity as a learning experience and a challenge. Mastery is often best worked on through mentorship or partnership in the classroom.
Independence
At-risk students can gain power through developing their independence. Independence allows youth to be involved in determining their own futures while still understanding the consequences of their behaviours. It is because of this that they recognize their need to control harmful behaviour in order to thrive in society (Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern, 1990, p. 4). The killer of independence according to the authors of Reclaiming Youth at Risk is learned irresponsibility.
Learned irresponsibility comes in many different forms, "the learned helplessness of those who see themselves as the pawns of others, the defiant rebellion of those struggling to break the chains of authority, the narcissism of an affluent generation lacking a sense of social responsibility, the negative peer subcultures of predatory gangs terrorizing our cities" (Brendtro, Brokenlege, Van Bockern, 1990, p. 25). This quote sums up what we as teachers are fighting against when attempting to teach independence to our students. Youth have been robbed of the power of independence through a generation of adults who have not taught them a sense of autonomy. On the opposite side of the spectrum there are children who are forced into independence prematurely. Teachers experience this daily in their classrooms as students who have no control over their own behaviours are labeled as helpless or that they have a lack of internal motivation (Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern, 1990, p. 52).
In order to gain independence children need opportunities to develop self-relience in a positive safe environment. Independence is not something that should be pushed on a child, neither should dependence constantly be reinforced either. Children need to be a provided with a balance of opportunities to be independent along with an awareness of adult support to walk along side them. Independence can be accomplished through taking responsibility for ones actions whether positive or negative and to prove that you are trustworthy. Independence is a learning process. Through this process the goal is that students will be able to self-manage their own actions and make good choices because of it. Independence also allows for students to look at how their choices affect their future.
It is extremely important to provide opportunities for students to gain independence in the classroom. Brendtro, Brokenleg and Van Bockern (1990) list the qualities of a resilient youth who has a sense of independence and are able to self-manage. A resilient youth build relationships with adults and friends because of mutual care and concern, they think for themselves, can understand frustration when they feel it, manage their emotions, show optimism even when they fail, does not let labels define themselves, and can let things go in the sense of forgive and forget (p. 106). This end result should be our desire as teachers for every student who comes into our classroom. Even if you only teach them one aspect of being resilient they will leave your classroom a more independence person.
Learned irresponsibility comes in many different forms, "the learned helplessness of those who see themselves as the pawns of others, the defiant rebellion of those struggling to break the chains of authority, the narcissism of an affluent generation lacking a sense of social responsibility, the negative peer subcultures of predatory gangs terrorizing our cities" (Brendtro, Brokenlege, Van Bockern, 1990, p. 25). This quote sums up what we as teachers are fighting against when attempting to teach independence to our students. Youth have been robbed of the power of independence through a generation of adults who have not taught them a sense of autonomy. On the opposite side of the spectrum there are children who are forced into independence prematurely. Teachers experience this daily in their classrooms as students who have no control over their own behaviours are labeled as helpless or that they have a lack of internal motivation (Brendtro, Brokenleg, Van Bockern, 1990, p. 52).
In order to gain independence children need opportunities to develop self-relience in a positive safe environment. Independence is not something that should be pushed on a child, neither should dependence constantly be reinforced either. Children need to be a provided with a balance of opportunities to be independent along with an awareness of adult support to walk along side them. Independence can be accomplished through taking responsibility for ones actions whether positive or negative and to prove that you are trustworthy. Independence is a learning process. Through this process the goal is that students will be able to self-manage their own actions and make good choices because of it. Independence also allows for students to look at how their choices affect their future.
It is extremely important to provide opportunities for students to gain independence in the classroom. Brendtro, Brokenleg and Van Bockern (1990) list the qualities of a resilient youth who has a sense of independence and are able to self-manage. A resilient youth build relationships with adults and friends because of mutual care and concern, they think for themselves, can understand frustration when they feel it, manage their emotions, show optimism even when they fail, does not let labels define themselves, and can let things go in the sense of forgive and forget (p. 106). This end result should be our desire as teachers for every student who comes into our classroom. Even if you only teach them one aspect of being resilient they will leave your classroom a more independence person.
generosity
True generosity in action beautiful. Children in Native cultures are often taught to be generous without holding back. This is a value that can be taught in schools as well and is the final piece of the Circle of Courage. Brendtro, Brokenleg and Van Bockern (1990) said it best when they stated that "young people cannot develop a sense of their own value unless they have the opportunities to be of value to others" (p. 34). The enemy of generosity is a loss of purpose. The school system has grown this attitude in students. Often students are told to do their school work because they should, or because it is part of the curriculum. Teachers assign meaningless work to students in order to meet curricular outcomes. What would happen if we provided real answers to their sense of purpose questions and created lessons with a direct and specific purpose?
This year I was exposed to the idea of including essential questions in lesson plans. This was introduced to me through the lesson plan structure of Understanding by Design. If you want to learn more about Understanding by Design see the teacher resource section for a document. Essential questions give purpose and direction to your lesson. Instead of just learning basic facts it allows students to critically think beyond the surface level. Some examples of essential questions are, who wins and who loses when technology changes, why do people move, how would life be different if we couldn't measure time and how does where we live influence how we live? These provide an avenue to dive deeper into a topic giving a greater purpose to the lesson.
In order to teach generosity in school we must practice being generous ourselves as teachers. Then we must provide opportunities for the students to be generous as well. We want our students to truly care about others in their school, family and community. When you care about someone you want to help them. The key to generosity is caring.
As a teacher it is your job to provide opportunities at school where students can engage in helpful behaviours without the expectation of payment in return. Students can give of their possessions, time and emotions. Through this they will experience the joy of giving!
This year I was exposed to the idea of including essential questions in lesson plans. This was introduced to me through the lesson plan structure of Understanding by Design. If you want to learn more about Understanding by Design see the teacher resource section for a document. Essential questions give purpose and direction to your lesson. Instead of just learning basic facts it allows students to critically think beyond the surface level. Some examples of essential questions are, who wins and who loses when technology changes, why do people move, how would life be different if we couldn't measure time and how does where we live influence how we live? These provide an avenue to dive deeper into a topic giving a greater purpose to the lesson.
In order to teach generosity in school we must practice being generous ourselves as teachers. Then we must provide opportunities for the students to be generous as well. We want our students to truly care about others in their school, family and community. When you care about someone you want to help them. The key to generosity is caring.
As a teacher it is your job to provide opportunities at school where students can engage in helpful behaviours without the expectation of payment in return. Students can give of their possessions, time and emotions. Through this they will experience the joy of giving!
Real classroom experience with the Circle of courage
This past Fall I got to be a part of an amazing experience in the area of mastery and belonging. In my experience when working in the area of mastery sometimes you need an adult to pair up with a few students to help them explore a very specific area that not all students are passionate about. Mastery allows students to feel success and ownership. These are two of the things that I noticed in the boy I worked with when I volunteered at middle school in Winnipeg as an individual who would work with a gifted student in the school. A grade eight student, whom I will call Ryan, and I worked one on one in the area of music enrichment. This was a great exploration of music and friendship. Ryan is autistic so he struggles in different areas of the main stream school subjects, but is extremely interested in music. Ryan and I spent our Wednesday afternoons building a relationship. We played games, guitar, listened to music, talked about music, and talked about our lives. As I was helping him explore an area of mastery, music, we were also building a relationship and creating a place to belong at school. In my mind belonging is the most important elements of the four areas of the Circle of Courage. I went in there expecting to help him work in a specific passion area and ended up also building a relationship with him. The first day we were together I found that in this case mastery could not be done without first building a relationship. He needed to feel comfortable to even tell me what he wanted to do in the area of music. This was an amazing experience for me and I do believe that the specific middle school I worked with in Winnipeg has good programs in place to reclaim environments in their school.
circle of courage goals for future classroom
I believe that the Circle of Courage all starts with belonging and that the other three all follow after this key piece. I remember discussing the idea that really once a child feels like they belong somewhere they are able to pour energy into mastering something specific. They are confident in who they are because they know where they belong. With this confidence comes a desire to seek a healthy independence. When a child has a sense of belonging, whether that be at home, school or in a social setting they are able to be generous with their time, money, and their own belongings. They are also more likely to make others feel like they belong if they themselves are experiencing a sense of belonging.
When implementing the Circle of Courage into my classroom I would start with the aspect of belonging. I believe that children become free to be more alive when they have a sense of belonging. To develop a sense of belonging in my own classroom I would first take the time to build relationships with my students. I want to be able to know about each student, their home life, their interests and their passions. I also want to develop a sense of unity with the students in my class. I want them to feel comfortable with each other. I would like to do this through the avenue of Drama. I have a theatre major and really believe that theatre games can do wonders to bring your class together. I would want to play some get to know each other games, but also have each student share a story in front of the class. I think that vulnerability in the classroom is healthy, in the right setting. I obviously would not want to push the students in my class too far but just a bit outside of their comfort zone. With unity in a class established a sense of belonging to part of the group will grow. I would like to be able to give all the students in my class responsibilities. Whether that be a job chart for the younger grades or a class government in the older grades. I think that it is important for students to feel like they are doing their part in the greater picture of our classroom. The final thing that I would love to do in my classroom to establish a sense of belonging is make sure that every student knows and experiences situations where their voice is being heard. Students need to feel that their opinions are valued and that what they have to say does matter in the classroom.
When implementing the Circle of Courage into my classroom I would start with the aspect of belonging. I believe that children become free to be more alive when they have a sense of belonging. To develop a sense of belonging in my own classroom I would first take the time to build relationships with my students. I want to be able to know about each student, their home life, their interests and their passions. I also want to develop a sense of unity with the students in my class. I want them to feel comfortable with each other. I would like to do this through the avenue of Drama. I have a theatre major and really believe that theatre games can do wonders to bring your class together. I would want to play some get to know each other games, but also have each student share a story in front of the class. I think that vulnerability in the classroom is healthy, in the right setting. I obviously would not want to push the students in my class too far but just a bit outside of their comfort zone. With unity in a class established a sense of belonging to part of the group will grow. I would like to be able to give all the students in my class responsibilities. Whether that be a job chart for the younger grades or a class government in the older grades. I think that it is important for students to feel like they are doing their part in the greater picture of our classroom. The final thing that I would love to do in my classroom to establish a sense of belonging is make sure that every student knows and experiences situations where their voice is being heard. Students need to feel that their opinions are valued and that what they have to say does matter in the classroom.
References
Brendtro, L.K., Brokenleg, M., & Van Bockern, S. (1990). Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future. Bloomington, IN: National Education Service.
Brendtro, L.K., Brokenleg, M., & Van Bockern, S. (2005). The Circle of Courage and Positive Psychology. Reclaiming Children and Youth; 14 (3) 130-6.
McIntyer, T. The Circle of Courage: A Model for Reaching and Teaching Youngsters at High Risk for Negative Life Outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.behavioradvisor.com/CircleOfCourage.html
Brendtro, L.K., Brokenleg, M., & Van Bockern, S. (2005). The Circle of Courage and Positive Psychology. Reclaiming Children and Youth; 14 (3) 130-6.
McIntyer, T. The Circle of Courage: A Model for Reaching and Teaching Youngsters at High Risk for Negative Life Outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.behavioradvisor.com/CircleOfCourage.html
