Learn Circle Practices to cultivate participation in your school community.
S4S ia a training for people in schools, learning communities, universities, family coops and educational orgs, who want to implement circles for shared decision-making.
About the Course
The S4S training offers a practical way to facilitate circle meetings and design circle structures for cultivating a participatory, democratic and inclusive culture in educational spaces.
The sociocratic method can be applied in any context, from a classroom to a whole school or organization. Circle practices can be applied to: school councils, student councils, staff meetings, parent associations, youth groups, committees, school boards, classroom circles and any other group that meets to work and make decisions together.
The consent decision-making process can be used to co-create collective agreements and projects, mediate conflicts, discuss issues, problem-solve and co-create proposals taking everyone into account.
This is an experiential program where you learn by doing!
Over 6 weeks (12 hours live), you’ll be working in small groups to:
- practice consent decision-making
- practice open elections
- take on roles such as facilitator and administrator
- develop active listening and empathic communication
- develop facilitation and organization skills
- design circle structures
Bring real topics from your context to practice on — let’s get real!
What is our community saying about S4S?
“This course was a wonderful mix of theory and practice, hands-on experiences. I came away feeling inspired and encouraged to begin practicing sociocracy in my work and personal life. Mari and Charlie are skilled facilitators, and their passion and warmth shines through. Just the right length, great value for money, and a nice way to connect with like-minded people around the world.”
Eloise Rickman – Parent Educator & Author, A Beautiful Childhood (UK)
“I learned a lot about how to communicate in a fair and equal way. I think this method can be applied in many different situations and I hope my colleagues are as enthusiastic as I am. I will definitely be trying to implement the ideas at my school.”
Megan Morlok, Highschool teacher
Greenshoots International School (Vietnam)
“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 a lot of attention to grasping the method by allowing the participants to dwell in it and where needed, adding guidance. It was a very hands on experience.”
Indrè, Teacher, International School of Vilnius (Lithuania)
“Really brilliant facilitation from Mari and Charlie. Having done a number of zoom based classes in the past year, this one felt the most ‘held’ and supportive. I learned so much more than I thought could be possible in the time frame. They made a potentially daunting topic seem completely accessible and achievable.”
Naomi Clarke, Writer & Site Manager
East Kent Sudbury (UK)
“Mari and Charlie have crafted a course that embodies the principles and processes of sociocracy. They give all the nuts and bolts, but the real learning comes through participation in the sociocratic process, which is woven throughout the course. A good mix of theory and practice.”
David Wessels, Garden Coordinator/Teacher, Troy Howard Middle School (USA)
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 and integrated.
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 covered 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 Election – open selection of roles based on consent
4. Double Links – feedback and communication between circles
CONTENT
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 the practice of sociocracy in schools and beyond.
School Circles is an independent documentary that explores six democratic schools in the Netherlands.
The film shows students, teachers, staff and parents coming together to dialogue, discuss proposals, mediate conflict and make collective decisions about their school life.
These schools challenge not only mainstream education, but also democracy as we know it. They put into practice Sociocracy, a system of governance based on consent decision-making, where every voice matters.
School Circles connects the theory of Sociocracy to its practice within schools, opening up new possibilities for organizing our communities and society as a whole.
SUPPORT MATERIALS
Materials Included:
PRIVATE TRAINING, MENTORING & CONSULTING
We also offer Private Training, Mentoring and Consulting to schools, organizations and communities. We offer the full 12-hour S4S Training or tailor a program to your needs. If you are interested in a private training, please send us an email to contact@wonderingschool.org or book a free 30-minute discovery call here.
“A great course with many practical exercises that allow us to experience being in the role of facilitators. I definitely recommend it!”
Maria Coelho Rosa, Technical Director, Between (Portugal)
“It was very special. Marianne and Charlie conducted the sessions in a very gentle, communicative and enthusiastic way. The exercises in sub-circles are important for co-learning and co-creating. Marianne and Charlie shared their own experience and lots of information, which is very inspiring.”
Teresa Teofilo, Teacher, State School, Portugal
“A great course – very practical and authentic. After each session I had something new I wanted to implement straight away, so it was also empowering in that sense. “
Claudia Gray, Director, Ako Space
(New Zealand)
“The hours always flew by. The course was very well structured and the materials given will be very useful to implement sociocracy in my context. One of the best parts of the course was the possibility to experience the sociocratic process. The course had just the right amount of theory and then it was all practice. What in the beginning seemed a bit difficult to grasp was at the end internalized.”
Teresa Sopas Soares, Fellow, Teach for Portugal
“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.”
Tessa Round, Founder
Las Tortugas Curiosas (Spain)
About the Facilitators
Marianne and Charlie co-founded Wondering School, now Wondering Education, in 2016 as an independent research project exploring humanizing education rooted in Paulo Freire’s liberatory pedagogy, visiting over 40 schools worldwide. In 2018 they produced the documentary School Circles, which has been translated into 12 languages, screened in 200+ venues across 65 countries, and listed by Films for Action among the “Top 100 Documentaries to Change the World.” Once part of the Education Circle in Sociocracy for All, they trained in sociocracy with John Buck and Edwin John, they have led sociocratic implementation in school in Brazil and co-facilitated workshops India, Austria, Germany and Portugal with GovernanceAlive, Soziokratie Zentrum Österreich, and the Neighbourhood Community Network. Their Sociocracy for Schools (S4S) course has run 19 cohorts, with 173 alumni from 56 schools and organizations in 20 countries. Today they give talks, workshops and Q&As, and offer training and consulting to schools and communities wishing to implement sociocracy and democratic education.
CONTACT FORM
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