The Circle of Courage in Transition Planning

This week I read an article called "The Circle of Courage in Transition Planning" by Deborah Espiner and Diane Guild, two educators in New Zealand, that have implemented and studied a new practice for transition planning, the Circle of Courage. The Circle of Courage combines philosophy and graphic facilitation to create a student-centered transition plan. "The approach is designed to ensure that the young person, the family, and whana (the Maori term for extended family) were at the centre of the planning process and were heard, so the resulting plan would represent their aspirations and goals"(Espiner & Guild, 2011, p.44). The visual and accessible format of the Circle of Courage "engages young people, capitalizes on their learning styles, and creates common understanding" (Espiner & Guild, 2011, p.45). The Circle of Courage is a large circular graphic organizer divided into four equal parts with a smaller circle in the center. Inside the small circle, the student's name is written and picture of them is attached. The four sections of the circle are labeled Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. Below is an example of the Circle of Courage:

During the transition planning meeting, a small group, consisting of the student, their family, the teacher, and the school's transition coordinator, work together to fill out the graphic organizer, with words and graphics, by asking the student questions. First, the group works on developing the dream, what would the student and their family like to happen in this area after transitioning? Next, they work on "capturing the now" by determining "what can the young person do at the present time using skills and knowledge to work towards the Dream," and then creating a "plan for action" by asking "what do the support person and the support team need to achieve in journeying towards the Dream" (Espiner & Guild, 2011, p.46). Below are some of the prompts suggested by the authors to help facilitate the creation of the Circle of Courage:

From a case study completed on the transition process of a nineteen year old student named Andrew, Espiner and Guild found that Andrew was "highly engaged" and showed "full involvement" in the process (2011, p. 48). The participants in the meeting, Andrew's teacher, family, and transition coordinator, stated that the Circle of Courage let Andrew "see his dream" (Espiner & Guild, 2011, p.48). At the end of the meeting, pictures of the participants in front of the Circle of Courage are taken as documentation and the student is able to immediately take the Circle home as a visual reminder of their dream and the plan they will be taking to reach it. Below is a picture of Andrew's completed Circle of Courage:

I really enjoyed reading this article and found it related directly to all the readings and activities we have completed throughout this week's module. The Circle of Courage is just another example of a person centered transition plan. The Circle focuses firstly and primarily on the student and their dreams and goals, then their support group, family and staff, see what they can do to help make this dream a reality. As the textbook states, the goal of the strategy is to "involve and empower students in the development and implementation of their IEP, including goal setting, accommodation selection, and program assessment" (Smith, Gartin, & Murdick, 2012, p. 76). While the terminology in the Circle of Courage is not as technical as usually heard in IEP meetings, the four categories are able to retrieve the same important information in a way that the student can understand and that encourages them to "take ownership of their goals" (Smith, Gartin, & Murdick, 2012, p.76). 

I found this article and the Circle of Courage philosophy to be very powerful and positive. I could see this strategy being very successful in schools across the United States because of the student-centered approach and the engaging and visual process. I would definitely recommend this article to other special educators or those involved in the transition process. 

Espiner, D., & Guild, D. (2011). The Circle of Courage in Transition Planning. Reclaiming Children & Youth, 20(2), 44-49.

Smith, T.E.C., Gartin, B., & Murdick, N.L. (2012). Including Adolescents with Disabilities in General Education Classrooms. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.