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Talking circles don’t just build language skills—they build relationships, confidence, and community.
If we want students to thrive, we need to slow down, listen deeply, and make space for every voice.

What other benefits have you seen from talking circles?

5. Talking Circles Reduce Performance Pressure:
In circle, everyone gets a turn—no hand-raising, no competing. This lowers anxiety and helps students participate at their own pace.

4. Talking Circles Foster Cultural & Personal Expression:
ELLs often come from cultures not centered in school.
Circles invite them to share who they are—building belonging and honoring their stories.

3. Talking Circles Expands Vocabulary & Language Structures:
With intentional prompts and themes, students use and hear key vocabulary in context. This repetition and modeling reinforce their learning in an organic way.

2. Talking Circles Encourage Active Listening & Comprehension:
Listening to peers helps ELLs hear how language is used in real life. They pick up new words, sentence patterns, and pronunciation while hearing real stories from classmates.

1. Talking Circles help ELL Students Build Confidence in Speaking:
ELLs often feel anxious about making mistakes.
Talking circles create a predictable, respectful space where everyone has a turn—no competition, no pressure.
Over time, this builds the confidence to speak up.

I know this person meant well, and their remark wasn’t really harmful, but it got me thinking:

What does it actually mean to be an elder?

Who do you consider your elders?
At what point did you recognize them as elders?
Do you think of yourself as an elder? Since when?

Drop your thoughts 👇🏽

internally, my immediate thought was:

First of all, I’m not your elder.
Second, I don’t know you like that—we don’t have that kind of relationship.
But what I really left wondering was: How are you using the term elder?

At the moment it is a reminder to myself as I’m struggling to streamline the Amplify RJ communication channels, learning materials, and community platforms.

visit amplifyrj.com to get/stay connected

Connect with community, focus on what you can do today, and rest. That’s enough.

Wake tomorrow and repeat.

Do the things that you can impact at the intersection of your roles, identity, & social & geographical positioning. Trust that your contribution to our collective liberation is enough.

We have a long road ahead, so connect with community, get to work, & don’t for get to breathe, eat, & hydrate.

Thanks for the invitation

“If I have to choose between despair, apathy, and hope, I choose hope. It’s the outlook that’s most likely to inspire action for positive change.”
-me 😜