Phase 6: Closing the Learning Circle

Saying Good-bye

The closing date of the Learning Circle should be listed in the time line. You should be well aware of it from the regular online Circle News messages. It is nice to plan for the end so that you and your partners have a chance to say good-bye before the accounts are closed. Any class or group who has worked closely together to accomplish a task will feel some sadness when the work is done and the group disbands. Some teachers have had their students prepare a short summary of their experiences on the Learning Network, thanking each of the classrooms for their participation. Some have composed short poems to express their feelings. Others have exchanged addresses for summer visits or future correspondence.

Please take a few minutes and thank the other teachers in your Learning Circle, especially your Learning Circle Facilitator. These dedicated teachers volunteer their time to help coordinate the interaction in the Learning Circles and work with Mentor Coordinators to help share ideas across Learning Circles. If you enjoy telecommunications, you might want to volunteer to be a Learning Circle Facilitator in a future session.

Learning Circle Certificates

A Learning Circle Certificate is a good way to recognize your students' work. You might want to make copies for all of your students or use the certificate to recognize a smaller number of students who have been especially active on the Learning Network.

Sharing the Circle Publication

When you have received a copy of each project summary, you will be able to assemble the Circle publication and make copies for your students. You will want to make a few extra copies to send to the people who helped make your participation in the Learning Network possible, your principal, your school board, the PTA, your computer coordinator, the district office, and whoever supported your school's participation.

Your school library is a good place to provide school access to your Circle publication. Encourage your students to show the publication to their parents, or share it with parents during parent-teacher conferences. If you invited a guest speaker to the classroom, he or she would probably enjoy seeing your completed product. Some teachers have also sent their publications to the media and local libraries to let them know that good things are happening in schools.

Closing the Circle Checklist

You may want to mark this final checklist to make sure that you have accomplished your goals.

Charting the Future

Learning Circles are designed by the teachers who use them. Please feel free to describe your experience or offer any suggestions, comments, or ideas. We are eager to hear them and we will do our best to incorporate them into this guide and in the social structure provided by networks like iEARN.

Please send comments and ideas to

Margaret Riel
[email protected]

or to the

International Secretariat for iEARN
[email protected]