Creating the Recognition of Heterogeneity in Circle Rituals: An Ethnographic Study in a German Primary School

Abstract

This study focuses on “circle time,” an innovative technique to promote classroom organization in primary schools across Germany and the rest of the world. Unlike previous research which primarily emphasizes on the functional and instrumental dimensions of circle time, the current study examines the non-cognitive aspects that emerged “in the middle” of circles. Since 2013, an ethnographic study has been conducted in a progressive pedagogy (Reformpädagogik) primary school in Berlin, Germany. The empirical data from this study contain observations from the ethnographic videotaping of students aged 6 to 9 years old. The findings suggest that three aspects are crucial to generating and handling heterogeneity in a circle: symbolic construction, bodily movement, and ludic interaction. In addition, it is indicated that in a pluralistic, multi-cultural society, a teacher’s authority becomes conditional rather than automatic.