Creating Transformative Space in Our Classroom Using Circles, Restorative Practices, and Student Voice

• In Event: Epistemological Inquiry Into Teaching

Abstract

This paper aligns with AERA 2021’s theme of “accepting educational responsibility” by investigating the creation of transformative learning spaces using restorative practices in education (RPEs), student voice and circle pedagogy in a Western Canadian teacher’s classroom. This study employs the methodologies of teacher research and a/r/tography. Qualitative data in the form of student artifacts, focus group circles of student participants, and one-on-one interviews with classroom Certified Education Assistants (CEAs) participants, and researcher reflective journaling was collected. The qualitative analysis conducted was inductive and thematic. This research illustrates that transformative learning cannot be forced, but that opportunities for how they can be nurtured using RPEs, student voice and circle pedagogy are presented.

Authors

• Nicole "Chinook" McLean

• Leyton Schnellert, The University of British Columbia

• Karen Ragoonaden, The University of British Columbia