Setting up your own Learning Circle

If you know some people who are learning English too – maybe your friends, your family or your fellow students – you can set up your own Learning Circle.All you need is a group of people who feel comfortable with each other and who want to learn English.

The first step is to talk with people you know who are learning English.Ask them if they are interested in meeting together to practise English.A group like this can start very simply, by meeting together to chat about things you enjoy doing – the only difference is that you will be chatting in English.

It’s important to remember that the aim of a Learning Circle is to create an atmosphere where
everyone feels relaxed enough and confident enough to talk in English. So, when you meet together, the members of the group should try to avoid correcting all the mistakes which are made by others when they speak. Learning to speak without fear of mistakes is the first step to becoming a confident user of English.

So – how can you make sure that your group of friends and fellow learners become an effective Learning Circle?

5TOP TIPS

SETTING UP A SUCCESSFUL LEARNING CIRCLE

1. Be realistic about time It’s very easy to be enthusiastic about a project at the beginning, and feel you can devote a lot of time to it. However, if you have too many meetings, some members might begin to feel they cannot attend. On the other hand, if meetings are too far apart, it is difficult to create a comfortable club atmosphere. One regular meeting at the same time every week is usually the best way to start.
2. Find a place to meet Your meeting place needs to be convenient and comfortable for all
   members of your Learning Circle. If you have the opportunity to use a room in a school or town hall, this is ideal – everyone can share responsibility for making sure that the meeting room is tidy and comfortable. If you decide to hold your meetings in the house of group members, try to go to a different house each week.This shares the responsibility of making sure the place where you go to study is comfortable and welcoming.
3. Decide how large you want your Learning Circle to be There may be many people who want to join your Learning Circle. Remember, however, that if the group is too large, it becomes more difficult to include everyone in discussions.A good group size is around 6 to 10 members. If you have more members, think about creating more than one group.
4. Share responsibilities The most successful Learning Circles are the ones in which all members feel they are valuable to the group. Sharing responsibilities for the group’s activities is a good way of ensuring everyone feels included.Try to make sure that each member of the group has to take responsibility for one group activity at each meeting.
5. Find out about English events in your town In many towns and cities you can find events held in English.These might include talks and lectures at local cultural centres or Englishlanguage films at the cinema. Make your Learning Circle a centre for English language information by identifying as many English-language events as possible in your area.