Welcoming Learners’ Stories in Conversation Circles

Of the many nuggets of wisdom I picked up from the new Strategic Conversations Zine, the one that resonates is the core idea of listening – to what learners are saying and not saying through their non-verbal language, to clues and cues that give pieces of their story when they’re not ready or able to tell their whole story, and to allow all this to happen in a safe, welcoming, respectful space. I also liked the idea that we are sometimes co-writing learners’ stories with them in such conversations. (See articles B, D, F)

In the recently concluded annual conference of the Association of Alberta Teachers of ESL (ATESL), keynote speaker and University of British Columbia professor, Bonny Norton, memorably quoted Emily Style (1988)¹ as saying that “stories are mirrors and windows,” an idea to which writer and professor Rudine Sims Bishop (1990)² had later added, “…and sliding glass doors.” Both were referring to storybooks and literature through which we can see ourselves (mirrors), look into others’ worlds (windows), and even briefly step into them (sliding doors) so as to make connections.

Couldn’t the same be true of our learners’ personal stories? Couldn’t these stories be mirrors, windows, and sliding doors as well? How can we create spaces in which learners feel free to tell their stories – even in a language that is not their mother tongue?

For newcomers, the venue for such story-telling can be conversation circles. A conversation group is an accessible venue and, for many, the first place to begin a more intentional English language learning journey. Some conversation groups are informal sharing circles while others take the shape of more formal classes. Informal circles may allow free-flowing discussions about a variety of topics that participants themselves can initiate and require minimal planning from facilitators. Formal classes can be more teacher-led and provide structured practice exercises planned beforehand.

The Venn diagram illustrates the differences between the two programs and their shared goals: improving a learner's speaking skills and confidence by focusing on fluency. So rather than an either-or, it may be worthwhile to consider a both-and approach. Learners would benefit from the strengths of both.

Consider the following principles and some concrete ways to put them into practice³:

Conversation groups are a wonderful way to allow learners to share stories of who they are and what they want to be in their adopted country.

Certainly, these stories could be better told in their mother tongues which carry more cultural and emotional nuances. But to share their experiences in a new language can add an element of empowerment.

It may invite them to reflect on and deepen their understanding of their own stories as they communicate them to a new audience. It may even allow them to begin connecting their past to their present and their future as they work towards finding their place in their community.

As practitioners, we can open the doors to that rediscovery and perhaps find in those stories a window or even a mirror for ourselves.

Works Cited

¹ Style, E. (1988). Curriculum as Window and Mirror. Listening for All Voices. School monograph, Oak Knoll School, New Jersey.

² Sims Bishop, R. (1990). Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors. Perspective: Choosing and Using Books in the Classroom (Vol. 6, no. 3). Ohio State University.

³Alberta Routes workshop on Tips and Tools for Successful Conversation Groups.