The document describes the Inside/Outside Circle strategy, which involves students forming two concentric circles to facilitate brief discussions between rotating partners. It can be used at various points in a lesson to engage all students in discussing key concepts, reviewing information before an assessment, or processing ideas. The strategy pairs students who may not normally work together and allows the teacher to easily increase or decrease the number of pairings. No materials are needed beyond instructing students to take turns sharing answers with their partner as the circles rotate.

1. By:
Gyneranette M. Trinidad

2.  It is a kinesthetic activity that involves all
students in the class and that facilitates short
exchanges between students.
Description:
 a cooperative grouping strategy that allows
movement and is an excellent way to have
the students summarize and review
information or extend thinking.

3. *When To Use:
Use Inside/Outside Circle at any point in the lesson to
structure meaningful conversation:
 Before introducing new material to begin a
discussion or highlight key issues in the
presentation to come
 During a lesson to process important concepts
before applying them in group or
independent work
 After a reading to discuss key concepts
 Before an assessment to review information

4. *Benefits:
 engages all students simultaneously;
 pairs students briefly with classmates with
whom they may rarely work;
 allows the teacher to spontaneously increase
or decrease the number of different student
pairings that occur
 No specific materials are needed for the
strategy, so it can be easily incorporated into
lessons.

5. *Method:
1. Students pair up, then the class forms two
concentric circles with Partner A on the inside
and Partner B on the outside. Partners face each
other.
2. Pose a question and Partner A shares his/her
answer with Partner B. Then Partner B shares
his/her answer.
3. Direct either the inside circle or the outside
circle to rotate either clockwise or counter
clockwise.
4. Once the students have rotated they have a new
partner and steps 2-3 are repeated.

6. Sources:
http://www.theteachertoolkit.com
Bennett, B. and C. Rolheiser. Beyond Monet: The Artful Science of Instructional Integration.
Toronto, Ontario: Bookation, 2001
Kagan Structures