SOCIOCRACY FOR SCHOOLS
The Sociocracy for Schools course aims to support people in schools and learning communities with the implementation of democratic governance based on sociocracy. The course is aimed at educators, school managers, parents, students and anyone interested in applying democratic governance in an educational setting. In the course you will learn practical skills to implement sociocracy in your own context, whether in a school, community, university, organisation or family.
This course is founded on learning through direct experience, as you will be organised into small groups to practice consent-based decision-making (including conflict mediation) and open elections, which can be applied in any meeting with students, staff and parents. It also includes time for the participants to build a circle structure and learn the sociocratic decision-making process through role play of real examples that we collected from schools around the world. Participants are also invited to bring their own topics to the circle, so we can practice with issues relevant to the group.
The intention is the empowerment of the participants as you will have a chance to develop facilitation skills to immediately apply sociocracy in your context after the course. We offer the course to the public on a regular basis and you can also book a private training, which we can adapt to your own needs. Please get in touch via email to inquire: contact@wonderingschool.org
The course was beyond my expectations as theory was so well intact with practice. Mari and Charlie know incredibly much on sociocracy and it’s outstanding that they deliver the content in such a calm, positive and creative way. I loved that there is given quite a lot of attention to grasping the method by allowing the participants to go with it, dwell in it and where needed, adding guidance. It was a very hands on experience…
“A great course for those who want to know and understand how to use Sociocracy. The contents are very clear, with many practical exercises that allow us to experience being in the role of facilitators. I definitely recommend it!”
“I really enjoyed the training with Charlie and Mari. They were patient and clear, answering all our questions. They made us feel very relaxed and able to take on board all the new material. The training was very eye opening for me and I recommend to any organisation.”
“Charlie and Mari were calm, understanding, and gentle facilitators. The course was a perfect mix of theory and practice so having the content delivered in a clear and digestible format, then the time to apply it during the set up meetings was what helped me really understand how to put Sociocracy into practice and manage different roles and scenarios.”
“Mari and Charlie led us through sociocratic principles with their knowledgeable charming ways. Happy to answer any questions and give real life answers to scenarios. They were kind and fun and made the group work feel very open and engaging. I have learned now how to set up these structures within our school and am really excited to see it in practice and watch as both I and the children learn how to use their communications skills to listen, to speak and to find solutions. Thank you both for this wonderful course!”
“Accessible, comfortable and served at a good pace. Instruction was genuinely helpful and learning with Marianne and Charlie was so easy and inclusive I’m pretty sure none of us wanted it to end!”
“I liked the pace and how it was structured. I found you two very at ease, relaxed, heartwarming, supportive and you had a good eye for when to interject or not.”
“The course was clear, well constructed, practical and inspiring.”
“I really enjoyed learning about sociocracy and sharing the interwebs with Marianne and the circle. What a better time to grow and use these methodologies and practice it together?”
ABOUT SOCIOCRACY
Sociocracy is a method of governance based on dialogue and inclusion of all people in the decision-making process, in a way that all voices are heard.
This model is an alternative to majority rule decision-making, which frequently generates exclusion of minorities, segregation and resistance to change.
The principles of sociocracy that will be developed in the course are:
1. Consent – decision-making based on no objections
2. Circle – group with aim and domain, using rounds and consent decision-making
3. Sociocratic Selection – open selection of roles based on consent
4. Double Links – feedback and communication between circles
SOCIOCRACY MADE SIMPLE
We simplified the Sociocratic Decision-making Process in 3 steps!
This is a great resource to implement Sociocracy with children and with any group that wants to keep it simple!
We teach how to facilitate a sociocratic decision-making process in our Sociocracy for Schools Course.
> GET UPDATES ON THE NEXT COURSE
COURSE DETAILS
Who is the course for?
The course is especially aimed at educators, headteachers and coordinators of primary, secondary and high schools. We aim to support the staff to become experienced facilitators, so they can pass on these skills to the students themselves. However this course is also suitable for youth (15 years old+), parents and people working in any educational setting.
Format of training: Online (via Zoom)
Duration of training: 12 hours – 6 sessions (2 hours each)
Film and Q&A: 1st session is a School Circles screening and Q&A with directors
Max number of participants: 12
Consulting sessions
After the initial 12 hour training, we offer consultation sessions to mentor the school as it implements sociocracy. The aim is to support the school in the continuity of the methodology. The frequency of these sessions can vary according to the school’s needs.
CONTENT
4 Principles of Sociocracy
- Consent
- Circle
- Sociocratic Selection
- Double Link
School Circle Structure
Decision-making process:
- Picture Forming
- Proposal Shaping
- Consent Decision-Making
Integrating objections
Facilitation practice
4 Roles in a circle
Creating meeting agendas
Recording minutes
Conflict Mediation
Board / Mission circle
Vision, Mission, Aims
LEARNING RESOURCE
The course includes the exhibition of the training version of School Circles documentary (46 min), which was produced by the facilitators. The film serves as support for learning and dialogue around the practice of sociocracy in schools.
School Circles is an independent documentary that explores the practice of six democratic schools in the Netherlands. The film shows students, teachers and staff members coming together to dialogue, discuss proposals, mediate conflicts and make decisions about their school life.
These schools not only challenge the mainstream education, but also democracy as we know it. They put into practice sociocracy, a method for collective organisation based on a systems perspective, in which the decisions are made by integrating all the voices through consent.
School Circles connects the theory of sociocracy to its practice within schools, taking us to new possibilities of organising ourselves and our communities.
SUPPORT MATERIALS
Materials Included:
Screening of School Circles Training version (46 min)
School Circles full length version (1h 27min)
Interview with Gerard Endenburg and Annewiek Reijmer (The Sociocracy Group)
Sociocracy for Schools Handbook
Sociocratic Decisions in School – Role Play Cards
Google folder with course materials
Alumni community on Slack
INVESTMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS
We offer the same course for individuals on specific dates. Look out for when the next course starts on the events page. This course is primarily aimed at educators and school managers, but it is open to anyone interested in applying sociocracy in an educational context.
Gift Economy: You can choose one among the 3 values, according to your financial condition. Prices are in Euros. If you choose the “Support” price, you will support the scholarship for someone who needs financial support to join the course. If you would like to request a scholarship, please get in touch: contact@wonderingschool.org
INVESTMENT FOR GROUPS
Gift Economy: Your school can choose one among the 3 values, according to your financial condition.
We offer 3 different price options to make the course more accessible. Additionally, if you are from a country with a low purchasing power please get in contact and we can make an affordable offer for you. Prices are in euros.
The minimum size of the group is 4 people and the maximum is 12. The minimum price of the course (12h) is €1.000 per whole group.
*If you would like to request a personalised quote please contact us at: contact@wonderingschool.org
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Charlie Shread and Marianne Osorio started Wondering School in 2016, an independent research project that investigates practices of a liberating education. Together, they visited more than 40 progressive schools and education projects around the world and produced the School Circles documentary in 2018. In the same year they became Sociocracy trainers with John Buck and Edwin John, and since then have co-facilitated workshops in India, Austria, Germany, Portugal and online. Currently they give talks and workshops, participate in Q&As in universities, communities and organizations, and offer training and consulting to schools, educators and youth activists wishing to implement Sociocracy and Democratic Education in their own contexts.
Marianne Osório is a Brazilian educator, researcher and facilitator of democratic practices in learning communities. Master of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment from the University College of London (UCL), and former science teacher in a state school in Brazil, her focus has been the praxis of a liberating education, according to Paulo Freire.
Charlie Shread is an independent British filmmaker, video editor and sound designer, with a BA in Film Production from the Arts University Bournemouth. In 2011, he co-founded the community group Change The Future, which explored the redesign of national democracy. Currently he and Marianne also work as facilitators in Galileo XP, an online international Self Directed Education platform.
SOCIOCRACY IN SCHOOLS
We created a page on School Circles website to share more resources on Sociocracy in Schools.
There you can find videos, articles and more! Visit our page and join our community on Facebook.
CONTACT
